Photo Credit: Washington Spirit
The Good: There is so much to like about this performance. There was discussion on the show and in the media during the week about what the Spirit would look like when they came up against their first “good” opponent of the season and would the defense be able to stand up against a talented Gotham attack.
Turns out, the answers to those questions were “very good” and “really easily.
The Spirit were stifling in the first half, limiting chances for Gotham to set pieces and the odd counter attack. While Gotham enjoyed 54% possession in the first half, they had no big changes and only 1 shot on target to the Spirit’s 3 shots on target. Over the course of the game, the Spirit created 4 big chances but their two goals were at the foot of their young star, Croix Bethune.
Bethune did what she has done all season, create dangerous opportunities for her teammates and find chances for herself. Her goal in the 41st minute came out of absolutely nothing, receiving a short pass outside the 18, moving past two Gotham players and getting off a quick shot that bent and snuck past Cassie Miller’s near post. It was her only shot on target but she made it count. Later in the second half, she created another opportunity and put a dangerous ball in that was handled by a Gotham player and converted by Ashley Hatch, scoring her 40th goal in her NWSL career and her 1st of 2024.
Another player who merits special mention is Ouley Sarr. While she struggled to convert her opportunities, missing two big chances in 76 minutes, she was unmanageable in her pressure and facilitating in the attack. She was connecting frequently with Trinity Rodman and was a valuable pivot in the attack. I still think she needs to be much more chance efficient and clinical than she has shown in her time so far but if she can contribute this effectively to the cause without scoring, she’s still a very valuable player to have on the field.
The Not So Good: In a 2-0 victory against a rival, if you have any complaints about the performance, they’re likely to be small and nitpicky. I tweeted before the game that I thought this might be the game where Trinity breaks out and gets a goal or two. She absolutely had her chances today, missing two big chances, at least one of which she will be feeling like she should have done better on. You can start to see the frustration building for her, despite her indispensability to the way the Spirit are playing. It’s only a matter of time but I would have loved her to have broken her duck on the same week as Ashley Hatch.
The Spirit largely ceded the ball to Gotham in the second half, with 32 more passes In their own half than Gotham and 18 clearances to Gotham’s 3. This was a tactical decision and it worked out for the team excellently. It was always going to be a matter of when the Spirit could ice the game with a second goal and they were able to do that with the penalty.
Player Spotlight: Croix Bethune is the player of the match and it’s hard to make any case otherwise. She continues to outperform any reasonable expectation that could have been placed on her at the beginning of the season. The schedule so far has been reasonably accommodating but as the pace picks up, it will be important to make sure that Bethune and Hal Hershfelt are managed in their first professional seasons. Speaking of Hershfelt, she had another great game with 76% passing, 7/11 on long balls, 5/6 on ground duels and 4 recoveries. What a tidy player she has been and it’s reminiscent of Paige Metayer’s rookie season last year with how quickly she has adapted to the pace of a NWSL game and made herself indispensable to Adrian Gonzalez.
Looking ahead: Speaking of accommodating schedules, the Spirit are right back at it in 6 days against the Orlando Pride at home. The Pride won Friday night against San Diego Wave 1-0 and are undefeated early in 2024. In their last league matchup in 2023, the Pride beat the Spirit at home 3-0 (Though the lineup for that game was HEAVILY rotated and missing major pieces).
Final thoughts:
This game was an opportunity for the Spirit to answer some lingering doubts about their bonafides against an established, although heavily injured, Gotham FC. The offseason Galacticos strategy for Gotham has not paid early dividends, with an injury list at 10, counting the injured Tierna Davidson. On the other hand, the Spirit rebuilt their team with some under the radar free agent signings and stocking up in first round of the draft. GM Mark Krikorian suffered many slings and arrows for his decisions on draft night but the early returns have inoculated him from serious questions. The Spirit are on a roll and Gotham were just another speed bump on the highway.