The first ticket for the NWSL Championship at BBVA Compass Stadium will be decided on Friday at 7 p.m. as the Washington Spirit host the Chicago Red Stars at the Maryland SoccerPlex in a match that will be televised live on FOX Sports 1.
Washington is led by Ali Krieger, who celebrated her fourth season with the club. Crystal Dunn and Diane Matheson combined for six goals and five assists as the Spirit finished with the third best offense in the league.
The Player of the Month for July – Estefania Banini – will be available after missing five games with a knee injury. The Argentine midfielder came on as a second half sub in the last game of the regular season. Other players to watch include Joanna Lohman, Christine Nairn and Katie Stengel, who combined for 11 goals and five assists this season.
The squad is managed by Jim Gabarra, who has a 36-27-24 record in the NWSL. This is Gabarra’s first season with the Spirit after three years as the head coach of Sky Blue FC. The Florida native earned a record of 24-22-21 on the Sky Blue sideline.
Washington leads the all-time series with a record of 6-3-1. Chicago has only won once at the SoccerPlex and that came in the first meeting in 2013. Chicago split the season series with Washington this season as both clubs secured three points at home. Washington won the first meeting with goals from Banini and Nairn. The Red Stars snapped a three game winless streak in the final match of the regular season with a 3-1 victory over the Spirit at Toyota Park. This was also the first time the Red Stars defeated the Spirit since 2013, a span of seven games.
The Red Stars are led by Christen Press, who scored eight goals this season. The USWNT forward missed six games on national team duty at the Olympic Games, but the team didn’t skip a beat as Sofia Huerta scored seven goals and tallied two assists this season. Vanessa DiBernardo finished the regular season with seven assists, tied for second most in the league.
Defensively, Julie Johnston and Casey Short anchor a defense that allowed the second fewest goals in the league. Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher finished with six clean sheets and tied for the most shutouts during the regular season. Additional players to watch include Danielle Colaprico and Stephanie McCaffrey. Colaprico and DiBernardo are two players that may receive a call up from the USWNT in October due to their performance in the NWSL this season.
Head coach Rory Dames has a record of 34-23-31 on the Red Stars sideline. The Illinois native reached the playoffs for the first time last year as Chicago finished with the second-best record in the regular season.
The winner will face either Tobin Heath and Portland Thorns FC or Jessica McDonald and the Western New York Flash at BBVA Compass Stadium on Oct. 9 for the NWSL Championship. A special Bud Light Beer Garden package is available for this game at NWSLChampionship.com which includes a pregame concert featuring the popular Houston-area bands Wild Moccasins and Young Girls.
