The NWSL is back baby! Did you miss us? Saturday afternoon, the Washington Spirit (15-4-8) return to Rowdy Audi just in time for a rivalry face-off against Gotham FC (16-7-4). I think that District vs. Empire sounds like a Star Wars spinoff, but they didn’t ask for my opinion on the name, so here we are.

During Friday’s pregame press conference, head coach Adrián González was nonchalant about the prospect of facing the Spirit’s biggest rival. “It’s gonna be a match where both teams are going to try to be protagonists on the ball…we will see how it goes. As I always say, we need to focus on us” he commented.

Previously

For a so-called rivalry, matches between Gotham and Washington over the past few seasons have often ended in a stalemate (and not the thrilling kind). In head-to-heads, the Spirit are 16-10-11 vs. NY/NJ. Of course, both teams met in the 2025 NWSL Championship and Gotham walked away with the trophy, but even the highlights from that match leave a lot to be desired. The last time District vs. Empire lived up to the hype was probably during the 2024 semifinal at Audi, when the Spirit clawed their way back from a 1-0 deficit with a miraculous goal in 90+3 minutes and then won in penalties.

In their most recent meeting in July, a marquee sold out match at Citi Field in Queens, Gotham walked away the victor after Rose Lavelle hit a scorcher (pun intended, the AQI was almost 300) in the 37th minute. The teams were nearly even in possession (52% Gotham), and although Gotham won, Washington out-shot them 18-10 (with 1.63xG compared Gotham’s .79). As has been the case for the Spirit for most of 2026, they got more opportunities in attack but were not clinical in their finishing. In July, it still felt unlucky, now that we’ve reached Week 28, it’s safe to say this is a systemic problem for Washington.

Gotham FC

How They Got Here

Gotham’s here is a four point lead at the top of the table with just three games to go. Thankfully, they can’t secure the NWSL Shield at Audi, but they also can’t fall from the #1 spot by the end of the weekend. Gotham has achieved this by being extraordinarily hard to play against, and even harder to beat.

They’ve only lost twice since April 25th, and have allowed the second fewest expected goals against in the league, at 1.17xG per 90 minutes. While that number is subterranean, it’s bolstered even further by their actual goals against. Goalkeeper Ann Katrin-Berger‘s seemingly chaotic style of play is also perfect for the way Gotham restricts spaces. Her task, even beyond shot stopping, is to act as a defensive sweeper, and be first to attempted balls in behind. There are numerous moments when it appears as if Gotham’s lines have been broken and they’ve allowed a free run at their keeper, only for Berger to flash into frame and punt the ball into orbit. The defense, combined with Berger’s positioning and anticipation, has helped them post a league-best .78 goals against per 90.

To put an even sharper point on how good their defense has been, they’ve allowed a league-lowest 21 goals all season, with the next closest team allowing five more (Washington Spirit, 26). And to go microscopic, Gotham have scored the fifth fewest goals in the entire league (35), currently being outscored by Racing Louisville, who sit 15th in the table. Their ability to keep the ball out of the net and score timely goals thanks to their well-known, big name attackers is how Louisville are one spot from the bottom of the league, but Gotham appear to be on pace to lift the NWSL Shield in the near future.

Key Difference Makers

In addition to Ann-Katrin Berger‘s unique style of goalkeeping fitting Gotham’s defensive structure perfectly, another major part of their success has been center back Jess Carter. After initially struggling at right back when she came to the NWSL, she’s been shifted inside to center back and has grown into an anchor for Gotham’s backline. She’s started and appeared in every Gotham game so far, starting 26 times (her one substitute appearance was in July, against the Spirit). While losing Emily Sonnett was a big blow, it’s been lessened by the solidity provided by Carter, and the partnership she’s developed alongside Tierna Davidson.

Attacking-wise, Gotham’s roster would appear to offer a pick-your-poison. There’s Sam Kerr, Rose Lavelle, Midge Purce, and Guro Reiten (when she’s not playing left back). But the player most responsible for Gotham’s goal scoring is Jaedyn Shaw. Of Gotham’s 34 goals scored (excluding own goals), Shaw’s ten goals and five assists account for 44% of their goal output (sheesh).

That is, quite simply, outrageous.

However, Gotham fans received less than stellar news about their star attacker during the pre-match presser when head coach Juan Carlos Amóros said “wait and see” regarding Shaw’s availability. This could just be mind games. Although USWNT head coach Emma Hayes named the 21-year-old to the U-23 team for this international break, and a ‘minor injury’ forced her to exit camp early. Still, could be mind games if the injury is actually minor. If so, the Spirit should be ultra wary of a Jaedyn Shaw with something to prove after being bumped from the senior team and not having the opportunity to prove it with the U-23s.

The international break has been unkind to Gotham even apart from Shaw. This writer’s vote for rookie of the year, Jordynn Dudley, was placed on the season-ending injury list due to a foot injury sustained in training. Brazilian fullback Bruninha also suffered an ACL injury over the break. As a result, Gotham signed Leila Ouahabi after she was released from her contract with Chicago, and winger Olivia Wingate was added as a free transfer from North Carolina Courage. Will Gotham’s untimely bad luck with injuries knock them from their pedestal and outstanding form? We’ll have to see.

Washington Spirit

How They Got Here

The Spirit have managed to clutch on to 3rd place in the standings despite their best efforts to avoid winning home games this season (6-1-6 compared to 8-3-2 away). Thankfully, before the break they managed a 3-2 road victory against the Houston Dash. On one hand, the win was a much needed morale boost; on the other hand, how did we concede two goals and almost lose to #13 Houston?!

When asked if the break created a good reset for the team, Adrián González replied, “You never know if it’s going to be positive or not, but sometimes players need to go to a different environment…I think that can be very helpful.” The Spirit had a whopping 13 players representing their countries during the international break, a testament to the team’s depth and talent. Hopefully, the change in environment imbued the players with fresh energy and new perspective for the final weeks of the season.

One player whose spark seems endless this year is newcomer Mélissa Bethi, who scored a delicious goal for Algeria against Central African Republic. More of this please!

Key Difference Makers

While the Spirit have struggled to find the back of the net this season, the game against Houston marked a number of breakthroughs that the team desperately needed. Tara Rudd scored off of a corner kick from Esme Morgan (CB to CB set piece goal, hell yes!). Sofia Cantore got her first goal since August 8th. Clara Luvanga scored her first goal (hopefully of many) for the Spirit as well. Have the goal floodgates opened for Washington? We can only pray.

Perhaps most importantly, this week marks the long-awaited return of midfielder Leicy Santos. The team has struggled to find their offensive rhythm without her and while she is unlikely to play a full-90, her presence on the field is certain to help bolster Washington against Gotham’s very compact midfield.

What to Expect

It’s October, so things are getting spooky. It’s hard to predict how Gotham will be impacted by the recent loss of Jordynn Dudley and Bruninha, but it’s safe to say that this is not an opponent to underestimate. As Adrián put it, the Spirit want “to be aggressive in and out of possession, knowing that [Gotham] is a team that if you concede them time and space, they are going to try to press as high as possible and very intensely…[the Spirit] need to identify different ways to threaten them and attack.”

In the simplest terms, the Spirit need to be decisive in front of goal (which they have struggled to do) against the team that concedes the fewest goals. At the same time, they will need to be smart in their press, or Gotham will make them pay for it. Like many of the previous meetings, it’s likely this game will end in a very tense stalemate. Either way, I will be watching like this:

Availability Reports

Washington Spirit:

OUT: Deborah Abiodun (SEI), Aubrey Kingsbury (Maternity Leave), Casey Krueger (Maternity Leave), Kate Wiesner (SEI – Ankle)

Gotham FC:

Location: Audi Field, Washington D.C.
Kickoff time: 12:30 PM ET
Available TV: CBS / Paramount+