On Pitchside Pups night, the Washington Spirit released a video claiming that there are a lot of dawgs on the team. While we don’t disagree, it raises an important question: which players have said dawg? Annie and André wanted to find out.
To begin, we must define dawg. Talent is important, technique is important, but dawg is a mindset that influences how said skills are used. Through audacity or determination (or both), swagger or casual confidence (or both), savvy or disrespect (or both), and more. So we donned our lab coats to search for scientific proof of That Dawg within this Spirit squad, and discovered that every player on the roster absolutely got that dawg.
Here are the results of our very scientific, indisputable and extremely important analysis:
#1 – Aubrey Kingsbury
Loud enough to be heard anywhere in Audi Field and her hobby is toying with opposing attackers like Lucy snatching the football away from Charlie Brown. xDawg is sky high.
#2 – Trinity Rodman
Has a diamond in her tooth and blessed us with ‘U can accept her ankles got broke’ in a Twitter feud with Ashlyn Harris.
#3 Sam Staab
The Iron Woman with an ever-increasing record for consecutive starts and has a long throw-in like a cannon, plus just casually taught herself how to do a backflip.
#7 – Inès Jaurena
Will do whatever it takes to win the ball.
#9 – Tara McKeown
A forward who became a center back who helped shut down against Alex Morgan and Lynn Williams. Expected Dawg (xDawg) is off the charts.
#10 – Ashley Sanchez
Deeply disrespectful on the ball. Nutmegged Julie Ertz fifty minutes into her professional career. The xDawg is in orbit.
#12 – Andi Sullivan
Fit as hell.
#13 – Bayley Feist
Feist’s first professional goal was a filthy backheel goal, plus she’s fought back from an ACL injury to grab a starting spot under Mark Parsons. Audacity + Determination = xDawg.
#14 – Gabrielle Carle
Fifteen tackles and twenty-four interceptions in just half of a season makes Carle one of the top ball-winners in the league. Dawg.
#16 – Maddie Elwell
The crew at Hey Spirits (a Washington Spirit podcast) has heard tales of Maddie Elwell being the primary vibe setter in the locker room. She got votes for who should have the aux and also funniest teammate. If a team full of dawgs credits you for setting the vibes, then you definitely got that dawg.
#17 – Nicole Douglas
Runs on fancy footwork and stolen balls and can take on a whole defensive line by herself.
#18 – Lyza Bosselmann
Hasn’t made her professional debut yet, but we’ve got a whole highlight reel of leaps, punches, and dives to prove Bosselmann’s got that dawg.
#19 – Dorian Bailey
This season Bailey has three assists, one with her right and her most recent with her left, but her first came from a throw-in. Sometimes dawgs gotta be resourceful, this one found a way to bag an assist with her hands in a sport called football.
#20 – Civana Kuhlmann
Battled back from two major injuries to achieve her dream of being drafted and turning pro, Kuhlmann’s xDawg is at a hundred million and counting.
#21 – Anna Heilferty
Injury may have kept her off the field this season, but Heilferty is fearless on the ball and relentless in her efforts on behalf of the environment. Plus she looks rad in drag.
#22 – Amber Brooks
Two words: Double. Birds.
#23 – Tori Huster
Won a chip while fighting for a league first CBA, which was signed last May. More xDawg than the ocean has waves.
#24 – Lena Silano
Audacity is very much an ingredient for increased xDawg and it doesn’t get more audacious than this.
#25 – Marissa Sheva
Scrapped her way from COVID-19 replacement player to the starting XI and tries for a banger ever chance she gets: Sheva’s got that dawg.
#26 – Paige Metayer
Undrafted to day one starter and 99th percentile in pressures and pressure regains in the whole NWSL. A machine powered by xDawg.
#27 – Riley Tanner
Paraguayan defenders don’t bother Tanner, who plays for the Panama national team and was nicknamed ‘Frozen‘ by national team teammates because the braids she plays with makes her resemble Elsa. As we all know, Elsa got that dawg, thus by our scientific analysis and the rule of transitive properties plus other big science words, so does Tanner.
#28 – Nicole Barnhart
Forty-one and got her first start in 703 days against North Carolina Courage in the Challenge Cup. That’s commitment, that’s dedication, that’s talent – and also xDawg.
#30 – Camryn Biegalski
Tackling legend (#1 in NWSL for dribblers tackled and #2 for successful tackles in 2022) who knows the value of a good machete.
#33 – Ashley Hatch
Ice cold from the PK spot and not afraid to throw hands when someone steps to her on the field means Ashley Hatch has a higher-than-expected xDawg.
#39 – Chloe Ricketts
Told us her favorite players are Marta, the Brazilian GOAT with a nearly eight-minute highlight reel of World Cup goals (so far), and perpetual ankle snatcher and Gucci headband wearer Allan Saint-Maximin. It doesn’t get xDawgier than that.
Annie Elliott also contributed to this article.