2020 Washington Spirit season

Washington Spirit
2020 season
Head coachRichie Burke
StadiumMaryland SoccerPlex
Audi Field
Segra Field
NWSL2nd
NWSL PlayoffsCancelled
Challenge CupQuarterfinals
Top goalscorerLeague: 4 Tied (1)
All: 4 Tied (1)
Highest home attendance0 (closed door)
Lowest home attendance0 (closed door)
Average home league attendance0 (closed door)
← 2019
2021 →

The 2020 season was the Washington Spirit's seventh season, competing in the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States.

The season was slated to begin on April 18, 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ultimately, the NWSL season was cancelled due to the pandemic. Th club participated in the NWSL Challenge Cup and the NWSL Fall series which were held in lieu of the regular season. The Challenge Cup was held behind closed doors at the neutral venue of Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah. The Spirit reached the Quarterfinals of the Challenge Cup and finished in third place in the Fall Series. Combined across all matches, the Spirit had the second best record of matches played during the 2020 season.

Club

Roster

The first-team roster of Washington Spirit.[1] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK United States USA Aubrey Bledsoe
2 FW United States USA Ashley Sanchez
3 DF United States USA Sam Staab
4 MF United States USA Natalie Jacobs
5 DF United States USA Brooke Hendrix
6 FW United States USA Katie McClure
7 MF United States USA Jaye Boissierre
8 MF United States USA Megan Dougherty Howard
9 DF United States USA Tegan McGrady
10 MF United States USA Rose Lavelle (FP)
11 MF United States USA Jordan DiBiasi
12 MF United States USA Andi Sullivan
13 FW United States USA Bayley Feist
No. Pos. Nation Player
14 DF United States USA Paige Nielsen
16 MF United States USA Averie Collins
17 FW Japan JPN Kumi Yokoyama (INT)
18 FW United States USA Jessie Scarpa
19 DF United States USA Dorian Bailey
20 FW Jamaica JAM Cheyna Matthews
21 GK United States USA Katie Lund
22 FW Canada CAN Jenna Hellstrom (INT)
23 MF United States USA Tori Huster
24 FW United States USA Kaiya McCullogh
31 FW United States USA Crystal Thomas
33 FW United States USA Ashley Hatch
  • (FP) = Federation player[2]
  • (INT) = International roster player[3]

Team management

As of March 1, 2020[4][5]
Coaching staff
Head Coach England Richie Burke
Player/Opponent Analyst United States Tom Torres
High Performance Coach United States Michael Minthorne
Goalkeeper Coach England Ian McCaldon
Team Performance Coach Germany Christian Cziommer
Reserve Team Head Coach United States Kati Jo Spisak
Athletic Trainer United States Julie Beveridge

Competitions

Preseason

All preseason competitions were cancelled on March 12, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

Regular season

Results summary

Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
0 0 0 0 0 0  0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Last updated: March 1, 2020.
Source: NWSLsoccer.com

Results by round

Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324
GroundHHAHAAHAAHAHAHHAHAHHAAHA
Result
Position
Updated to match(es) played on March 1, 2020. Source: NWSLsoccer.com
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

NWSL Challenge Cup

Main article: 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup

Standings

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 North Carolina Courage 4 4 0 0 7 1 +6 12
2 Washington Spirit 4 2 1 1 4 4 0 7
3 OL Reign 4 1 2 1 1 2 −1 5
4 Houston Dash 4 1 1 2 5 6 −1 4
5 Utah Royals FC (H) 4 1 1 2 4 5 −1 4
Source: NWSL
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(H) Host

Results by round

Round1234
GroundNNNN
ResultWLDW
Position2452
Updated to match(es) played on July 2, 2020. Source: NWSLsoccer.com
A = Away; H = Home; N = Neutral; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Preliminary round

June 27, 2020 1 Chicago Red Stars 1–2 Washington Spirit Herriman, Utah
20:00
  • Gautrat 51'
 Report
Stadium: Zions Bank Stadium
Attendance: 0 (closed door)
July 1, 2020 2 Washington Spirit 0–2 North Carolina Courage Herriman, Utah
20:00 Report
Stadium: Zions Bank Stadium
Attendance: 0 (closed door)
July 5, 2020 3 Portland Thorns FC 1–1 Washington Spirit Herriman, Utah
20:00
Report
Stadium: Zions Bank Stadium
Attendance: 0 (closed door)
July 12, 2020 4 Washington Spirit 1–0 Houston Dash Herriman, Utah
10:30
Report
Stadium: Zions Bank Stadium
Attendance: 0 (closed door)

Knockout round

July 17, 2020 Quarterfinals Washington Spirit 0–0 (a.e.t.)
(3–4 p)		 Sky Blue Herriman, Utah
Report
Stadium: Zions Bank Stadium
Attendance: 0 (closed door)
Penalties

NWSL Fall series

The Spirit were placed into the Northeast pod of the NWSL Fall series with the Chicago Red Stars and Sky Blue FC. The spirit played each team twice, once home and once away. Home Matches were hosted at Segra field without spectators.[6]

Standings

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Portland Thorns FC (C) 4 3 1 0 10 3 +7 10 Community Shield
2 Houston Dash 4 3 0 1 12 7 +5 9 Runners-up
3 Washington Spirit 4 2 1 1 5 4 +1 7 Third place
4 Sky Blue FC 4 2 0 2 6 7 −1 6
5 North Carolina Courage 4 1 2 1 8 10 −2 5
6 Chicago Red Stars 4 1 1 2 7 7 0 4
7 OL Reign 4 1 1 2 6 8 −2 4
8 Orlando Pride 4 0 2 2 5 8 −3 2
9 Utah Royals FC 4 0 2 2 3 8 −5 2
Source: NWSL
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(C) Champions
September 5, 2020 NWSL Fall Series Washington Spirit 1–2 Sky Blue Leesburg, Virginia
1:00 PM EDT
Report
Stadium: Segra Field
Attendance: 0 (Closed Door)
Referee: Danielle Chesky
September 12, 2020 NWSL Fall Series Washington Spirit 2–1 Chicago Red Stars Leesburg, Virginia
12:00 PM EDT
Report
Stadium: Segra Field
Attendance: 0 (Closed Door)
Referee: Joshua Encarnacion
September 26, 2020 NWSL Fall Series Chicago Red Stars 1–1 Washington Spirit Bridgeview, Illinois
1:00 PM EDT
Report
Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium
Attendance: 0 (Closed Door)
Referee: Tori Penso
October 3, 2020 NWSL Fall Series Sky Blue 0–1 Washington Spirit Montclair, New Jersey
12:30 PM EDT
Report
Stadium: MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field
Attendance: 0 (Closed Door)
Referee: Joshua Encarnacion

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Goalkeepers

Transfers

In

Date Player Number Position Previous club Fee/notes
December 17, 2019 United States Jessie Scarpa 18 FW United States North Carolina Tar Heels Signed[7]
Canada Jenna Hellstrom 22 FW Sweden KIF Örebro DFF Signed[8]
December 18, 2019 Japan Kumi Yokoyama 17 FW Japan AC Nagano Parceiro Signed[9]
January 4, 2020 United States Brooke Hendrix 5 DF England West Ham United Signed[10]
January 7, 2020 United States Jaye Boissiere 7 MF France Le Havre AC Signed[11]
February 10, 2020 United States Ashley Sanchez 2 FW United States UCLA Bruins Signed[12]
United States Natalie Jacobs 4 MF United States USC Trojans Signed Draft Pick[12]
United States Averie Collins 16 MF United States Washington State Cougars Signed Draft Pick[12]
United States Katie McClure 6 FW United States Kansas Jayhawks Signed Draft Pick[12]
United States Kaiya McCullogh 24 MF United States UCLA Bruins Signed Draft Pick[12]
United States Katie Lund 21 GK United States Arkansas Razorbacks Signed, Undrafted[12]

Out

Date Player Number Position New club Fee/notes
November 4, 2019 United States Arielle Ship 2 FW United States Utah Royals FC Place on Re-Entry Wire[13][14]
United States Megan Crosson 5 DF United States Houston Dash Place on Re-Entry Wire[13][15]
Australia Chloe Logarzo 6 MF England Bristol City Place on Re-Entry Wire[13][16]
Australia Amy Harrison 7 MF Australia Western Sydney Wanders Place on Re-Entry Wire[13][17]
United States Tiffany McCarty 16 FW Place on Re-Entry Wire[13]
United States Cali Farquharson 17 FW Sweden KIF Örebro DFF Place on Re-Entry Wire[13][18]
United States McKenzie Berryhill 18 DF Place on Re-Entry Wire[13]
Australia Elise Kellond-Knight 28 MF Australia Brisbane Roar Place on Re-Entry Wire[13][19]
United States Shea Yanez 30 GK Spain Santa Teresa Place on Re-Entry Wire[13][20]
January 16, 2020 United States Mallory Pugh 11 FW United States Sky Blue FC Trade for 4th, 13th, and 17th overall 2020 draft picks; 1st Round 2021 dract pick[21]
United States Mallory Eubanks 22 FW

Draft picks

Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. Only those who are signed to a contract will be listed as transfers in. Only trades involving draft picks and executed during the 2020 NWSL College Draft will be listed in the notes.

Player Pos Previous club Notes Ref
United States Ashley Sanchez FW United States UCLA Bruins Round 1, Pick 4 (4th overall) [22]
United States Natalie Jacobs MF United States USC Trojans Round 2, Pick 4 (13th overall) [23]
United States Averie Collins MF United States Washington State Cougars Round 2, Pick 8 (17th overall) [24]
United States Katie McClure FW United States Kansas Jayhawks Round 3, Pick 5 (23rd overall) [25]
United States Kaiya McCullough FW United States UCLA Bruins Round 4, Pick 5 (32nd overall) [26]

References

  1. ^ "Washington Spirit Roster". washingtonspirit.com. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  2. ^ "NWSL releases 2020 allocated players list". NWSLsoccer.com. February 20, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  3. ^ "Washington Spirit announces updated roster ahead of 2018 NWSL regular season". Washington Spirit. March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  4. ^ http://washingtonspirit.com/coaching-staff/ Spirit Coaching Staff Reference
  5. ^ http://washingtonspirit.com/team/front-office/ Spirit Executive Staff
  6. ^ Goff, Steven. "Washington Spirit will finally play a home match but not in the way it had hoped". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  7. ^ "Washington Spirit Sign Forward Jessie Scarpa". Washington Spirit. December 17, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  8. ^ "Washington Spirit Sign Forward Jenna Hellstrom". Washington Spirit. December 17, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  9. ^ Declan Vargas (December 18, 2019). "Washington Spirit Sign Forward Kumi Yokoyama". Washington Spirit. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  10. ^ Declan Vargas (January 4, 2020). "Washington Spirit Sign Defender Brooke Hendrix". Washington Spirit. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  11. ^ Mason Covalier (January 7, 2020). "Washington Spirit sign Midfielder Jaye Boissiere". Washington Spirit. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  12. ^ a b c d e f "Spirit sign all five 2020 draftees, add to keeper corps". Washington Spirit. February 10, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Washington Spirit announce roster updates for 2019 off-season". washingtonspirit.com. November 4, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  14. ^ "TAKE THREE: Utah Royals FC grab 3 off NWSL Re-Entry Wire". Front Row Soccer. November 5, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  15. ^ "Houston Dash Acquire DF Megan Crosson". Our Sporse Central. January 25, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  16. ^ Aiden Beswick (January 24, 2020). "Women's Sport: Bristol City sign Chloe Logarzo from Sydney FC". GiveMeSport. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  17. ^ Vince Rugari (October 23, 2019). "'I'm a Westie': Matilda Harrison crosses town for W-League homecoming". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  18. ^ Damall Svenskan (December 19, 2019). "Örebro värvar från amerikanska ligan" (in Swedish). Expressen. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  19. ^ Jacob Windon (October 26, 2019). "Signing news: Kellond-Knight returns to Brisbane". Maltildas.com.au. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  20. ^ "El Liberbank Santa Teresa Badajoz ficha a la guardameta estadounidense Jessica Yañez" (in Spanish). santateresabadajoz.com. January 8, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  21. ^ "Washington Spirit send Mal Pugh to Sky Blue FC in blockbuster NWSL Draft trade". blackandredunited.com. January 16, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  22. ^ "Washington Spirit select Ashley Sanchez fourth overall in 2020 NWSL Draft". Washington Spirit. January 16, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  23. ^ "Washington Spirit select Natalie Jacobs 13th overall in 2020 NWSL Draft". Washington Spirit. January 16, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  24. ^ "Washington Spirit select Averie Collins 17th overall in 2020 NWSL Draft". Washington Spirit. January 16, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  25. ^ "Washington Spirit select Katie McClure 23rd overall in 2020 NWSL Draft". Washington Spirit. January 16, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  26. ^ "Washington Spirit select Kaiya McCullough 32nd overall in 2020 NWSL Draft". Washington Spirit. January 16, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2020.