Spirit Travels North for Rivalry Weekend Meeting with Gotham FC
NWSL Washington Spirit

Spirit Travels North for Rivalry Weekend Meeting with Gotham FC

Published on August 8, 2025 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Washington Spirit News Release


Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman
Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman
(Washington Spirit)

Harrison, N.J. - The Washington Spirit will hit the road this weekend for the side's second and final 2025 regular season meeting with rival Gotham FC. Kicking off at noon EDT on Saturday, August 9, the match will broadcast nationally on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, also streaming on ESPN+.

The Spirit

Washington enters Saturday's match off a thrilling 2-1 win over Portland at Audi Field in last weekend's return to play. The win was Adrián González's first in the permanent Head Coach position. As the club's Interim Head Coach in 2024, González compiled a 10-4-1 record.

The match against Portland saw several returns for the Spirit. Most notably, star forward Trinity Rodman made her first appearance in nearly four months and did so in dramatic fashion. Subbing into the match late in the second half, Rodman nailed the game-winning goal in stoppage time, making her the first player in league history to record three or more stoppage time winners in a regular season career. Defender Kate Wiesner, who made her return from injury in June prior to the league's break from play, made her first start of the season as well.

Following Sunday's match, the Spirit swept the NWSL's weekly awards, winning Player (Croix Bethune), Goal (Trinity Rodman), Assist (Bethune) and Save (Aubrey Kingsbury) of the Week. This marked the first time in league history that players from a single club won all four weekly awards.

Entering Saturday's match, the Spirit leads Gotham FC in many major attacking categories including goals, assists, shots, shots on target and total big chances. In possession, however, Washington is in the bottom half of the league while Gotham is top three. Look for Gotham to take aim at controlling possession in an effort to limit the Spirit's attacking chances this weekend.

The Spirit could see one of its latest signings debut this weekend as González announced in Thursday's pre-match press conference that star Italian forward Sofia Cantore would be available for selection. Cantore made more headlines this week when France Football announced her as one of 30 nominees for the 2025 Ballon d'Or Féminin, the first such nomination of Cantore's career. The nomination marks the Spirit's third in four years after Rodman was nominated in 2022 and 2024.

Washington and Gotham will meet one more time this year before any potential playoff rematch this fall as both sides qualified for the 2025-26 Concacaf W Champions Cup. The Spirit will again travel north for a midweek group stage match on Wednesday, October 1.

The Opponent

Gotham FC enters Saturday's match on a three-match point streak (two wins, one draw) after a three-match losing streak before it. Currently sitting just above the playoff line at 5-5-4, the New Jersey-based side is looking for a second half surge this season to secure its playoff standing.

Gotham is led in scoring by Spaniard Esther González whose ten goals in 13 matches also lead the NWSL Golden Boot race. Esther has tallied four braces so far this season, including one against the Spirit in DC back in April. With her next brace, Esther will set the NWSL record for most in a single season. Esther has been nominated for the 2025 Ballon d'Or Féminin alongside the Spirit's Cantore.

Also making news via France Football this week was Gotham keeper Ann-Katrin Berger who was nominated for the Yashin Trophy, which honors the best goalkeeper in the world as part of the Ballon d'Or ceremony. Berger recently won the 2024 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year award as well. Despite sitting at eighth on the league table, Gotham's defending third has only allowed 14 goals through 14 matches, tied for fourth-best in the NWSL.

Across the side's six regular season home matches so far in 2025, Gotham's defending third has only allowed 44 total shots for an average of 7.3 per home contest. Gotham is on pace to become just the second club to allow fewer than nine shots per home match across a full season since 2016. The North Carolina Courage accomplished this feat three times in the late 2010s. If Gotham can continue to control possession as well as it has so far this season, the side to continue its ability to limit shots against.

Following Saturday's match, Gotham will remain home for a matchup with the Houston Dash on Sunday, August 17.

All-Time Series History

The Spirit holds a 14-11-6 all-time regular season record against Gotham FC with a +7 goal differential (44-37). The away team has won each of the past two regular season meetings and the losing team has been shut out in each of the past four regular season meetings.

Check out the Washington Spirit Statistics

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Images from this story

Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman
Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman
   



National Women's Soccer League Stories from August 8, 2025


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