The Washington Spirit's rise to candidate status has been nothing short of a wild rollercoaster. The franchise is just a few years removed from the 2021 NWSL Championship season, which featured off-field headlines between former owner and current owner Michele Kang, and saw the players use their voices to advocate for change in ownership and gathered around each other. for a remarkable championship run.
There have been many highs and lows since then, with a new vision under current ownership, but the franchise can finally turn the page on the chapter they've been waiting for. For experienced Spirit players, being able to just focus on being a professional is a noticeable change and a refreshing moment.
“We've got the right pieces in place, and that will continue to happen for years to come. I think the Spirit will really be a destination for top players who want to develop and really become a professional athlete,” goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury told CBS Sports. .
Kingsbury has been with the Spirit since 2018 and knows first-hand the ups and downs the club has experienced to achieve success both on and off the field. The team is on a three-game winning streak, two against expansion teams, and they will have a big challenge on Saturday against 2023 NWSL Champions NJ/NY Gotham FC on CBS.
Here's how you can watch the upcoming match:
Check the sign-up box to confirm you want to subscribe.
Thanks for signing up!
Keep an eye on your inbox.
Sorry!
An error occurred processing your subscription.
View information
- Date: 20th of April
- Time: 1:00 PM ET
- Place: Audi Field – Washington DC
- TV: CBS
- Current: Biggest+
Continue from continue
During the 2021 offseason, Kang set a then-record-breaking franchise sale by paying $35 million dollars for an existing club. It set a new standard in ratings for NWSL clubs, which continues to rise. But the influx of investment didn't exactly translate into immediate success on the field.
Even under new ownership to start the 2022 season, the Spirit continued to experience coaching turnover and interim replacements, finishing in second-to-last place with a league-record 10 draws in Kang's first year as majority owner.
Last year they hired Mark Parsons as head coach, who had tremendous success with the Portland Thorns. He managed to convert only one of those ten draws into a victory in another disappointing season. The 2023 season came down to a Decision Day scenario, and while they started the day in the playoffs, they were eliminated at the end of it.
Kingsbury credits Kang with leading the club and maintaining its focus on the bigger picture of success, with investment and resources, and more importantly, moving forward.
“I owe a lot to Michele Kang in her leadership and her vision for this club. I would say that over my career in the NWSL we have had more and more owners who are willing to spend money, have great ideas and care about the clubs to build, but there has been a lack of follow-up,” she said.
“So it's just all these good intentions, but it doesn't really get any butts in the seats if you don't hire more ticket agents or market the team. With Michele, we put a lot of money into print ads and campaigns. …where you see Spirit players all over Union Station, the subways and things like that to be more visible in the DC community…and she's been really smart about hiring qualified people, and not just qualified , but also world famous.”
Now that there is new ownership and a long-term vision for rebranding the club, the 2024 Spirit is reintroducing itself. Kang hired the club's first-ever Chief Executive Officer, Kim Stone. They then ended their global search for a head coach, took a page out of US Soccer's playbook and named FC Barcelona's Jonatan Giraldez. Similar to Emma Hayes' eventual arrival to the United States Women's National Team following her Chelsea FC season, Giraldez will join the Spirit in June after Barcelona's season concludes.
General Manager Mark Krikorian made big moves for the Spirit this offseason, especially on draft day, trading club veteran defenseman Sam Stabb and forward Ashley Sanchez – a player once considered part of the Spirit's core. They also signed free agent and USWNT defenseman Casey Krueger, who previously played under Krikorian during his time at Florida State University.
The team's new signings, Croix Bethune and Hal Hershfelt, each scored two goals in four games and made an immediate impact along with interim head coach Adrian Gonzalez. He will remain in the position until June and will be Giraldez's full-time assistant later this season.
When vision off the field leads to success on the field
The 2024 NWSL regular season is still in its early stages, but the Spirit continues to rise in the standings each week. They struggled to start, settling for a defeat to Seattle Reign FC to open their campaign and sitting in 1st place in a 14-team table. They have gone from near the bottom to seventh and fourth place and are now in third place as the league looks towards week five.
The franchise made Audi Field their official home in 2023, and despite narrowly missing the postseason, the change to the facility added a layer of professionalism that players had been missing and improved experiences for fans. In their first run of success with three consecutive wins, two of their victories came at home to Audi.
“The most important conversation for us is looking at how we start the game… and just working on how we can start strong. Maybe that will be a little easier for us when we play at Audi and when we have our house.” audience and maybe feel more confident with them behind us.”
“We understand better and better when we need to slow the game down, just keep possession, or when we need to speed up attacks and play more directly or vertically at the back. And when we need to use our speed,” Kingsbury explains.
“With Trin (Rodman) up there, we can't turn anything into an incredible opportunity very quickly, but we don't want to do that all the time… I think the most important thing is that we understand each other's strengths and how you can play together. “
Moving parts come together
Investments and resources are all just part of the success formula. Kang's commitment a few years ago also tied into the first-ever collective bargaining agreement ratified by the NWSL Players Association – a deal that runs until 2026. As women's professional sports evolve alongside a rapidly growing audience, this means sports companies have a have to catch up. , brands and traditional media channels to meet demand.
Nike recently announced that NWSL goalkeeper shirts would be available for purchase. Within hours of it becoming available, USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher's Chicago Red Stars kit sold out on the official site, although there are still some options listed on the club's site.
Kingsbury took to social media to express her delight at the opportunity for fans to now purchase goalkeeper kits and that she would sign each kit when she was at the match on Saturday. Goalie jerseys are just one of many differences in direct-to-consumer options that are missing from the women's but were available from the men's.
“In my opinion it was just a no-brainer. So I would say 'finally!' But fans have been asking for this for years. Fans make their own jerseys. I know people who like to order them from Europe and then put the names on the back themselves.
She also jokes that if she had the option to spend her own money on goalkeeper kits, she would throw it back to Brianna Scurry or Jill Loyden. Now that they are available, she wouldn't mind playing with her colleagues and mentions Katie Lund from Louisville, Mandy Haught from Utah Royals, or even Kailen Sheridan from San Diego.
Now that waves of new ownership groups and money have made their way into the league, along with the CBA, more investment will come as the NWSL looks ahead to another double expansion in 2026. Meanwhile for Kingsbury, who is the team's Player Rep for the NWSL PA, it is refreshing to just talk about football and focus on players' performances after seeing her own club in a negative light in recent years.
“That's everything players in NWSL have wanted for decades,” she joked.
'You also see it reflected in long-term contracts. You got me, Andy [Sullivan]Trin [Rodman], [Ashley] Hatch, like many big players who want to stay here because we know this is a stable environment. I think it is very attractive for players who want to get the most out of their career.
I am in a place where I can flourish, where I can be the best and be developed. I entrust my career here to the Spirit, to the medical team, the support staff, the technical staff. This is honestly everything I could dream of. I don't have to worry about what it will look like next year because I trust the leadership. I trust that change will ultimately be for our benefit and help us get to where we want to be, and not just change for change's sake… So I think we've finally gotten there. We got the right pieces in place.”
