Hampered Spirit ride ‘Rowdy Audi’ atmosphere into semifinal against Thorns

The only pro sports team in the District with a winning record this season — the Washington Spirit women’s soccer team — is ready to cement its status as one of the city’s premier franchises ahead of this weekend’s NWSL semifinal against the visiting Portland Thorns.

The Spirit, led by first-year coach Adrian Gonzalez and one of the deepest rosters in the league, are looking to book their second consecutive trip to the NWSL championship match with a win on Saturday.

Success has become routine for the Spirit and their steadily growing fan base. Since drafting superstar forward Trinity Rodman in 2021, Washington has secured one NWSL title and a Challenge Cup trophy earlier this season.

In turn, the atmosphere at “Rowdy Audi” Field has become one of the most electric in the nation.

Washington’s players say they enjoy an unmatched home-field advantage, which they plan to use as fuel in front of a sell-out crowd of nearly 20,000 fans on Saturday.

“I imagine it’s very difficult [for opponents], and I kind of feed off of their energy, getting them hyped; it gives me more confidence,” Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury said Tuesday. “It’s just a joy and an honor to play in front of them.”

During last weekend’s postseason opener, the Spirit needed every ounce of support to secure a win against Racing Louisville FC on penalty kicks. Despite losing multiple defenders to injuries during the match, an exuberant group of supporters kept the energy high.

“Sometimes, you can have a tough game, or some adversities during the game, and when those situations happen, having that energy coming from the crowd is something priceless, to be honest,” Gonzalez said Tuesday. “We are just building something, I think, magical, and they give us that extra push.”

The Spirit were a dominant force throughout the season — especially at home — en route to a second-place finish on the NWSL table. The charge was led by Gonzalez, who opened as an interim coach before losing the tag midseason.

The whirlwind year has been “very interesting,” according to Gonzalez, who is a finalist for the NWSL’s Coach of the Year award.

“It’s been a lot of, hard work in terms of competing, a lot of games, travels, trying to adjust some things that we thought was important,” he said. “But again, this team is showing that it doesn’t matter what happens, the changes that we can have, that they are just facing any type of circumstances.”

Even with star forward Trinity Rodman missing time due to a nagging back issue, the Spirit pushed ahead. Rodman, the daughter of NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman, has been sidelined this month with an MCL sprain.

She suited up for last weekend’s game but did not play. Her status for the upcoming match with Portland is up in the air.

Gonzalez and his players said they aren’t concerned about their star’s absence.

Rodman is a clear difference-maker — she scored five goals in 15 games this season — but the team is full of them. Nigeria’s Gift Monday has led the Spirit with eight goals in her first NWSL season. Rosemonde Kouassi, a native of the Ivory Coast, has added four goals and a team-high four assists.

“We are not a team who plays just with 11, 12 players. We have a lot of options,” the coach said. “And I think that gives you a huge advantage right now.”

The Spirit, now in their 13th NWSL season, have developed an identity. They effectively scout and recruit international coaches and players to great success. Their legions of rowdy fans make life difficult for the opposition. They don’t rely on star power, instead fielding a deep squad that can handle the trials of a deep playoff run.

“It’s a unique part of our culture, where we believe in players one through 26,” midfielder Paige Metayer said. “I think that that’s something special that we can bring to the table.”

The Spirit entered the NWSL playoffs as the No. 2 seed. However, the top-seeded Kansas City Current were upset in the opening round after a dominant regular season. Washington, in turn, became one of the favorites to secure the championship in Kansas City’s absence.

But the eager Spirit have made playoff runs before. They aren’t looking that far ahead.

“You obviously want to go into the playoffs knowing that you win or go home. You always got to keep that in the back of your mind,” Metayer said. “But at the same time, we focus on just playing without thinking. We’ve gotten this far; we know what we’re capable of.”

The Spirit kick off their playoff semifinal against the Thorns at 2 p.m. on Saturday.