Today, the Washington Spirit (16-4-8) take on the Kansas City Current (14-5-9) in what should be an exciting (read: anxiety inducing) matchup. It’s week 278 of the 2026 NWSL season, also known as week 26, or the penultimate weekend of the regular season. Both Washington and Kansas City have officially clinched playoff birth, but everyone is playing for home field advantage and with a win, the Spirit are still in contention for the shield.

Previously

The Spirit previously saw Kansas City on April 24th and won 4-0, including a brace from Leicy Santos (26′ and 56′), a goal from Trinity Rodman (45+3′) and Claudia Martínez (75′). While that scoreline seems promising, it’s probably not a good indication of the Kansas City that the Spirit will face today. At the beginning of the season, the Current were struggling with inconsistent performances (they lost to Chicago just a few weeks earlier) and often bleeding goals. Today’s Current is on a three game win streak and has scored 11 goals in the last three matches, not to mention they have a 10-4-0 all-time record at CPKC.

The Spirit have a 5-1-4 cumulative record against Kansas City, which is probably a closer reflection of how they have been evenly matched and traded wins over the years.

Key Difference Makers

Last week against Gotham, the unsung hero for the Spirit was their defense. In the second half, Gotham was only able to get one (not very good) shot and eleven touches in the opposition’s box. The Spirit managing to shut down Gotham in the final third was a huge momentum shifter and allowed them to close out the game with a victory. This week, the Spirit need to bring the same defensive compactness and communication to the entire 90+ minutes if they are hoping for a win. The return of Lucia Di Guglielmo has been critical for 1v1 defending on the right wing and she was still able to get involved in the attack and score a goal!

Similarly, last week Hal Hershfelt and Andi Sullivan reached a flow state when it came to shutting down Gotham’s buildup in the midfield, this week they will be tasked with closing down former teammate Croix Bethune and an in-form Debinha, if they can stop them from slipping through and connecting with Temwa Chawinga, they will have saved goalkeeper Sandy McIver from a very big headache.

Lately, the Current have relied heavily on forward Haley Hopkins to score goals in the absence of Chawinga and also when she is being closely defended, this has been a major key for KCC’s recent run of success, she has scored six goals in three weeks plus an assist. The Spirit need to be ready to shut down both Hopkins and Chawinga.

What to Expect

The Current are dangerous, especially when they have a packed home stadium around them. But, the Spirit showed last week that they can take on the best in the league and they are a force to be reckoned with. If Clara Luvanga, Trinity Rodman, and Sofia Cantore can finish more of the opportunities that they create, Kansas City will have to adjust and be more conservative in their press. At the same time, the Current are comfortable letting Temwa Chawinga score on a quick counterattack, so this game is likely to look like a chess match between two top opponents. I envy those watching who are neutral on the outcome because it should be a great game.

The Spirit can win this game, and they are still in the running to become America’s Next Top Model win the shield if they bring their A-game, which we saw just last week. Hopefully this week is an opportunity to build on that momentum heading into the playoffs.

Availability Reports

Washington Spirit:

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

Kansas City Current:

Location: CPKC Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Kickoff time: 5:00 PM ET
Available TV: ESPN / ESPN Deportes