When the Washington Spirit lifted the 2021 NWSL Championship trophy in Louisville, the winds of change were blowing. Embroiled in an abuse scandal and turmoil at the top with an owner that fans demanded to leave, that night was a turning point not just for the club, but for women’s soccer in the nation’s capital.
Four years later, the Spirit are back in the NWSL Championship, this time with a new coach, a new owner, and a fan base that has grown into one of the loudest in the league. But before Washington steps onto the field next weekend, it’s worth looking back at the players who delivered the club’s first title to see where they’ve gone since that dramatic extra-time win over the Chicago Red Stars.
Below, we revisit every player who made the matchday squad that fateful night in 2021: the starters, the subs, and the legends in the making.

Aubrey Bledsoe (now Aubrey Kingsbury) – GK, starter

Kingsbury is still the Spirit’s No. 1 and very much the face of the club’s modern era. She started every big game of the 2025 season, saved two penalties in the quarterfinal shootout win over Racing Louisville and was just named NWSL Player of the Week for the second time this year. Now in her mid-30s, she remains in the U.S. national-team conversation and sits near the top of the NWSL all-time saves list.

Kelley O’Hara – RB, starter

O’Hara left Washington after 2022, won another NWSL title with Gotham in 2023, and officially retired from professional soccer at the end of the 2024 season. She hasn’t stepped away from the game, though: she’s now part of the player advisory council for World Sevens Football, helping shape a new global 7-a-side women’s series and popping up regularly in media and podcast work.

Here she is scoring the game winner:

Sam Staab – CB, starter

Staab was traded to Chicago ahead of the 2024 season and has become the centerpiece of Chicago Stars FC’s back line. After returning from a serious injury, she earned a new multi-year extension through 2029 and was again recognized as one of the league’s elite center-backs, making the Best XI lists in both August 2025 and October/November 2025. She’s also broken into the USWNT, adding senior caps in 2024.

Emily Sonnett – CB, starter

Sonnett has taken her trademark versatility to NJ/NY Gotham FC, where she’s toggled between center-back and defensive midfield since joining in 2024. Now one of the veterans of both Gotham and the USWNT, she continues to rack up minutes and silverware after playing a role in Gotham’s title-winning run and the U.S. Olympic gold in 2024. 

Tegan McGrady – LB, starter

McGrady’s post-Spirit journey has taken her cross-country and then across the Atlantic: stops at San Diego Wave and Portland Thorns were followed by a move to Dijon in France’s Division 1 Féminine. In August 2025, she was released by Dijon and started a Masters program at the Sports Business Institute of Barcelona. 

Dorian Bailey – CM, starter

Bailey became one of the quiet success stories of expansion side Bay FC. After leaving Washington, she settled in the Bay Area midfield and earned herself a new multi-year contract through the 2027 season. She’s now a core piece of Bay’s project, valued for her positional flexibility and ball-security in a league stacked with star attackers. 

Andi Sullivan – CM, starter

The captain who scored the equalizing penalty in the 2021 final is still with the team in 2025, but in a slightly different role. Sullivan suffered a torn ACL in October 2024 but stayed around the team throughout rehab, and the Spirit have since exercised her contract option to keep her in DC through 2026. She remains part of the USWNT pool and, now as a new mom, is poised for a full-strength return in 2026 as the heartbeat of the Spirit midfield.

Ashley Sanchez – AM, starter

When the Spirit traded her to the North Carolina Courage ahead of the 2024 season in exchange for the 5th overall draft pick, fans were outraged. However, the Spirit ended up picking 2024 NWSL Rookie and Midfielder of the year (and scorer of a crucial second goal in the semifinal against Portland), Croix Bethune, as a replacement for Sanchez. Hal Hershfelt was selected as the 5th overall draft pick and the rest is history. With the Courage, Sanchez has been a regular starter, contributing goals and assists and popping up with big game goals. She is still remembered fondly by her teammates.

Tara McKeown – FW, starter

McKeown has completed one of the league’s most impressive reinventions, transforming from depth forward into an elite center-back. By 2025 she’s a USWNT regular and a back-to-back NWSL Defender of the Year finalist, anchoring a Spirit defense that kept 11 clean sheets across competitions this season and securing her future in DC with a mutual option through 2028. 

Trinity Rodman – FW, starter

Rodman is still the Spirit’s game-breaker and one of the most talked-about young stars in the world. The last 18 months have been stop-start; chronic back issues and, most recently, a grade-1 MCL sprain. But she returned to USWNT duty in April after nearly a year away and just came back from that knee injury off the bench in the 2025 semifinal win over Portland. Off the field, her contract situation and heavy European interest have made her future one of the biggest storylines heading into the 2025 final. 

Ashley Hatch – FW, starter

Hatch has stayed in DC and quietly climbed into NWSL legend status. She surpassed 50 regular season goals for the Spirit and moved up to fifth all-time in league scoring, just one goal shy of tying Alex Morgan in 4th place with 60 goals. Hatch is still earning USWNT call-ups under Emma Hayes, including the April 2025 Brazil friendlies. After the 2025 summer intermission, Hatch revealed that she is pregnant with her first child. 

Bench Players

Devon Kerr – GK, unused sub

Kerr remained with Washington through 2022, then signed a short deal back with the Houston Dash for the 2023 season. After that stint, she stepped away from the professional game: contract records list her as retired from pro soccer as of December 2023, and she has not appeared on an NWSL roster since.

Saori Takarada – MF/F, sub

After leaving the Spirit, Takarada rebuilt her career in Europe at Linköpings FC in Sweden and then Leicester City in the WSL, where she became a regular two-way midfielder. In June 2025 she announced a return home to Japan with Cerezo Osaka Sakai in the WE League, rejoining the club where she first broke through. She remains a part of the Japan national team pool. 

Julia Roddar – MF, sub

Roddar returned to Sweden in 2023, winning more domestic honors with Hammarby before moving to England in 2024 to join another Michele Kang owned team, the London City Lionesses. In 2025, she helped the club earn promotion to the WSL.

Kumi Yokoyama – FW, unused sub

Yokoyama went back to Japan after their stints with the Spirit and Gotham, re-signing with Okayama Yunogo Belle and featuring in domestic cup competition. They continue to be an important voice for LGBTQ+ visibility in football, particularly in Japan.

Mariana Speckmaier – FW, unused sub

Since leaving Washington, Speckmaier’s club passport has been well-stamped with spells in Iceland, New Zealand, and Australia. This preceded a summer 2025 move to Durham Women in England. 

Anna Heilferty – DF/MF, sub

Heilferty’s Spirit story since 2021 has been defined by resilience: she missed both the 2023 and 2024 seasons with ACL tears but stayed deeply involved with the club and local environmental work in DC. After Washington declined her option at the end of 2024, she earned a short term deal with the Houston Dash in September 2025 and has already made her debut as she plays her way back from those injuries.

Taylor Aylmer – MF, sub

Aylmer bounced through the lower divisions after her time with the Spirit, becoming a steady presence in the USL system. In July 2025, she signed with Lexington Sporting Club in the new USL Super League and was quickly named team captain heading into the 2025–26 season.

Camryn Biegalski – DF, unused sub

Biegalski returned to Chicago ahead of the 2024 NWSL season, joining the rebranded Chicago Stars FC. By 2025 she’s an every-week defender for the Stars, logging heavy minutes at fullback and center-back as part of a major roster overhaul in the Windy City.

Paige Nielsen – DF, sub

After leaving Washington, she joined Angel City FC in 2022 and quickly grew into a fan favorite. In 2024 she began a new chapter with the Houston Dash, adding experience to a rebuilding back line.

Kris Ward – Head Coach

His tenure ended in 2022 following allegations of misconduct, and he was later banned from the league after an NWSL and NWSLPA joint investigation. Since leaving the professional game, Ward has stepped away from public coaching roles. 

Looking forward to Saturday, which players will write their names into NWSL lore?