One road to the NWSL Championship will run through the district. Two east coast sides will square off in the NWSL semifinals as No. 2 Washington Spirit host No. 3 NJ/NY Gotham FC on Saturday at Audi Field. It'll be a matchup of two familiar foes, as both squads ended the regular season tied on 56 points, and a showcase of high-octane attack against a stingy defense. A sell-out crowd is expected and fans can watch all the action on CBS.
Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming semifinal:
Viewing information
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 16
- Time: 12 p.m. ET
- Place: Audi Field -- Washington, D.C.
- TV: CBS
- Stream: Paramount+
Players to watch
Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC): A jack of all trades, Sonnett has played in every game for Gotham this season. Perhaps no other player has been more essential to aiding the team in maintaining tempo instead of establishing it. Whether it's been as a center back partner or as a defensive midfielder, her ability to connect and disrupt transition will be a major key to whether or not Gotham see another championship final.
Rosemonde Kouassi (Washington Spirit): The Ivorian international returns to the team after picking up a two-game suspension in the penultimate match of the regular season. The attacker will provide another dynamic layer for the Spirit as a creative playmaker. Her arrival during the summer window initially added attacking depth, but her two assists and combination play has quickly made her an x-factor on offense.
What they're saying
Here's what the coaches have to say about their semifinal preparations:
Gotham FC head coach Juan Carlos Amoros: "It's about sticking to who we are and making sure the players know what they need to do defensively, to express themselves offensively, and they've been fantastic with that, whatever they're starting coming off the bench or not even in the pitch."
Spirit head coach Jonatan Giraldez: "I think my process when we play a game, I always do the same things in terms of ... what we did good, what we did bad, what we had to improve, what we had to show to the players ... And when we speak about that, we speak about attacking, defending, and also in terms of competitiveness, [and] mentality. I think that is [an] important thing also, to compete [in] these types of games."
Prediction
The Spirit will have home-field advantage on their side but Gotham's ability to be stealthy in attack and organized in defense could deliver just the right amount of disruption to the Spirit's attempts at counterplay. Pick: Spirit 1, Gotham 2