Washington Spirit

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Washington Spirit
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Full name Washington Spirit
Nickname(s) Spirit
Founded 2012 (2011 as DCU Women)
Stadium Maryland SoccerPlex
Ground Capacity 3,200
Owner Bill Lynch[1]
Chairman Jim Gabarra
Head Coach Jim Gabarra
League National Women's Soccer League
Website Club home page
Current season

The Washington Spirit is an American professional soccer club based in Germantown, Maryland that participates in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It is a continuation of the D.C. United Women of the W-League and continues to field both a W-League team and a youth team, both under the Spirit name.

History

Establishment

The foundation of the National Women's Soccer League was announced on November 21, 2012, with Washington selected as a host for one of the eight teams selected for the inaugural season.[2] In December 2012, the team's name was announced as the Washington Spirit. D.C. United Women head coach Mike Jorden was kept on as well as assistant coach Cindi Harkes. Harkes is the wife of former U.S. international and D.C. United star John Harkes.[3]

Colors and badge

In January 2013, the team unveiled its new colors and badge. The badge was designed to resemble a torch reflecting the notion of "Burning with Spirit." It also contains a crown that holds 11 stars to represent the 11 players on the field and a ball with a single star to represent the 12th player (the team's fans) placed where the fuel for the torch would be representing how the fans "fuel the spirit." All of the components of the badge are "wrapped in the Banner of Spirit for a patriotic theme honoring our flag and all of those who have given their lives and sacrificed much so we can enjoy the freedoms we have."[4]

The logo was designed by freelance designer, Pete Schwadel and incorporates the team colors of navy, red, and white further reinforcing the patriotic theme woven throughout the team's history. It also features both "Washington" and "DC" to represent the team's connection with the District and the greater Washington metropolitan area.[5]

Inaugural season

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Main article: 2013 Washington Spirit season

On January 11, 2013 as part of the NWSL Player Allocation, goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris (USA), defender Ali Krieger (USA), midfielder Lori Lindsey (USA), defender Robyn Gayle (CAN), midfielder Diana Matheson (CAN), defender Alina Garciamendez (MEX) and midfielder Teresa Worbis (MEX) were named to the team.[6][7][8] During the February 7, 2013 NWSL Supplemental Draft, the team selected Stephanie Ochs, Tori Huster, Jordan Angeli, Natasha Kai, Megan Mischler and Heather Cooke.[9][10]

2015 season

The Spirit finished the 2015 NWSL season with a record of 8-6-6.[11] Though they made it to the semi-finals for the second season in a row, the Spirit fell to the Seattle Reign 3-0 and did not progress to the final match.[12] The Spirit's Crystal Dunn was awarded the league's Golden Boot award, for leading the league in goals. During the 2015 NWSL season, Dunn scored a total of 15 goals in 20 games.[13]

Year-by-year

Year League Regular Season Playoffs Avg. Attendance
2013 NWSL 8th Place Did not qualify 3,620
2014 NWSL 4th Place Semi-Finals 3,335
2015 NWSL 4th Place Semi-Finals 4,087

Stadium

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See also: NWSL stadiums

The Washington Spirit play their home games at Maryland SoccerPlex located in Germantown, Maryland.[14] The stadium features seating for 3,200 with corresponding restroom facilities; and a formal press box and box office. The playing field measures 115 x 75 yards. The stadium has previously hosted a US Olympic qualifier, MLS Open Cup matches, a CONCACAF Champions League match, the ACC Men's Soccer Championships, USL and W League matches, training sessions for Argentina's Boca Juniors and the New Zealand National team. The US Youth Soccer National Championships were also held at the Maryland SoccerPlex.[15][16]

Players

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 Canada GK Stephanie Labbé
3 United States DF Caprice Dydasco
4 United States DF Megan Oyster
5 United States DF Whitney Church
6 Canada DF Shelina Zadorsky
7 United States MF Christine Nairn
8 Canada MF Diana Matheson
10 Argentina MF Estefania Banini
11 United States DF Ali Krieger (captain)
12 United States FW Katie Stengel
No. Position Player
14 Nigeria FW Francisca Ordega
15 United States MF Joanna Lohman
17 United States FW Cali Farquharson
18 United States GK Kelsey Wys
19 United States FW Crystal Dunn
20 United States FW Cheyna Williams
22 United States DF Alyssa Kleiner
23 United States MF Tori Huster
24 United States DF Estelle Johnson
57 Spain FW Laura del Rio

Supporters

The Spirit Squadron is the name of the supporter's group for the Spirit. The group was started by three friends – Ashley Nichols, Megan Wesson and Tory Johnson.[17] Of the group's founding, Nichols said, "... with a new league we needed to show the team as much support as possible because we really want a women's pro league to stay here in the United States. So between that and wanting to also provide a fun experience for fans, we decided to create the Spirit Squadron." [18]

See also

References

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External links

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