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Washington, D.C. (07/28/2026) – Fresh off its tenth win in 12 regular season matches, the Washington Spirit will look to stay atop the NWSL table when it takes on third-place Utah Royals FC in a highly-anticipated match Wednesday night. Kicking off at 9 p.m. EDT, the second and final regular season meeting of the season between the sides will air on NWSL+.
The Spirit
Washington enters its final midweek match of the year coming off a 1-0 home win over expansion side Denver Summit FC. The Spirit earned its eighth overall clean sheet of the year and forward Sofia Cantore connected from deep for the team’s game-winning goal in the 61st minute. Cantore’s goal was her fifth goal of the year and fourth from outside the box as well as the fifth of her Spirit career from long-range. The Italian striker has more such goals than anyone else in the NWSL since transferring to the league last summer.
Goalkeeper Sandy MacIver and the Spirit defending third lowered their regular season goals against average (GAA) to 0.75 with another shutout performance on Sunday night as well. MacIver and reigning NWSL Defender of the Year Tara Rudd are the only two players to have played all 1,440 possible minutes of regular season action for the Spirit so far this season.
With Sunday’s win, Washington became the first team in the NWSL to reach ten wins for the second time in the past three seasons. The Spirit has both the most goals scored and fewest goals conceded since the beginning of April, outscoring opponents 22-8. Also on a hot streak is star forward Trinity Rodman, who has tallied seven goals and five assists across the Spirit’s last 11 matches. Rodman leads the Spirit in both statistical categories on the season.
In the last meeting between the sides out west, the Spirit dropped a 0-1 result to Utah Royals FC on the road in Sandy. A short-handed Washington side conceded in the opening minutes of the match and was unable to find an equalizer in both teams’ 2025 regular season finale. Most recently, the sides drew 1-1 at Audi Field after Washington allowed a late equalizer and had to settle for a single point in late March.
Since the start of the 2025 season, the Spirit has maintained strong form away from home. The side holds an 11-4-9 overall record as the away team across all competitions in that span with one of the draws being a penalty shootout win over Orlando in the 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup. Excluding this season’s expansion sides, all other clubs in the league have at least five away losses across the same span.
Washington leads Utah in attacking categories like shots on target and possession yet trails the side in goals, assists, total shots and total big chances. If the Spirit wants to maintain its spot at the top of the NWSL table through the week, it will need to see another stout performance from its defending third. Royals FC is second in the league in goals and tied for second in assists as the side sits third on the table and is having its best season since the club’s reactivation in 2024.
Following Wednesday’s match, the Spirit will return home to host San Diego Wave FC on Sunday, August 2. Kicking off at 4 p.m. EDT, Washington will look to earn its sixth consecutive win at Audi Field. The match will air on CBS Sports Network.
The Opponent
Utah enters Wednesday night’s match off two straight wins over east coast opponents, having taken down Orlando at home and North Carolina on the road. The side holds an overall record of 9-4-3 with 30 points on the table, already more points this season than either of the club’s past two. The side is also one of few teams to have had continued success against the Spirit since the start of last season. Utah is unbeaten against Washington over the past three meetings, earning two draws in DC and a 1-0 win at home over that span.
Last weekend, Royals FC secured a 4-1 win over the North Carolina Courage with all four of its goals coming by way of set pieces. Utah became the first team in the NWSL since at least 2016 to record as many set piece scores in a single match. The side has also tallied 12 set piece goals this regular season alone, more than any other club thus far.
Two players from last season’s Washington Spirit team are currently playing with Utah this year: midfielders Courtney Brown and Narumi Miura. Both Brown and Narumi have tallied goals for Royals FC so far this season with Narumi connecting on a highlight goal earlier this month to secure her side a 1-0 victory over the Orlando Pride. Brown spent the past two seasons with the Spirit while Narumi spent just last season in DC as both helped Washington reach the 2025 NWSL Championship.
The Utah attacking third has been in strong form so far this season with 26 goals scored through just 16 regular season matches, only two shy of last season’s club record output of 28 goals. Forward Cloé Lacasse leads the team with six goals and has already matched the club’s single season record with ten goal contributions as she has four assists as well. Forward Mina Tanaka has nine goal contributions as well, one shy of joining Lacasse for the club mark with 14 regular season matches still to play.
Following Wednesday’s match, Royals FC will remain home to host Portland Thorns FC on Sunday, August 2 at 7 p.m. EDT.
All-Time Series History
The Spirit holds a 3-5-3 all-time record against Utah Royals FC with a -2 goal differential (9-11), the sides have only ever met in the regular season. Though the Spirit dropped each of the first four meetings with Utah, Washington has earned points in six of the last seven matchups with three wins and three draws, outscoring Royals FC 9-6 across that span.
About The Washington Spirit
The Washington Spirit is the premier professional women’s soccer team based in Washington, D.C. and plays at Audi Field in Buzzard Point. The Spirit was founded on November 21, 2012 and is an inaugural member of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) the fastest growing sports league in the US. The club is home to some of the best players in the world who have won championships for both club and country. For more information about the Spirit, visit WashingtonSpirit.com and follow the club on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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