When we last encountered the Washington Spirit, they had completed a dismal season in next-to-last place after a 1-1 draw with the last place team, Sky Blue FC.

Since then, they have hired a new head coach and several assistant coaches, acquired a new majority owner and new CEO, and churned over the roster yet again. Oh, and they’ve added a team mascot.



A new CEO

The new boss is Larry Best, whom I’ve known for many years from his time as head coach of the Braddock Road W-League/WPSL team. I asked him what I figured has to be on every Spirit fan’s mind, what assurances he can give that the upcoming season isn’t going to be as dreadful as the past two.

He wasn’t prepared to give a whole lot of assurances – particularly since he wasn’t involved the past two years – and admitted it could be “a challenging season”*, but noted that he expected the Spirit to fare better during the Women’s World Cup than many of the other NWSL teams.

What he really wanted to talk about were the infrastructure changes. “We have a player lounge now, for the first time, and they love it. We’ve completely redone the locker room. Every player who wants apartment housing, we’ve paid to make that happen. We have five full-time coaches.”

I asked about the scoreboard, which after last being upgraded for the WPS Washington Freedom in 2009 is starting to show its age. “That’s next on the list. Fifteen thousand dollars, and we’re working on it.”

Much of the improvements can be credited to new majority owner Steve Baldwin (disclosure: I’m friends with Steve’s daughter Carlyn, who played for the aforementioned Braddock Road team), who has been freer-spending than his predecessor, Bill Lynch, who retains a minority stake in the team.

It may be worth noting that Mallory Pugh, when asked about changes from past seasons to this one, said, “The main thing I see is I am treated as a professional, both off and on the field. The past two years that kind of was not the case.”

When I relayed the concern of some fans that new coach Richie Burke didn’t have the sort of background you’d expect for an elite professional team, he indicated that he had full confidence in the new coach. “He’s a professional. And when you get right down to it, coaching is coaching.” (I noted that Mark Parsons came in for similar criticism when he took over the team in 2013.)

The players

At the preseason matches, I’m not sure I would have recognized the team but for the uniforms, there are so many new faces. Here’s a complete list of players still here from last year:

Aubrey Bledsoe (GK)

Mallory Eubanks (DF, FW, but out on maternity leave)

Meggie Dougherty Howard (MF)

Rose Lavelle (MF)

Andi Sullivan (MF)

Tori Huster (MF)

Ashley Hatch (FW)

Arielle Ship (FW)

Mallory Pugh (FW)

Cali Farquharson (FW)

Additionally, forward Cheyna Mattews returns after taking a year off for maternity leave.

(This means all of my player-specific t-shirts from the past few years are obsolete except my OG-23 Tori Huster one.)

You might note in particular that the back line has been completely replaced. Caprice Dydasco and Estelle Johnson were traded to Sky Blue in January for draft picks. Whitney Church was waived in February. And Taylor Smith tore her ACL while playing in Australia in December. Not retained by the Spirit, she was signed by Reign FC even though she isn’t expected to be able to play in 2019.

The new roster of defenders consists of Sam Staab (Clemson, 2019 overall #4 draft pick), Megan Crosson (Santa Clara), Amy Harrison (Australia WNT, can also play midfield), Tegan McGrady (Stanford, 2019 overall #7 draft pick), Paige Nielsen (Australia, can also play forward), McKenzie Berryhill (Arizona State, drafted #21 overall in 2016 by the Portland Thorns), and Mallory Eubanks (Mississippi, drafted #16 overall in 2018, can also play forward).

Judging by the preseason game rosters, the favored starters are McGrady, Staab, Crosson, and Nielsen.

Things look a bit more familiar in the midfield with national teamer Rose Lavelle – who was sometimes sensational in her preseason matches – returning, along with national team pool player Andi Sullivan, who may have a lot to prove this year after a poor 2018 NWSL season. Perhaps she will emerge as Crystal Dunn did in 2015.

Florida’s Meggie Dougherty Howard returns for her third season. And we have to mention scrappy defensive midfielder Tori Hunter, the only player who’s been with the Spirit every season of their existence.

The newcomers are headlined by Jordan DiBiasi, another Stanford alum, the Spirit’s top draft pick and #3 overall. Chloe Logarzo joins the team from Australia on loan from Canberra and has 30 appearances with the Matildas. Bayley Feist was drafted out of Wake Forest 17th overall in the 2019 draft, and Dorian Bailey of UNC was drafted #8 overall.

The forwards are pretty much the same: Arielle Ship, Mallory Pugh, Cali Farquharson, Cheyna Matthews, Mallory Eubanks, and 2018 scoring leader Ashley Hatch have all played with the team before. Tiffany McCarty is back after premiering with the team in 2013 and scoring the first goal in the team’s history. (I remember her playing for the W-League Washington Freedom in 2007 while still in high school and scoring a goal in the championship match.) The previously mentioned Bayley Feist, Paige Nielsen, and Mallory Eubanks are also on the roster as potential forwards.

In goal, Aubrey Bledsoe returns after setting the NWSL record for saves in a season and is clearly the starter. Behind her are Southern Cal’s Sammy Jo Prudhomme, who played five matches for the Boston Breakers in 2017, and Tennessee’s Shae Yanez.

The expectation

On the good side, there seems to be a renewed enthusiasm in the players. When I arrived for media day, the team was in an intense exercise. Divided into four groups, two looked on as one group gathered in the vicinity of the goal playing defense and another came charging in on the attack. It was relentless: as soon as either a goal was scored or the ball was cleared, play resumed with a new ball. After half-a-dozen rounds, the groups on the field took a break while those watching go their turn. Despite it seeming like an endurance test, the players were totally into it, cheering each other on and fighting for balls as if it were a playoff game and not a preseason practice. So perhaps the new coaches and new infrastructure are doing some good.

That being said, fans looking for a prompt return to the playoff-caliber teams of 2014-2016 are likely to be disappointed. This is a very young team with no one truly an established marquee player. There are several in a position to take on such a role, particularly Lavelle, Pugh, or Sullivan, but it remains to be seen if they do and if the rest of the team rises to their level.

Meanwhile, Best is looking well ahead. “2019 is a World Cup year. 2020 is an Olympic year. We’re looking at 2021.”

*All of my recording devices failed due to battery or other problems, so quotations are to the best of my recollection and may not be verbatim.