Chicago Stars
May 1st, 2024: The Washington Spirit against Chicago Red Stars at SeatGeek Stadium on May 1, 2024 in Bridgeview, Illinois. (© Breanna Biorato / Washington Spirit)
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Washington, D.C. (05/09/2025) – The Washington Spirit will hit the road looking to snap a two-match losing streak this weekend, taking on new-name Chicago Stars FC at SeatGeek Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Kicking off at 12:50 p.m. ET, the match will be broadcast nationally on ABC and stream on ESPN+.
The Spirit
While the Spirit has been tasked with overcoming an extensive injury list throughout the first quarter of the regular season, the team has seen the reintroduction of some familiar faces in the past couple weeks.
Two weeks ago, last season’s NWSL Midfielder and Rookie of the Year Croix Bethune made her first appearance for the Spirit in over eight months. Last week, forward Rosemonde Kouassi made her first start since the 2024 NWSL Championship, assisting Gift Monday’s first half equalizer and establishing a speedy attacking threat down the sideline.
Forward Ashley Hatch has four goals and an assist and remains the attacking heartbeat of the team. She has contributed to at least five goals in each of her eight NWSL regular seasons, a mark achieved by only one other player in league history, Hatch’s former Courage teammate Jess McDonald. Though Hatch scored four goals in the first four matches of the season, the Spirit’s recent goal-scoring production has come from Gift Monday and Esme Morgan, who have been responsible for the team’s last four goals.
After putting together three consecutive clean sheets between March 28 and April 19, the Spirit defending third has allowed seven goals across its last two matches. The team will look to return to its dominating defensive ways this weekend taking on a Stars team with the fewest goals scored in the league this season (3).
The Spirit’s early road form is one of the best in NWSL history as the team has emerged victorious in each of its first three matches away from home (March 14 at Houston, April 12 at Louisville, April 19 at Orlando). This year’s team is just one win away from becoming just the second team in league history to start a season by winning each of its first four away matches (North Carolina won its first five in 2018). This weekend’s match at Chicago and May 23 at Seattle are the Spirit’s next two away contests.
The Opponent
Despite the side’s current position at the bottom of the league table, Chicago Stars FC is coming off a stout defensive performance against Gotham FC’s powerful attacking third. Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher recorded her 50th career regular season clean sheet with five saves in New Jersey on Sunday, making her the second player in league history to reach the milestone after former Spirit player Nicole Barnhart. Midfielder Bea Franklin is also a standout in defensive metrics, recently winning 14 duels in a single match, the most by a Stars player in a regular season match since September 2019.
With just three goals for and a -11 goal differential through seven matches, Chicago is last in the NWSL in both categories and looking for its first points on home turf this season on Saturday. Both the Stars and Spirit have struggled at home in 2025, holding a combined 1-6-0 record.
Chicago will continue to be without superstar forward Mallory Swanson, who recently announced her pregnancy. Swanson provided seven goals and four assists across 25 regular season matches in 2024, leading the then-Red Stars in goal contributions and helping the team to a return to the NWSL Playoffs.
All-Time Series History
The Washington Spirit and Chicago Stars FC have faced off 33 times since the NWSL’s inception in 2013, the second-most played fixture in Spirit history. The sides have played in all possible NWSL competitions: regular season, playoffs, Challenge Cup, Fall Series and Summer Cup. Washington holds a slight advantage across all competitions with 13 wins, 12 losses and eight draws though Chicago is ahead in the regular season history with an 11-9-7 record.
Last season, the Spirit came out on top in both regular season matches against the Stars, with a 4-2 win in Bridgeview and a 2-0 win at home. The most notable match in the 12-year history of the Chicago-Washington fixture came in November 2021, when the Spirit won its first-ever NWSL Championship with a 2-1 extra time victory over the Red Stars.
Saturday’s match will be the first time these sides face off. They will meet again at Audi Field on Sunday, August 31, kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET. You can grab your tickets HERE.
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