2020 Washington Spirit season
Washington Spirit 2020 soccer season
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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.
| 2020 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Richie Burke | ||
| Stadium | Maryland SoccerPlex Audi Field Segra Field | ||
| NWSL | 2nd | ||
| NWSL playoffs | Cancelled | ||
| Challenge Cup | Quarterfinals | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: 4 Tied (1) All: 4 Tied (1) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 0 (closed door) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 0 (closed door) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 0 (closed door) | ||
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| |||
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; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Team management
| Coaching staff | |
|---|---|
| Head Coach |  Richie Burke |
| Player/Opponent Analyst |  Tom Torres |
| High Performance Coach | Michael Minthorne |
| Goalkeeper Coach | Ian McCaldon |
| Team Performance Coach |  Christian Cziommer |
| Reserve Team Head Coach | Kati Jo Spisak |
| Athletic Trainer | 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
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
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 |
Results by round
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 |
|
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
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 |
| 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 | Jessie Scarpa | 18 | FW | North Carolina Tar Heels | Signed[7] |
 Jenna Hellstrom | 22 | FW |  KIF Örebro DFF | Signed[8] | |
| December 18, 2019 |  Kumi Yokoyama | 17 | FW | AC Nagano Parceiro | Signed[9] |
| January 4, 2020 | Brooke Hendrix | 5 | DF | West Ham United | Signed[10] |
| January 7, 2020 | Jaye Boissiere | 7 | MF |  Le Havre AC | Signed[11] |
| February 10, 2020 | Ashley Sanchez | 2 | FW | UCLA Bruins | Signed[12] |
| Natalie Jacobs | 4 | MF | USC Trojans | Signed Draft Pick[12] | |
| Averie Collins | 16 | MF | Washington State Cougars | Signed Draft Pick[12] | |
| Katie McClure | 6 | FW | Kansas Jayhawks | Signed Draft Pick[12] | |
| Kaiya McCullogh | 24 | MF | UCLA Bruins | Signed Draft Pick[12] | |
| Katie Lund | 21 | GK | Arkansas Razorbacks | Signed, Undrafted[12] |
Out
| Date | Player | Number | Position | New club | Fee/notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 4, 2019 | Arielle Ship | 2 | FW | Utah Royals FC | Place on Re-Entry Wire[13][14] |
| Megan Crosson | 5 | DF | Houston Dash | Place on Re-Entry Wire[13][15] | |
 Chloe Logarzo | 6 | MF | Bristol City | Place on Re-Entry Wire[13][16] | |
| Amy Harrison | 7 | MF | Western Sydney Wanders | Place on Re-Entry Wire[13][17] | |
| Tiffany McCarty | 16 | FW | Place on Re-Entry Wire[13] | ||
| Cali Farquharson | 17 | FW | KIF Örebro DFF | Place on Re-Entry Wire[13][18] | |
| McKenzie Berryhill | 18 | DF | Place on Re-Entry Wire[13] | ||
| Elise Kellond-Knight | 28 | MF | Brisbane Roar | Place on Re-Entry Wire[13][19] | |
| Shea Yanez | 30 | GK |  Santa Teresa | Place on Re-Entry Wire[13][20] | |
| January 16, 2020 | Mallory Pugh | 11 | FW | Sky Blue FC | Trade for 4th, 13th, and 17th overall 2020 draft picks; 1st Round 2021 dract pick[21] |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashley Sanchez | FW | UCLA Bruins | Round 1, Pick 4 (4th overall) | [22] |
| Natalie Jacobs | MF | USC Trojans | Round 2, Pick 4 (13th overall) | [23] |
| Averie Collins | MF | Washington State Cougars | Round 2, Pick 8 (17th overall) | [24] |
| Katie McClure | FW | Kansas Jayhawks | Round 3, Pick 5 (23rd overall) | [25] |
| Kaiya McCullough | FW | UCLA Bruins | Round 4, Pick 5 (32nd overall) | [26] |