Washington Spirit started their Concacaf W Championship Cup off with a bang on Tuesday night, defeating El Salvador’s Alianza FC 7-0. In their first match on international soil, the Spirit dominated, with over 74 percent of the possession and 27 shots (17 on target) to Alianza’s one.

With a match like that, there was a lot to love and to speculate about what it could mean for the future. Let’s discuss!

The Starting XI

We’ll start with a look at the Starting XI because it is a thing of beauty.

Highlights include:

• Kysha Sylla and Lauren Gogal made their first starts for the team, as well as their first outing as a center back pair.
• Chloe Ricketts made her first start since March and first game minutes since May. (She would go on to score the second of Washington’s goals.)
• Sandy MacIver got her second chance at goalkeeping for the Spirit since a tough loss to Angel City in May.
• Paige Metayer — somehow the second-longest tenured member of this lineup — wore the captain’s armband for the first time.

Giving players who don’t get much time in league play the chance to impress on an international stage is one of major benefits of tournaments like this. It’s good for the players, and a ton of fun for fans, who enjoy the variety and the extended minutes for little-seen faves. Heavy rotation is also a wise choice for the Spirit, amidst a three-game-in-nine-day window.

Rose Kouassi’s hat trick

Rose Kouassi has officially put on her scoring boots, and the rest of the NWSL should be running scared. Just days after scoring a stoppage time, point-saving banger against Racing Louisville, Kouassi showed up big in this match with three goals, as well as her usual habit of being a terror to opposing defenders. We here at the District Press love goals, so you know we’re going to have to take a look at all three.

For Kouassi’s first trick: a penalty kick. Some (or at least one: the author) have wondered who would take penalty kicks for the Spirit with Ashley Hatch on maternity leave. Now, we seem to have the answer. After Ricketts won a penalty call in the 20th minute, Kouassi took a calm, collected, and professional penalty kick to start off the scoring for the Spirit.

For her second, Kouassi was one of many Spirit players to capitalize on gaps in Alizanza’s defense. After goalkeeper Samantha Valadez blocked an incoming shot from Makenna Morris, Kouassi raced in to collect the ball, scooping it over the goalie’s leg and into the netting on the far side.

Finally, a headed goal. Morris kept this play alive, rescuing the ball at the touchline and threading it to Brittany Ratcliffe at the edge of the box. Ratcliffe looped it to the back post for Kouassi, who headed the ball down and into the goal with a bounce.

Kouassi was subbed off three minutes after her third goal, in a smart decision to give the star some rest, but one that cruelly denied us the chance for even more goals.

Brittany Ratcliffe on the attack

If any player earned herself more match time with Tuesday’s performance, it may have been Brittany Ratcliffe. She dominated the right flank and was a cross-serving machine for all 90 minutes of the match, in addition to serving as captain for the second half.

Just minutes into that half, Ratcliffe started a 10-minute flurry of goals for Washington. Making a parallel run into the box with Kouassi, Ratcliffe positioned herself to be first to a deflection, slapping the ball sideways into the goal.

Even more impressive than her goal were the three she assisted for Kouassi, Trinity Rodman, and Sofia Cantore. These assists showed Ratcliffe’s positional sense and versatility, making crosses from the right to Kouassi and Rodman, while passing forward from a central position to find Cantore. Ratcliffe also adapted her strategy throughout the match: after her early crosses were easily collected by Valadez at the near post, she adjusted her placement to avoid the keeper’s grasp.

Ratcliffe has been a reliable and trusted role player for the Spirit since signing with them before the 2024 season, despite the increasingly crowded group of attackers. Whether last night’s performance translates to more regular season minutes or not, she certainly showed she’s ready and able to take on a big role in this tournament.

Defense spotlight: Lauren Gogal

Defenders need love too, especially when they keep a clean sheet and limit their opponents to a single shot. Did Alianza’s attack pose a particularly difficult challenge to Washington’s defenders? No, they did not. But that’s largely because the Spirit controlled play and shut down attacks before they could become threatening.

National team replacement player Lauren Gogal was a standout. Working in a central defensive pairing with Kysha Sylla, she was active on both sides of the ball. In the attacking phase, she bolstered Washington’s attempts to build out of the back with 135 passes and a 91.1% accuracy percentage (credit also to Sylla for 96.6%). When defending, Gogal proved herself a real scrapper, winning three of four tackles and 10 of 19 duels.

Interestingly, the Spirit gave Gogal the chance to put up those numbers just one day before her contract with them was set to expire. Was it a sign they’re considering a longer stay, or just an opportunity to make her case to other teams on an international stage? Either way, it was a strong performance, and we’re interested to see what she does next.

Up next

Washington’s next Concacaf W Champions Cup match will be at home on Wednesday, September 3 against Vancouver Rise FC Academy.

Lead image, courtesy of Concacaf.com, depicts Brittany Ratcliffe running with the ball in the match against Alianza FC