Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman has only one priority for this season, which begins Friday with a championship rematch against the Orlando Pride for the league’s Challenge Cup.
“Beat Orlando,” she said Saturday at the Spirit’s fan festival. “Every time.”
The Challenge Cup is a preseason title match that pits the NWSL’s top regular season squad from the previous year against the reigning champions.
The Pride secured both of those honors in 2024. The Spirit have a shot at the cup after finishing second in both categories.
Friday’s match is not just an exhibition for Washington, though. It’s a chance for revenge, according to the players and coaches.
“It’s personal. I want to win everything, and this is the first trophy,” Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury said Thursday. “[Coach Jonatan Giraldez] talked to us a lot about that. We’re here to win. He’s probably just as or even more competitive than all of us players.”
Last season, the NWSL’s most-watched ever, featured a nearly miraculous run by the Spirit. They found themselves in the championship final despite losing captain Andi Sullivan, forward Ouleye Sarr and eventual Rookie of the Year Croix Bethune to injuries.
Bethune was also named the league’s Midfielder of the Year despite missing the final 12 matches of her rookie campaign.
The midfielder could return to the pitch on Friday. Giraldez said Bethune is eligible to play after traveling with the team to Orlando.
Rodman could join her.
The international superstar sat out the U.S. Women’s National Team camp this offseason after last year’s extended NWSL season and a gold-medal run in the Olympics.
A nagging back injury kept Rodman out of a handful of matches last season. It shouldn’t stop her this year, though.
“Coming from an injury — not ideal. But being able to have stability in preseason, being able to have more of a foundation, has helped a lot,” Rodman, the daughter of NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman, said last month. “I’m in a really good place.”
This offseason featured an adjustment period for the Spirit and the NWSL at large. The league’s players agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement in August, one that disbanded the draft. The agreement also allowed for increased agency for players looking to change teams.
The Spirit were busy as teams adjusted to the new-look NWSL. The front office signed several players, including rookies Emma Gaines-Ramos and Deborah Abiodun.
New defenders Rebeca Bernal from Mexico and Shadia Nankya from Uganda are projected to inject fresh life into Washington’s defense. The veterans bring a wealth of international experience to a still-growing squad.
Friday’s match is the first of 2025 for the NWSL. Giraldez said he looks forward to being the center of attention for the women’s soccer world.
“We have a big opportunity to show the team that we want to be. Everyone will be watching this game, so we can send a message at the same time,” Giraldez said Thursday. “We want to emphasize the kind of team we want to be. The potential growth that this team has is amazing.”
The Spirit said there’s no better way to measure their development than against the Pride squad that broke their hearts in the final just over three months ago.
“We all left really hungry. We were a young squad, and we improved so much over the course of the season,” Kingsbury said. “But I think that was just a picture of how much room we had to grow.”
Giraldez joined the Spirit halfway through last season after a historic run with Barcelona’s women’s club. The 33-year-old led the iconic team to 10 trophies and 130 wins in his three seasons at the helm.
He brought the same hunger for titles to the District in his first offseason with the Spirit.
“We’ve created a really competitive, hungry, humble culture within our club where we want to win every title that’s available to us,” Kingsbury said. “That starts tomorrow.”
Friday’s Challenge Cup match begins at 8 p.m. The Spirit will open the regular season on March 14 against the Houston Dash.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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