The Washington Spirit (10-1-3) are on a six match unbeaten streak that includes five wins, but have a tricky test today against North Carolina Courage (6-1-7). The Courage have been a weird team in terms of form. Last weekend they picked up just their second win in their last eight matches, and prior to that 3-1 win over Chicago, hadn’t scored a goal since May 17.

All this makes the matchup intriguing from an neutral point of view, but somewhat unsettling from a Spirit perspective. The Courage have a set way of play and are rarely forced to compromise, with the difference between them scoring goals and not is a defense’s ability to force them to shoot further from goal.

That sounds obvious, but with the Courage it’s even more important. They tend to dominate possession and use it to pump in a ton of crosses – by percentage, the most in the league per 90 minutes. Filling the box and being first to those crosses, aerially and on the ground, will help force the Courage into a plan B that they’ve yet to prove exists.

For the Spirit to win there might just need to be more of the same. This team has already proven they can manage games with or without possession, so if North Carolina dominate the ball it won’t necessarily mean that the game isn’t going in the Spirit’s favor. In addition to being flexible, the Spirit have also been the most dangerous counterattacking team in the league. In order to dominate possession the Courage push their players high up the pitch, including their very good, but not necessarily fast, center backs.

North Carolina’s run of poor results featured matches against league leader Kansas City, last year’s NWSL Champions, Gotham, the always dangerous Fighting Sophia Smiths, and the only other team above Washington, Orlando (twice). Getting a result over the Courage isn’t typically easy, but it’s something all the team around the Spirit have done. Now, it’s Washington’s turn.

Key Player: Whomstever plays on the left wing; Brittany Ratcliffe

The Spirit have consistently used the left wing position to tuck deeper and inside to help with numbers in the middle of the pitch. They’ve been able to do so because Casey Krueger has excellent recognition of when to get forward on the left, and the rest of the pitch typically has Ouleye Sarr, Croix Bethune and Trinity Rodman streaming forward.

In the pregame press conference, Adrián González (still acting interim head coach) noted that the Courage pack midfield with numbers and spring from there. With Andi Sullivan questionable, it will be up to Hal Hershfelt, her midfield partner, and the ‘left winger that’s not really a left winger’ to manage the middle of the pitch.

Brittany Ratcliffe made a move from North Carolina to Washington via free agency, and has already scored some bangers. Prior to that she tended to haunt the Spirit by popping up with devastating goals. Today would be a delightful day to hit that dynamic with an Uno reverse.

Watch Out For: Ashley Sanchez

This very much hurts to write. With Croix Bethune’s explosive emergence it’s hard to argue that there would’ve been space for both at the Spirit. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t still miss seeing Ashley Sanchez at Audi, or that we’ve forgotten how good she is. Some did, and she reminded them last weekend with a stunning outside of the box strike that left Alyssa Naeher rooted to her spot.

This will likely be a match full of conflicting emotions for Sanchez, but once the whistle blows things get less messy. I’m sure she’ll want to put in an ‘eff you’ type of performance as a reminder to the front office that suddenly traded her away. By rules of the universe – in particular, the soccer universe – players in Sanchez’s situation tend to score against their former team. Be forewarned.

Challenges

Though the Courage’s results have varied, over their last nine matches only three featured more than one goal. Even more to the point, out of those three the Courage only won once, and just last weekend. The challenge for the Spirit will be to a) score, then b) score again, and for extra credit, c) score more. It’s not just the simple math that would be in their favor, but also that goals change games, and the more North Carolina feel like they have to push forward, the easier it will be for the Spirit to find gaps in transition.

Previously

These teams last met on Decision Day 2023, when the Courage’s 1-0 win knocked Washington out of playoff contention.

Washington Spirit Availability:

OUT: Heilferty (SEI – knee), Kuhlmann (SEI – knee), Bosselmann (wrist)
QUESTIONABLE: Sullivan (hip)

North Carolina Courage Availability:

OUT: Kerolin (SEI – knee), Collins (D45 – ankle), Johnson (maternity
leave), Dorsey (lower leg)
QUESTIONABLE: Matsukubo (leg)

Location: Audi Field, Washington, DC
Kickoff time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Referee: Rebecca Pagan
Available TV: Ion