Fresh off an international break, Washington Spirit are on the road and preparing to take on Racing Louisville FC tonight.

For Washington Spirit (2W-0D-1L), the international break hasn’t been completely kind. Ten players, many of them starters, left the team to represent their countries in international friendlies last week, leaving the whole team with less time to prepare as a group and potentially increasing strain on those players. Coach Jonatan Giráldez noted both that the international players have a lot of extra game minutes on their legs and that many of them had to travel long distances in a short period of time, while being adamant that this would not be an excuse for the team to perform poorly.

Racing Louisville (1W-1D-1L), on the other hand, lost only three players to international play, giving them plenty of time to rest and prepare specifically for this match against third-ranked Washington. That advantage will help them even the odds against Washington. Despite boasting talented players like Emma Sears, Taylor Flint, and Savannah DeMelo, Racing have finished 9th every year since their debut and have had a slow start to this season with only two goals scored so far. Lowest in the league in both possession and pass completion, “Big Purp” have often looked disorganized on the attack but are defensively sound, with the highest rates of successful tackles.

That could pose a challenge for the Spirit, who’ve struggled to create chances — a problem exacerbated by the number of injured players. Only one, midfielder Courtney Brown, leaves the injured list today, while Casey Krueger has joined it. Brown said the international break had some benefits for her, giving her more time to get back to health and to work more closely with Giráldez as part of the smaller group. It’s also given the Spirit an opportunity to integrate newly-signed Nigerian forward Gift Monday, who could make her first appearance for the team tonight.

Player: Ashley Hatch

Ashely Hatch is on a roll. Her three goals in March tied her for the lead in the Golden Boot race and led to her being named to the Best XI for the month. She also recently made her first appearance for the US Women’s National Team since 2023. Especially as they continue to deal with injuries, the Spirit will rely on Hatch to take the lead in attacking.

Watch Out For: Emma Sears

Second-year forward Emma Sears has scored both of Racing’s goals so far this season and is the driving force of their attack. Sears is incredibly fast and strong in possession, and her teammates will be looking to her to push past Washington’s back line for scoring chances tonight.

Challenges: The Spirit put in perhaps their best performance of the season in the first half of the match against Bay FC. The challenges this week will be maintaining that level for an entire 90 minutes

Previously: Last season, Washington won both of their matches against Louisville, scoring four goals in their most recent match last October.

Racing Louisville Availability:

Out: Bethany Balcer (excused absence), Madelyn Pokorny (D45 – hip), Olivia Sekany (SEI – knee), Kirsten Wright (SEI – knee)

Questionable: Savannah DeMelo (illness)

Washington Spirit Availability:

Out: Croix Bethune (hip), Emma Gaines-Ramos (SEI – knee), Hal Hershfelt (ankle), Lyza Jessee (SEI – wrist), Rosemonde Kouassi (knee), Casey Krueger (knee), Paige Metayer (D45 – knee), Ouleye Sarr (SEI – back), Andi Sullivan (SEI – knee), Kate Wiesner (hip)

Questionable: None

Location: Lynn Family Stadium, Louisville, KY
Kickoff time: 5 p.m. ET
Referee: Matthew Corrigan
Available TV: Monumental Sports Network
Available streaming: Paramount+, NWSL+