After last year’s record attendance, the Washington Spirit return to the pitch

The Washington Spirit spent the 2025 season shattering attendance records on their way to a second straight National Women’s Soccer League finals appearance. 

Today, they’re returning to the pitch, with championship aspirations, new cherry blossom-themed uniforms, their star forward, and a community of steadfast supporters ready to fill the electric confines of “Rowdy Audi” Field.

“We're definitely looking forward to hopefully being back in the final,” starting center back Tara Rudd told The 51st. “But I think a lot of this season is going to be focused on each game at a time, and what comes before November — the regular season being the top priority right now.”

The roster

The Spirit had a busy offseason. 

The headliner is that Trinity Rodman is returning, after much speculation that she might bolt for Europe where teams have been able to lure top players with more lucrative contracts in recent years. Rodman’s re-signing with the team was facilitated by a new rule allowing teams to pay certain elite players $1 million over the league’s salary cap. It’s since been dubbed the “Rodman Rule”, and it makes her the highest-paid player in the league.

“The club knew just how important Trinity was as a cornerstone for our franchise,” said Kim Bolt, chief marketing and strategy officer for the Spirit, adding that they worked “with a lot of different parties to make sure that she could stay in the NWSL and stay with the Washington Spirit.”

Entering her sixth season with the Spirit, Rodman’s career already includes an NWSL championship and Olympic gold medal. She was the league’s Rookie of the Year in 2021 and an MVP finalist in 2024.

Rudd is also here to stay, anchoring the team’s defense. She signed a new three-year contract to stick with the Spirit through 2028. “I love the Spirit, and this is definitely like my second home now, so being able to extend and stay a few more years with them is always something I've wanted to do,” said Rudd, who was the 2025 NWSL Defender of the Year.

Missing from this season’s roster is 2024 rookie of the year Croix Bethune, who was traded to Kansas City in February. Meanwhile, goaltender Aubrey Kingsbury will sit out the 2026 season on maternity leave.

“We have a great keeper unit and they are ready to step up and fill that role,” said Rudd, adding that while they’ll miss Croix, they’re also confident in the new players the team added.

Among notable additions is 18-year-old forward Claudia Martinez, the NWSL’s first player from Paraguay, and defender Lucia Di Guglielmo, the Spirit’s second signing from Italy in less than a year. (The roster also features players from Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Mexico, Nigeria, and the U.K.)

Fan engagement

Under the leadership of owner Michele Kang, the Spirit aspire to set a “global standard” for how a women’s sports team operates and excels, starting with a commitment to serving the club’s growing fanbase across the region, according to Bolt.

“It's really a core part of our strategy to be a reflection of the city and the region, and to recognize that it is very diverse and international, as well as full of patriotism and national pride,” she said. 

Last season, for instance, the team offered free and discounted tickets for furloughed government employees, and it published a love letter to D.C. after the Trump administration sent in the National Guard and federal law enforcement to city streets. “We have a platform to be able to shine a light for the city and to be there for our fans … when they need something to look to,” said Bolt.

The club has also leveraged creative partnerships to engage its fanbase. In February, the Spirit collaborated with the Rose Room Collective, a group for non-white fans, on a line of merchandise for Black History Month. Last year, the Spirit partnered with its creative director and DMV native Domo Wells’ design label, Dead Dirt LLC, to create team apparel with the city in mind — an initiative so successful Wells just launched a collection with all 16 NWSL teams.

The Spirit’s success both on and off the field has the club eager to build on last year’s record-breaking attendance, explained Bolt. “We're among, I believe, four women’s soccer clubs in the world that are averaging 15,000 fans or more per match, which is really amazing — but it doesn’t stop there.”

The season opener

Friday’s season opener can’t come soon enough for fans, as they hope to wipe clear the memory of last season’s heartbreaking championship loss (the Spirit surrendered a goal in the 80th minute to fall 1-0 to Gotham FC.) 

Repping its new “Spirit in Bloom” jerseys, the team squares off against the Portland Thorns in a rematch of last season’s semifinal playoff.

“It's excited, it's nerves, it's a little bit of everything at once,” said Lillian Frame, a member of the Spirit Squadron, an independent supporters’ group. 

Frame is putting the finishing touches on the large banner, or “tifo,” that will fly in their section at the match. “If you love the Spirit and have an understanding of pop culture [...] you'll be able to understand [the tifo],” she teased, while staying mum on details.

On the field, Frame looks forward to a full season under head coach Adrián González and the return of midfielder Andi Sullivan from maternity leave. She is excited for a healthy Trinity Rodman, and assures that she has faith in goalie Sandy MacIver. 

From the stands on Friday, she will be taking in the passionate — and supportive — community of fans all around her. 

“Obviously, life in D.C. hasn't been the easiest,” she said. “There's definitely a feeling when you're inside of Audi of like, this is another version of a community that we can all rally around each other and help each other out.”