The 2022 Washington Spirit season was the club's ninth season of play and their ninth season in the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States.
The season began with the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup on March 19, 2022, followed by a 22-match regular season that concluded on October 1, 2022.
Background
In the prior season, the Spirit sat in seventh place—beyond playoff contention—with a record through early August when head coach Richie Burke abruptly resigned, citing "health concerns." On August 11, The Washington Post published a report in which former Spirit players accused the coach of verbal and emotional abuse. The Spirit continued playing under interim coach Kris Ward while additional investigations continued around the league. In September, they forfeited two consecutive matches for failing to adhere to the NWSL's COVID-19 protocols. However, after those two forfeits, Washington would not lose any of their remaining 12 regular season matches, finishing the regular season in third place and earning a spot in the playoffs. Ashley Hatch received the NWSL Golden Boot as the league's top scorer.
The Spirit defeated the defending-champion North Carolina Courage at home after extra time in the first playoff round, defeated OL Reign in the semifinals in Seattle, and then captured the NWSL Championship in November by defeating the Chicago Red Stars in extra time. Following the season, Kris Ward was named permanent head coach.
In the team's front office, CEO Steve Baldwin had also been accused of nepotism and retaliatory behavior, leading to fellow co-owner Y. Michelle Kang calling him for sell his ownership interest in the team, a sentiment echoed by players directly. On October 14, The Washington Post reported that Baldwin had announced to club investors that he intended to sell the club. Kang became majority owner of the Spirit on March 30, 2022.
In the offseason, the Spirit lost two defenders from the 2021 squad: Paige Nielsen left for Angel City FC in the 2022 NWSL Expansion Draft, while fellow defender Tegan McGrady joined San Diego Wave FC. They added veteran defender Amber Brooks, who signed a one-year contract in March. Following an outstanding rookie season, Trinity Rodman signed a four year, $1.1 million contract—the largest in NWSL history. The Spirit roster remained largely intact ahead of the 2022 season.
The club introduced two new kits for 2022. A navy blue "Community Kit," worn during the Challenge Cup showcased Washington-based charity DC SCORES. The regular season kit added a lighter blue sleeve and side stripe. Both kits added a single star marking the team's 2021 league championship. The Kennedy Center sponsored the regular season jersey front.
Transfers In PositionPlayerTransferred fromFeeDateRefDF Alia Martin Michigan WolverinesFreeMF Gaby Vincent Kansas City Current$25,000 allocation money and 2023 4th round pickDF Amber Brooks OL ReignFreeDF Madison Elwell Vanderbilt CommodoresFreeFW Audrey Harding UNC WilmingtonFreeMF Marissa Sheva Utah Royals FCFree
Out PositionPlayerTransferred toFeeDateRefDF Tegan McGrady San Diego Wave FCWith 2022 international roster spot and 2022 first-round draft pick for full protection from San Diego in 2022 NWSL DraftDF Mary Alice VignolaAngel City FCFor $30,000 allocation money and allocated player protection with Angel City in 2022 NWSL DraftMF Chinyelu Asher AIK WaivedFW Cali Farquharson KIF ÖrebroWaivedFW Mariana Speckmaier CSKA MoscowWaivedDF Paige Nielsen Angel City FCDrafted as seventh pick by Angel City FCFW Kumi Yokoyama NJ/NY Gotham FCFor 2023 4th round pickFW Tinaya Alexander Montpellier HSCUndisclosed transfer fee.
Draft picks
Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. Only those who are signed to a contract are listed as incoming transfers.
Player Pos. Previous Team Notes Ref. Tinaya Alexander FW LSU Tigers 14th overall pick Madison Elwell FW Vanderbilt Commodores 15th overall pick Lucy ShepherdFW Hofstra Pride23rd overall pick Audrey Harding FW UNC Wilmington 38th overall pick Jordan ThompsonDF Gonzaga Bulldogs50th overall pick
New contracts +PositionPlayerDateNotesRefDF Camryn BiegalskiTeam option exercisedGK Devon KerrTeam option exercisedDF Karina RodríguezTeam option exercisedDF Morgan GoffRe-signed for one year with 2023 optionMF Taylor AylmerRe-signed for one year with 2023 optionFW Ashley HatchRe-signed for two years with 2024 optionGK Nicole BarnhartOne yearFW Trinity RodmanThree years including 2025 club optionDF Kelley O'HaraOne yearFW Audrey HardingThrough end of 2022 seasonMF Marissa ShevaThrough end of 2022 season
Pre-season Due to obstacles in using D.C. United's practice facilities in Loudoun County, Virginia, the Spirit trained at other venues in Northern Virginia including Episcopal High School and The St. James sports complex. In February, they moved to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida with a 38-player training camp roster. That roster included most of their winter draft picks and several non-roster invitees.
The team played a series of friendlies to prepare for the forthcoming season. They lost the first match decisively to Kansas City Current 6–0, with goals from six different Kansas City players. In mid–February, several American players returned to the US national team to compete in the 2022 SheBelieves Cup, while Devon Kerr, Sydney Schneider, Karina Rodríguez, and Julia Roddar were called up to Canada, Jamaica, Mexico, and Sweden, respectively. Returning to Washington for two additional intra-team scrimmages, the Spirit winnowed their roster to 30 players on March 2 ahead of the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup.
Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is the NWSL's primary league cup tournament. It was first played in 2020 following the cancellation of the regular season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Angel City and San Diego, new expansion clubs, competed for the first time in the Challenge Cup. In the 2021 cup, Washington had failed to advance beyond the group stage. The twelve league teams were divided into three groups, with Washington initially competing twice against the other three teams in its group: Gotham, North Carolina, and Orlando. As defending league champions, the Spirit entered the tournament with "the target on their backs."
Group stage Washington fought to a scoreless draw against Orlando on the road on the cup's opening weekend. Trinity Rodman and Ashley Sanchez created several opportunities in the first half but did not score. Back at Segra Field for the first time in 2022 against Gotham FC, Rodman tackled Margaret Purce on a corner kick in the box, earning Gotham a penalty kick which Kristie Mewis converted. Down at halftime, Washington inserted 2021 scoring leader Ashley Hatch, who equalized on a pass from Sanchez. The Spirit moved to Audi Field for the next match against North Carolina. They fell behind 2–0 with just two shots through 58 minutes, but rallied for two goals in the second half with goals from Rodman and Hatch. Washington earned a dominant 4–1 win in their final home match against Orlando, a game that saw goalkeeper Devon Kerr make her first start since signing with the team in 2020. Traveling to New Jersey to face Gotham a second time, the Spirit fell behind after Nahomi Kawasumi opened the scoring in the fourth minute. An equalizer from Sanchez and two goals by Rodman enabled a 3–1 win. In the final group stage match against North Carolina — the first time the Spirit saw a national television audience — Washington managed a 2–2 draw. The point helped North Carolina clinch the Challenge Cup East Division, but left the Spirit needing an unlikely win from then-winless Angel City over Portland the next night to advance to the semifinals. With that win from Angel City, the Spirit advanced to face OL Reign in the semifinals.
Divisional standings
Knockout stage The knockout stage took place after the regular season opener on May 1, which coincidentally saw the Spirit defeat OL Reign 2–1. In addition to fixture congestion, the league was criticized for lack of venue availability: the league announced the game would be played at Segra Field after neither Lumen Field nor Audi Field were initially available. Working with stadium organizers, the league moved the game back to Audi Field, although OL Reign were considered the home team. During the match, both teams created chances but remained scoreless after regulation. Megan Rapinoe debuted in second-half stoppage time for OL Reign. In the final minutes of regulation, Rapinoe's corner kick deflected onto Anna Heilferty's hand, but the referee blew his whistle to end regulation rather than reward OL Reign a penalty kick. Reign players were furious, with Rapinoe later commenting that Heilferty's hand "was out on fucking Jupiter." To determine a victor, the game moved to penalty kicks. Both teams converted in the first seven rounds; both goalkeepers saved the eighth attempt and both teams made their ninth try. In the tenth round, Sam Staab converted a ninth penalty kick for the Spirit and Aubrey Kingsbury made a game-winning save.
Championship The Spirit advanced to the championship game against North Carolina on May 7, 2022. Both teams rescheduled regular season matches to accommodate the final. The Courage took the lead on a Kerolin goal in the tenth minute. Washington avoided another penalty kick when another handball foul went uncalled, then equalized when Trinity Rodman passed through to Ashley Hatch for a goal against her former team. In the second half, Sam Staab tackled Kerolin in the box, but no foul was called. On the ensuing corner kick, the ricocheting ball deflected off Taylor Aylmer and into her own goal. Goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury's head collided with the post on the save attempt, and she was down for several minutes but remained in the game. Later in the second half, Hatch inadvertently kicked Abby Erceg in the stomach but was not issued a penalty. Finally, Jordan Baggett collided with Kerolin early in second-half stoppage time and suffered an apparent head or neck injury. She was stretchered off the field and taken to the hospital. Both coaches acknowledged team exhaustion following the game. The Spirit's loss was the first since September 2021 (12–0–8 over that time). As runners-up in the cup, each player received a $5,000 bonus. On May 12, the NWSL fined Hatch an undisclosed amount for unsportsmanlike conduct during the final.
Regular season The 2022 season of the National Women's Soccer League saw 12 teams play 22 matches: one against every other team, with one match at each club's stadium. Three points were awarded for each win, one point per draw, and none for defeats. At the end of the season, the top two teams qualify for first-round byes in the NWSL Playoffs, while four more teams play in an opening playoff round.
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