After a loooong summer break, the Spirit are officially back in Washington and headed into a regular season stretch that could threaten their hold on third place. Their first opponent is Kansas City Current, the scoringest team in the league who lead the Spirit by one point and whose only loss came at the hands of the unstoppable and unbeaten Orlando Pride.

Adding to the excitement, this match is the first in a double-header, with English Women’s Super League rivals Arsenal WFC and Chelsea playing a historic game at Audi Field at 4 p.m. The Spirit have planned a full day of festivities to celebrate, including a fan fest outside the stadium with food, activities, and local vendors, beginning at 10 a.m. Inside the stadium, the team is celebrating DC’s wards with a Community Zone and local bands, and the team will be accepting donations of sports bras to support young female athletes in the area.

The first match of the day promises to be a tough one. Though they started the season strong, Washington have gone without many of their starting players during the Olympic tournament and are still incorporating new members of the team. Conversely, the Current remained largely intact during that window, giving them both practice and game time that the Spirit did not have to shore up organization and make needed improvements before this match.

Key Player: Leicy Santos

After officially joining the Spirit earlier this month, Leicy Santos is expected to make her NWSL debut today. Santos, who is able to play both as a central attacking midfielder and on the wing, is a clever player with highly accurate pass and shot placement. In a league where goal-scoring is an increasing focus, she could be just what Washington’s attack needs.

Watch Out For: Temwa Chawinga, Lo’eau LaBonta

On a team of goal scorers, forward Temwa Chawinga stands out. With 12 goals and five assists, she’s the leader in the golden boot race and has scored at least once in each of her last five matches.

Celebration queen Lo’eau LaBonta is in many ways the heart of this team. A central midfielder, LaBonta is a well-rounded player, skilled at both moving the ball forward into the attack and defending, plus she has five goals of her own to brag about.

Challenges: In a friendly match against Arsenal last week, a familiar problem for the Spirit re-emerged: They outshot their opponents by a good margin but converted only one of those. Against the high-scoring Current, they’ll need to be more clinical and make better decisions in the final third.

Previously: This is the first meeting between Washington and Kansas City this year. In 2023, the Spirit won both games between them, while Kansas City swept the series in 2022.

Kansas City Current Availability:

Out: Alex Pfeiffer (SEI – knee), Gabrielle Robinson (SEI – knee), Mallory Weber (SEI – knee), Bia Zaneratto (foot)

Questionable: None

Washington Spirit Availability:

Out: Lyza Bosselmann (SEI – wrist), Anna Heilferty (SEI – knee), Waniya Hudson (lower leg) Civana Kuhlmann (SEI – knee), Chloe Ricketts (knee), Kate Wiesner (thigh)

Questionable: None

Location: Audi Field, Washington, DC
Kickoff time: 12 p.m. ET
Referee: Brad Jensen
Available TV: CBS Sports Network, Monumental Sports Network