Playoff Preview: Spirit and Gotham FC Meet at Sold Out Audi Field with NWSL Championship Berth on the Line

Washington, D.C. (11/15/2024) – The Washington Spirit will face defending champion Gotham FC on Saturday, November 16 in the club’s semifinal match, presented by Alarm.com. The match begins at 12:00 p.m. EST at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. and will be broadcast nationally on CBS along with coverage on Paramount+. Fans can also tune into the match on the Washington Spirit Radio Network by visiting WashingtonSpirit.com or the ESPN 630 website or app starting at 11:00 a.m. EST.

 

The Spirit

Last week, the No. 2 Spirit earned a trip to the NWSL Semifinals after a 2-1, extra-time victory over No. 7 Bay FC. The win was celebrated by a sold-out crowd of 19,215 fans – the largest East Coast crowd and 10th largest overall in NWSL Playoffs history. The Spirit has recorded 10 of its 13 largest home crowds in club history in the 2024 season alone.

The quarterfinal match was gridlocked until the 82nd minute, when Bay FC struck first, leaving only minutes for the Spirit to answer. And answer the Spirit did. Four minutes later, Tara McKeown netted the equalizer, setting up an extra time which the Spirit used to secure the victory with a goal in the 96th minute.

McKeown’s goal was the Spirit’s ninth goal from outside the box in NWSL play (regular season & playoffs) in 2024, equaling the most in a single season in league history. McKeown is the eighth different Spirit player to score from outside the box this season, the most for a team in a single season in league history (including playoffs).

The win over Bay FC set up the fifth semifinal in team history, the first semifinal hosted by the Spirit since 2016, and the first-ever semifinal to take place at Audi Field. Additionally, the win extended the Spirit’s longest-ever home win streak to six matches.

The Spirit vs. Gotham FC matchup is one that feels as old as time. Both inaugural members of the NWSL in 2013, the two sides have faced off 39 times through all competitions, the most meetings against a single opponent in Spirit history. Saturday will be the 15th meeting between the Spirit and Gotham FC in all competitions over the last four seasons. The head-to-head record since the start of 2021 is even, with both teams winning five times and drawing four. Both teams have at least one home win and one away win against the other in that time, so expect a tightly contested battle.

Though, at Audi Field, the Spirit has never lost to Gotham in five games. Most recently, the Spirit defeated Gotham FC at Audi Field, 2-0, on April 20 during a nationally televised CBS match. Saturday’s match will also air on CBS.

In fact, Washington was responsible for two of Gotham FC’s four regular-season losses this year. The Spirit was the only team Gotham FC did not earn a point against as well as the only team Gotham failed to score a goal against in the 2024 regular season.

Fans should keep an eye out for the Starting XI for both squads, especially the Spirit. Last week, Leicy Santos came in the match as an impact sub, allowing the all-rookie midfield of Heather Stainbrook, Hal Hershfelt, and Courtney Brown to reprise their role in the starting lineup. That trio is 4-0-0 in the last four matches. Additionally, Makenna Morris, Trinity Rodman, and Ashley Hatch continued to be a staple up top.

Also note that the Spirit has scored at least two goals in five of its last six matches, so will look to continue to its offensive form. Finally, Jonatan Giráldez (32 years old) becomes the second-youngest coach to lead a team to an NWSL Semifinal match, trailing only Mark Parsons (28 years old), who coached the Spirit to a semifinal in 2014.

 

The Opponent

Last week, Gotham FC earned a gritty 2-1 victory over Portland Thorns FC. Much like the Spirit’s quarterfinal victory, Gotham won on a game that went down to the wire following a scoreless first half. US Women’s National Team members Tierna Davidson and Rose Lavelle accounted for the two Gotham goals.

Davidson’s goal came in the 67th minute but was nullified by a Portland goal shortly after. Lavelle was the hero in the seventh minute of second half stoppage time, finding the winner. The match was Gotham FC’s first-ever home playoff match and second consecutive year bouncing Portland from the playoffs.

Lavelle’s winning goal was Gotham’s third stoppage-time winning goal in 2024 (Maycee Bell 90’+8 vs. San Diego in June, Esther González 90’+3 vs. Houston in September), making Gotham the first team in NWSL history to score three stoppage-time winning goals in a single calendar year (regular season & playoffs).

Gotham FC finished the season in third place on the NWSL Table with a 17-4-5 (56 points) record. In fact, Gotham tied the Spirit on points, but Washington had the edge thanks to a +23-goal differential compared to Gotham’s +21 differential. The difference came down to the Spirit’s prolific offense, scoring 10 more goals than Gotham.

As mentioned, half of Gotham FC’s four losses came from the Spirit, with the only other losses coming to No. 1 Orlando Pride and No. 5 North Carolina Courage. Simply put: Gotham FC is a hard team to beat. Additionally, Gotham FC only conceded two goals in a game three times this season, twice to the Spirit and once to Orlando. Heading into the match, Gotham FC is in peak form, unbeaten since September 1 and winning five straight matches.

Like Bay FC, the Spirit has not played Gotham for several months. The most recent matchup came nearly five months ago on June 23. It is safe to assume the Spirit will face a very different Gotham side, though the same is true of the Spirit who features notable omissions in Croix Bethune and Andi Sullivan since the last meeting.

Three Gotham players — Rose Lavelle, Yazmeen Ryan, and Esther — were voted to the NWSL’s Best XI for October/November. Lavelle and Ryan were previously named to a Best XI, while this marks Esther’s first recognition after catapulting into elite form as of late.

Both the Spirit and Gotham FC are clutch. The Spirit (12) and Gotham FC (11) rank first and second, respectively, in number of goals scored in the last 15 minutes of regulation this season. Finally, both sides have found success in the playoffs in recent years. Both teams enter the semifinal having won its last four playoff matches. The Spirit won three straight in 2021, culminating in an NWSL Championship, plus last week’s quarterfinal. Gotham won three straight had the same path, winning three straight and winning the NWSL Championship last year, as well as last week’s quarterfinal. No team has ever won five consecutive playoff matches in NWSL history.

 

What’s On the Line

The winner would punch its ticket to Kansas City and CPCK Stadium, the home of the 2024 NWSL Championship, and would play the winner of No. 1 Orlando Pride v. No. 4 Kansas City Current. The match will take place on Saturday, November 23, kicking off at 8:00 p.m. EST and airing on CBS.

 

All-Time Series History

The Washington Spirit owns a 17-13-9 all-time record against Gotham FC, holding a +12-goal differential in that time. Saturday marks the first-ever playoff meeting between the two sides. 30 of the 39 total matches played have come in the regular season, with the Spirit also holding the advantage – 14-10-6.

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