The NWSL season finale airs tonight at 8PM on CBS
By Lesley Ryder
Opening day of the 2025 season feels like a lifetime ago. Both the Washington Spirit and Gotham FC faced early injury troubles, and a longer season with continental clashes woven into their schedules. Both teams survived the long season, and the uncertainty of playoff soccer to make it back to the NWSL championship. For Gotham, it’s a second trip in three years. For the Spirit? They’re the first team to make back-to-back championships since the 2018-2019 North Carolina Courage. We’re in for a treat no matter who prevails in tonight’s prime time clash, but in case you need convincing, here’s three reasons to watch.
Stacked lineups
Gotham FC and the Washington Spirit are absolutely stacked to the gills with global talent. The NWSL Championship will feature players from five continents, many of whom have featured for their nation’s team at the highest levels of competition. World Cup titles? Check. Gold Medals? Check. Continental championships? You betcha.
Both of these teams have an absurdly deep and talented bench to turn to when they need a spark. Their long seasons have given them the opportunity to give multiple players high-stakes reps. Hal Hershfelt spoke about how the Spirit’s early season resilience made them a better squad:
Award-winning performances
Both teams boast award-winning defenders. Gotham’s Lilly Reale was named Rookie of the Year, and the Spirit’s Tara McKeown took home Defender of the Year honors.
Lily Reale burst onto the scene after injury struggles hit their backline early in the season. A standout center back at UCLA, she converted to a fullback role and had an immediate impact. She earned her first USWNT call-up in June, and has continued to earn call-ups as the USWNT tweaks their defense.
Tara McKeown earned Defender of the Year honors while anchoring a stingy Spirit back line. McKeown famously converted to center back after beginning her career in DC as a striker. It’s a feat that continues to impress her teammates. “When I found out she only started as a defender two seasons ago, it broke my brain,” said Spirit midfielder Leicy Santos.
Regional rivals
Tonight’s championship will mark the 44th meeting between the Spirit and Gotham. The total surpasses the Cascadia Rivalry as the most played fixture in the NWSL. The last 16 meetings have come in just the last three seasons. Their record over those matches? Split, of course.
These teams previously met in last year’s semifinal clash, While the soccer itself was plenty noteworthy, the match was etched in the annals of rivalry for what happened between whistles on the sideline. As Rodman ran down the sideline in extra time, she was cynically fouled by Bruninha, who was already sitting on a yellow card. The foul led to a viral moment from Trinity Rodman, who showed an imaginary card as she walked away. The referee showed Bruninha a second yellow card, following it with a red. The Spirit went on to win in penalty kicks to advance to the championship.
Since then, Gotham has the edge. In three meetings, Gotham has the lone win — a 3-0 road victory back in April. The rest of the matches have been scoreless draws in both league and CONCACAF Champions League qualifying.
The Washington Spirit are coming off of a dominating performance against the Portland Thorns in their semifinal, and a gutsy quarterfinal win against Racing Louisville after penalty kicks.
Gotham’s road to the finals has been filled with late drama. In the quarterfinal, they knocked off the Shield-winning KC Current with a 121st-minute strike by Katie Stengel. Against Orlando in the semifinal, a last-gasp free kick stunner by Jaedyn Shaw secured their trip to San Jose. When asked about the team’s return to the Championship match, head coach Juan Carlos Amoros told the media “the last couple of games have been incredible. I would really appreciate if we can score goals early, so it's less intense in the last seconds of the game. But you know, at the end of the day, that's the beauty of this game. These girls have worked so hard to get to this point, and they're definitely ready to do it again.”