The Washington Freedom is but a memory, but there is another professional soccer team playing at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown.
It’s the Washington Spirit, one of eight teams in the new National Women’s Soccer League.
It is an organization with links to the past, including the W-League years of the Freedom and D.C. United Women. But it is a franchise not burdened by both past achievements and failures.
Like the other seven NWSL clubs, the Spirit will write it’s own history on clear, clean note pages.
The Spirit received goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris, defender Ali Krieger and midfielder Lori Lindsey from the U.S. WNT Player Pool in the allocation phase.
Their allocated Canadians are Robin Gayle, who played collegiate soccer at UNC, and Diana Matheson. From Mexico’s Player Pool they received Alina Garciamendez and Teresa Worbis.
Six players were added from the Supplemental Draft, including former U.S. WNT forward Natasha Kai, who has earned 64 international caps for the U.S.
Megan Mischler played at West Virginia and Heather Cooke is a former player for Loyola University of Maryland. Tori Huster played for the Western New York Flash and Stephanie Ochs and Jordan Angeli formerly played for the Boston Breakers.
Canadian WNT defender Candace Chapman was signed, along with former Virginia Cavalier Kaka Tououse to bolster the defense. Two members of the U.S. U20 World Cup champions, MF Ingrid Wells and GK Chantel Jones are the “new kids on the block.”
Nicknamed “the Little General”, Wells starred at Georgetown, while Jones earned the NCAA career shutout record with 47 for the University of Virginia.
Opening weekend for the NWSL is set for April 13 and 14. The Spirit will open on the road against the Boston Breakers on April 14. The home opener is April 20 against Olympic gold medalists Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd and the Western New York Flash.