Article by André Carlisle and Annie Elliott

Hello it’s your friendly neighborhood District Press writers here to talk to you about the upcoming Summer Cup! In this explainer we’ll provide an overview of the tournament itself, its format, schedule, and closer look at the teams in Group D along with the Washington Spirit. Sound good? Good. Let’s Summer Cup!

What is the Summer Cup?

The short answer is the Summer Cup is a way for you to not forget about the NWSL without the league having to play regular season games. Both objectives are necessary. The visibility of the league is important, and several of its key stars—56 players overall, in fact—will be in Paris with their national teams for the Olympics.

However, there’s a lot of talent in the NWSL who either haven’t played significant minutes this season, weren’t selected to their national teams squads, or whose national teams aren’t among the twelve competing for a gold medal. This tournament gives these players a chance to stay match fit, complete, and hopefully, shine.

To spice things up though, the NWSL hasn’t just included its own teams, instead it’s partnered with Liga MX Femeníl to bring over some of its top teams. All 14 NWSL teams are split among five groups by region, with each group joined by Club Tijuana, Club América, Tigres, Club Pachuca, Chivas de Guadalajara and Rayadas de Monterrey. Your Washington Spirit are in Group D, along with I-95 rivals NJ/NY Gotham FC, the Chicago Red Stars, and Chivas.

Schedule of games and how to watch

The Summer Cup group stage games kick off this weekend and continue over the next two weeks. The top four teams overall (out of five groups; yes, we know it’s weird) will then compete in a semifinal round on August 6. The winners will then have a long wait until the final on October 25.

Let’s take a closer look at the Spirit’s schedule for the tournament:

Audi Field was not available for Washington’s use, so they will host their home games at Subaru Park in Chester, PA and City Stadium in Richmond, VA. For fans who can’t attend, all games will be streaming on Paramount+, and the first two will be available on CBS Sports Golazo Network. The Spirit are also hosting watching parties in D.C. for each match.

Breaking down Group D

Washington Spirit

Despite having several billion players heading to the Olympics, the Spirit have a bunch of talented players still in town for the Summer Cup. There are young players like Chloe Ricketts, Heather Stainbrook and Lena Silano who haven’t see much time on the pitch. But also players like Andi Sullivan, Ashley Hatch and Ouleymata Sarr.

Unfortunately, until August 1 none of the Spirit’s new signings—Leicy Santos, Esme Morgan, Rosemonde Kouassi—will be eligible to play. Santos is heading to Paris to play for Colombia, but while Morgan and Kouassi can train, they’ll still have to wait.

Chivas de Guadalajara

Chivas used to be one of the perennial powerhouses in Liga MX Femenil but have fallen off in previous competitions. Part of this seems to be an unwillingness to throw the bag at big names the way Tigres, Rayadas, Club América and, suddenly, Pachuca do. This doesn’t mean they don’t have talent though.

Their central striker, Alicia ‘Licha’ Cervantes, is a classic style striker who’s capable of every type of finish. Headers, bangers, late runs, poacher, finesse strikes, volleys—you name it, she’s probably scored it. There’s an art to creating and generating high quality shots in the box and Cervantes is adept at it.

Another player to keep an eye on is midfielder Carolina Jaramillo, who often provides the creative spark for many of their attacking moves. She has a lot of on-pitch time and chemistry with Cervantes, and the pair could swiftly take advantage of defenders who aren’t familiar with their game.

NJ/NY Gotham FC

The reigning NWSL champions are in a similar position to the Spirit, having lost seven players to the Olympics, including a good portion of their starters. Luckily, they have a few remaining stalwarts, like Delanie Sheehan, Sam Hiatt, and Mandy Freeman. They’ve also signed National Team Replacement Players with a history and built-in chemistry with the team.

Most importantly, they’ve still got Ella Stevens, who is flourishing in her first year in New Jersey. The central forward has an awareness and positional sense that make her an ideal player to capitalize on the chaos Gotham like to cause. Those abilities don’t just let her score goals, they also put her teammates in the perfect position to score themselves.

The Summer Cup will mark Gotham’s third meeting this year with the Spirit. In the first two, Washington gave the Bats two of only three losses on the season. With so many players missing from both teams, though, this match will be more of a toss-up.

Chicago Red Stars

Though largely intact, the Red Stars will be feeling the lack of star forward Mallory Swanson, who they rely on heavily in the attack. Trying to fill the gap will be players like Penelope Hocking and Ally Schlegel, whose eight combined goals just top Swanson’s seven.

One of Chicago’s biggest strengths in this competition will be team chemistry. With only Swanson and GK Alyssa Naeher (and the yet-to-join Julia Grosso) heading to the Olympics, most of the starting XI will be available. This could give them a big edge in coordination against teams relying more on players who haven’t had much match time together. Could it be enough for them to make a deep run in the tournament?

Chicago will also have a set piece weapon in center back Sam Staab. With a cannon of a throw-in and long kicks that are both precise and powerful, the threat of a Staab assist is ever-present. She’s scored one header herself this season. And with her foot, Spirit fans remember all too well what she’s capable of.

Spirits to watch

This Cup feels perfectly designed to give players who haven’t seen much of the spotlight this season a chance to show their stuff and maybe earn more playing time after the season restarts. Here are some Spirit players we think will—or maybe need to—make a splash in the Summer Cup.

Lena Silano, ST — Silano was a sneaky good pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft but hasn’t had much time on the pitch as a professional. The leap to NWSL match speed and quickness of correct decision making can take a minute, but there’s certainly talent and a scoring touch in Silano’s boots, author of one of the most viral goals in women’s soccer. Ashley Hatch and Ouleymata Sarr are two damn good strikers who won’t be on the other side of the Atlantic, but I’m hoping Silano sees a couple starts and a chunk of good minutes to grow confidence at this level, and hopefully score another banger.

Chloe Ricketts, FWD/CAM — Ricketts was one of the first teenagers signed in the NWSL, and for a month or so was the youngest ever to sign a professional contract in the NWSL, when she was just 15. She’s 17 now and hasn’t seen her playing time increase this season from last. That’s not surprising given the coaching turnover and eventual midseason handover, but it is unfortunate. Ricketts is a fun and creative dribbler who, by her own admission, can do everything a bit too fast. But that talent has also led to cult classic moments at Audi, with crowds erupting for nutmegs and slick 1v1 dribbles pulled off by the teenager. Hopefully Ricketts gets a chance to delight crowds once again during the Summer Cup.

Kate Wiesner, LB — Ok, so Wiesner hasn’t exactly flown under the radar in her rookie season. She’s had a handful of starts and has impressed enough to get called up to national team training camps. But for the Spirit, she’s largely served a utility role, plugging in where ever they need someone on the left side of the pitch. As a left-footed player with a strong cross, she’s definitely up for that challenge. With both starting fullbacks headed to the Olympics, Wiesner, who told us she takes a lot of pride in her defending and loves to go head-to-head with a talented opposing winger, will now have the opportunity to make the left back position her own.

Image courtesy of the Washington Spirit