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San Jose, Calif. (11/21/2025) – The Washington Spirit will play in its second straight NWSL Championship and fourth in club history this weekend, meeting rival Gotham FC. With a win tomorrow, the Spirit can capture its second NWSL title in club history. Kicking off at 8 p.m. EST on Saturday, November 22, the match will broadcast nationally on CBS.
The Spirit
Washington heads into this weekend’s NWSL Championship after a strong 2-0 home win over Portland Thorns FC in front of another sellout crowd of 19,365 at Audi Field. Forward Gift Monday and midfielder Croix Bethune tallied the Spirit’s two goals as goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury collected her second career playoff clean sheet.
The Spirit put together a complete game against Portland for its first regulation playoff win in six contests. The side won its 2021 NWSL Championship match after extra time before winning last year’s quarterfinal match after extra time and advancing after a penalty shootout in the 2024 semifinal round and 2025 quarterfinal round. Forward Rosemonde Kouassi assisted a Gift Monday goal for the sixth time in 2025 for the game-winner before Bethune’s second half insurance goal.
Saturday’s matchup will be the second-ever playoff meeting between Washington and Gotham FC. When the sides faced off in the semifinal round last season, Gotham took a lead in the second half behind a goal from Esther González before Spirit midfielder Hal Hershfelt netted a stoppage time equalizer to send the match to extra time. Still deadlocked at one goal apiece, the match went to a penalty shootout where Aubrey Kingsbury came up huge and saved all three attempts she faced, helping send Washington to the final.
Washington and Gotham have met three times so far in 2025. Gotham took the first meeting at Audi Field by a decisive 3-0 margin before two scoreless draws, one in regular season play and one in Concacaf W Champions Cup group play.
While the Spirit leads Gotham in several key attacking categories including goals, assists and shots on target, Gotham held the second-best rate of possession in the league through the 2025 regular season, compared to Washington’s fifth-place ranking. Look for Washington to try and create quick scoring chances this weekend.
The Opponent
Gotham FC earned its spot in tomorrow’s NWSL Championship by way of back-to-back away wins. In the quarterfinal round, Gotham upset top-seeded Kansas City with a 2-1 win after extra time. The side then went to Orlando and upset the Pride with a second half stoppage time goal from Jaedyn Shaw.
This will be Gotham’s second-ever appearance in the NWSL Championship, with both coming in the past three seasons. The New Jersey-based club earned its first title in 2023 with a win over Seattle Reign FC in San Diego. Both the Spirit and Gotham FC are looking to capture their second NWSL Championship on Saturday night.
Gotham has not lost a playoff match since before its 2023 run to the championship, only being eliminated after a penalty shootout in a draw against the Spirit last season. The unbeaten run equals the Spirit’s seven-match run from its 2021 title season until last season’s championship match.
In the attack, Gotham is led by star forward Esther González, who tallied 13 goals in the regular season. The Spaniard saw a balanced scoring effort, six goals coming with her right foot, three with her left and four with her head. With Gotham’s strong rate of possession this year, look for the side to lean on its buildup in the attacking third and patience for quality chances.
All-Time Series History
The Spirit holds a 17-14-12 all-time record against Gotham FC with a +9 goal differential (55-46). Washington and Gotham drew their only other postseason meeting last year with the Spirit advancing after a penalty shootout.
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