After two home losses in a row, Washington Spirit are back on the road — a surprising source of safety for them this year — and looking for redemption. Their opponent today: the struggling Chicago Stars FC who’ve made some recent shake-ups in an attempt to change their fortunes.

The rebranded Chicago Stars (1-1-5) have had a troubled 2025. Missing Mal Swanson, who announced her pregnancy this week, and having opted not to bring in much new talent in the offseason, the Stars now sit on the bottom of the NWSL table with only three goals over the course of seven matches. That performance led to the firing of coach Lorne Donaldson, who has been succeeded by interim coach Masaki Hemmi. In Hemmi’s first match, the team played in a less compact style and held Gotham FC scoreless but were still unable to score themselves.

Washington Spirit (4-0-3) will also be without their head coach this afternoon. Jonatan Giráldez was suspended for an additional match for failing to leave the touchline after receiving a red card. Assistant coach (and one-time interim) Adrián González will be called upon once again to guide the Spirit as they attempt to right the ship. After a strong start to the season, Washington allowed seven goals in their past two matches.

“Obviously we’re focused on learning from those mistakes and we’re focusing on not letting those results happen again,” midfielder Chloe Ricketts said. “And training has been really good. The environment and the energy is really good this week.”

The Spirit’s sudden defensive liability is at least partly attributable to the unavailability of several important Spirit players, like Casey Krueger and Hal Hershfelt, which means they could remain vulnerable today, even to the low-scoring Stars. Chicago will also have the advantage of being difficult to predict as they shift tactics and formation under their new coach.

“It’s a huge opportunity, again, to get a good result for sure, but also to get a good feeling in terms of how we want to compete,” González said. “After two games that we didn’t have the performance we wanted at home, we’ve been working on that and trying to switch the dynamic.”

“We feel that the team is ready to compete again, ready to simplify what we want to have and what we wnat to do as a team.”

Key Player: Gift Monday

Despite losses, Washington’s forward line put up their biggest expected goals numbers of the season in their past two matches, and a lot of that can be attributed to Gift Monday. Only four games into her time in the NWSL, Monday is adapting well to the athletic and transitional nature of the league and building chemistry with her new teammates. She’s scored two goals so far and will be looking to add to the total today.

Watch Out For: Jameese Joseph, Camryn Biegalski

Rookie (and Beltsville, MD native) Jameese Joseph is one of the brightest sparks in the Stars’s attack this year. With one goal and two assists, she’s been involved in every one of their goals and also leads the team in shot- and goal-creating actions and expected goals.

On the defensive side, former Spirit player Camryn Biegalski is having one of the best seasons of her career, with 37 combined tackles and interceptions. She’ll be a big part of Chicago’s attempts to shut down and dispossess Washington along the flanks.

Challenges: A fatigued and constantly-shifting lineup of Spirit players have let in seven goals over the past two matches. To start to turn that around, they’ll need to improve their coordination when defending in the box.

Previously: The Spirit won both matches against Chicago last season.

Chicago Stars Availability:

Out: Jenna Bike (thigh), Natalia Kuikka (D45 – knee), Mallory Swanson (excused)

Questionable: None

Washington Spirit Availability:

Out: Emma Gaines-Ramos (SEI – knee), Lyza Jessee (SEI – wrist), Hal Hershfelt (ankle), Paige Meteyer (D45 – knee), Trinity Rodman (excused), Leicy Santos (knee), Ouleye Sarr (SEI – back), Andi Sullivan (maternity leave), Kate Wiesner (hip)

Questionable: None

Location: SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview, IL
Kickoff time: 12:50 p.m. ET
Referee: Trevor Wiseman
Available TV: ABC

Available streaming: ESPN+