Washington Spirit continue a quest for their first international trophy tonight, in a Concacaf W Champions Cup semi-final against C.F. Pachuca. In its second year, the tournament brings together club teams from around Concacaf, in this federation’s version of UEFA Champions League.

Over the latter half of last year, the Spirit played a series of four matches against teams from the U.S., Mexico, Canada, and El Salvador, ultimately winning Group B and advancing to the knock-out round. Tonight’s match in Mexico will determine whether they continue to the finals on Saturday or will fall to the third-place match.

Spirit preview

Washington comes to this game at the end of a long road trip. They’ve been away from home since a May 10 game against Seattle Reign and will be likely to show some fatigue as tonight’s matches goes on. In addition to tired legs and the strain of several flights, they will be playing at an unusual (for them) elevation: Pachuca is nearly 8000 feet above sea level.

Despite this, the Spirit brings a deep, healthy squad to this march, possibly including Deborah Abiodun, who is reported to have joined the group in Mexico yesterday. They lead both the NWSL and the tournament in goals scored and have yet to allow one in Concacaf play.

For tonight’s match, Adrián González said his team is focused on adapting as quickly as possible to conditions in Pachuca and has been analyzing their opponents’ play style both in Liga MX Femenil and against Orlando Pride in the group stage of this competition.

“As a team, we are very focused on our game,” Rebeca Bernal said. “On how we are going to attack, how we are going to defend, and leave the external noise aside.”

The competition

C.F. Pachuca Femenil

Washington’s semi-final opponent, Pachuca, will be fierce opposition for the Spirit. In addition to having home field advantage, they are the most well-rested of the remaining teams. They have not played since May 10, when they lost a Liga MX Femenil Aperatura semi-final to Monterrey, giving them plenty of time to plan for tonight’s match. Dangerous players include Chinwendu Ihezuo, who leads in goals scored in this tournament, and Charlyn Corral.

Club América Femenil

Group A’s winner, Club América, will play in the first semi-final match tonight against Gotham FC.  América was also the winner of the recent Liga MX Femenil Aperatura and can be expected to bring a solid crowd of supporters to cheer on the likes of Scarlett Camberos and Geyse. (A note for the Washington Spirit historians: Karina Rodriquez, a member of the 2021 Spirit Championship squad, now plays for Club America.)

NJ/NY Gotham FC

Though they came in second to Washington in Group B, Gotham FC have a rich recent history of championships. They won both the NWSL Championship — defeating the Spirit 1-0 — and the inaugural Concacaf W Champions Cup in 2025. Gotham have been very solid defensively in league play this year, with only five goals conceded across 10 matches.

Match schedule

All matches in the knock-out rounds are being played at Estadio Hidalgo in Pachuca de Soto and can be viewed on Paramount+ in English and ESPN Deportes or ESPN+ in Spanish.

Lead photo: Tara Rudd leaps to block a Gotham FC player in a Concacaf W Champions Cup group stage match. Photo courtesy of Concacaf.com.