# 2024 Washington Spirit season

The 2024 Washington Spirit season is the team's twelfth season as a professional women's soccer team. The Spirit play in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top tier of women's soccer in the United States.

## Background

The Spirit finished the 2023 National Women's Soccer League season in 8th place of 12 teams. The top six teams qualified for the NWSL playoffs, and the Spirit ended one point out of playoff contention. On October 17, 2023, two days following the team's final defeat against North Carolina Courage, the team released head coach Mark Parsons from his duties after one season.

### Hirings

On January 9, 2024, the Spirit announced the hiring of FC Barcelona Femení manager Jonatan Giráldez as the club's head coach, to arrive in June following the conclusion of the 2023–24 UEFA Women's Champions League, which Barcelona won. Adrián González, formerly manager of RCD Espanyol Femení, served as interim head coach until Giráldez's arrival and remained with the staff as an assistant coach.

## Stadium and facilities

The Spirit continued to play in Audi Field, their full-time home since the team's 2022 season, and trained at the United Performance Center in Leesburg, Virginia, a facility shared with D.C. United, D.C. United's youth academy, and Loudoun United FC.

## Broadcasting

In addition to the league's national and international broadcast agreements, ten Spirit matches of the 2024 season aired on the regional Monumental Sports Network.

## Team
### Staff

    As of October 21, 2024.
Sporting operations staff :
| General manager President of soccer operations | Mark Krikorian |
| Senior director of soccer administration | Nathan Minion |
Sporting staff :
| Head coach | Jonatan Giráldez |
| Assistant coach | Adrián González |
| Assistant coach Director of player personnel | Mike Bristol |
| Player development coach | Morinao Imaizumi |
| Assistant coach Player development coach | Mami Yamaguchi |
Performance staff :
| Vice president of performance, medical, and innovation | Dawn Scott |
| Director of performance and innovation | Kirsty Hicks |
| Director of data and analytics | Seungbeum Lee |
| Director of medical | Eric Marchek |
| Head athletic trainer | Alessandro Ciarla |

### Players

    As of August 24, 2024
| No. | Pos. | Player | Nation |
| 1 | GK | Aubrey Kingsbury (Captain) | United States |
| 2 | FW | Trinity Rodman | United States |
| 3 | DF | Casey Krueger | United States |
| 4 | FW | Lena Silano | United States |
| 5 | DF | Annaïg Butel | France |
| 6 | DF | Kate Wiesner | United States |
| 7 | MF | Croix Bethune | United States |
| 8 | MF | Makenna Morris | United States |
| 9 | DF | Tara McKeown | United States |
| 10 | MF | Leicy Santos | Colombia |
| 11 | FW | Ouleymata Sarr | France |
| 12 | MF | Andi Sullivan | United States |
| 13 | FW | Brittany Ratcliffe | United States |
| 14 | DF | Gabby Carle | Canada |
| 16 | MF | Courtney Brown | United States |
| 17 | MF | Hal Hershfelt | United States |
| 18 | GK | Lyza Bosselmann | United States |
| 19 | FW | Rosemonde Kouassi | Ivory Coast |
| 20 | FW | Civana Kuhlmann | United States |
| 21 | DF | Anna Heilferty | United States |
| 22 | MF | Heather Stainbrook | United States |
| 24 | DF | Esme Morgan | England |
| 26 | MF | Paige Metayer | United States |
| 28 | GK | Nicole Barnhart | United States |
| 31 | GK | Kaylie Collins | United States |
| 32 | DF | Jenna Butler | United States |
| 33 | FW | Ashley Hatch | United States |
| 35 | DF | Waniya Hudson | United States |
| 39 | FW | Chloe Ricketts | United States |

## Competitions

Win  Draw  Loss

### Regular season
#### Standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Orlando Pride (C, S) | 26 | 18 | 6 | 2 | 46 | 20 | +26 | 60 | NWSL Shield, playoffs |
| 2 | Washington Spirit | 26 | 18 | 2 | 6 | 51 | 28 | +23 | 56 | Playoffs |
| 3 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 26 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 41 | 20 | +21 | 56 | Playoffs |
| 4 | Kansas City Current | 26 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 57 | 31 | +26 | 55 | Playoffs |
| 5 | North Carolina Courage | 26 | 12 | 3 | 11 | 34 | 28 | +6 | 39 | Playoffs |

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: November 2, 2024. Source: NWSLsoccer.com

#### Results by matchday

| Matchday | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| Stadium | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | A | H | H | A |
| Result | L | W | W | W | W | L | W | L | W | W | W | W | D | W | L | W | W | D | W | W | L | W | L | W | W | W |
| Position | 12 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |

### Playoffs

The Spirit finished the regular season in 2nd place and qualified for the NWSL playoffs as the second-seeded of eight teams.

#### Matches
### NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup

The Spirit finished last in Group D of the Summer Cup and failed to advance to the tournament knockout stage.

#### Group stage standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | NYJ | CHI | WAS | GUA |
| 1 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 8 | Advances to knockout stage | — | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 |
| 2 | Chicago Red Stars | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | | 0–0 | — | 3–2 | 0–1 |
| 3 | Washington Spirit | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 | | 0–1 | 2–3 | — | 2–1 |
| 4 | Guadalajara | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 3 | | 0–3 | 1–0 | 1–2 | — |

#### Group stage matches
## Transactions
### 2024 NWSL Draft

Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. The 2024 NWSL Draft was held on January 12, 2024.
| R | P | Player | Pos. | College | Status |
| 1 | 3 | Croix Bethune | MF | University of Georgia | Signed to a three-year contract with an option on March 11, 2024. |
| 1 | 5 | Hal Hershfelt | MF | Clemson University | Signed to a three-year contract on March 11, 2024. |
| 1 | 7 | Kate Wiesner | DF | Pennsylvania State University | Signed to a three-year contract on March 11, 2024. |
| 1 | 13 | Makenna Morris | DF | Clemson University | Signed to a one-year contract on March 11, 2024. |
| 3 | 35 | Anna Podojil | FW | University of Arkansas | Not signed. |
| 4 | 49 | Courtney Brown | MF | University of Utah | Signed to a three-year contract on March 11, 2024. |

### Contract operations

Contract options :
| Date | Player | Pos. | Notes |
| November 20, 2023 | Ashley Hatch | FW | 2024 option exercised. |
| November 20, 2023 | Aubrey Kingsbury | GK | 2026 option exercised. |
| November 20, 2023 | Trinity Rodman | FW | 2024 option exercised. |
| November 20, 2023 | Andi Sullivan | MF | 2026 option exercised. |
Re-signings :
| Date | Player | Pos. | Notes |
| September 7, 2023 | Ashley Sanchez | MF | Re-signed to a three-year contract through 2026. |
| December 20, 2023 | Lyza Bosselmann | GK | Re-signed to a three-year contract with an option. |
| December 20, 2023 | Paige Metayer | MF | Re-signed to a three-year contract with an option. |
| January 5, 2024 | Nicole Barnhart | GK | Re-signed to a one-year contract. |
| March 5, 2024 | Ashley Hatch | FW | Re-signed to a three-year contract with an option. |
| September 19, 2024 | Tara McKeown | DF | Re-signed to a four-year contract through 2027 with an option. |

### Loans in

| Date | Player | Pos. | Previous club | Fee/notes | Ref. |
| July 27, 2024 | Jill Aguilera | MF | Carolina Ascent FC | Loaned through the 2024 summer FIFA international window. | |
| July 27, 2024 | Maya Gordon | DF | Dallas Trinity FC | Loaned through the 2024 summer FIFA international window. | |

### Loans out

| Date | Player | Pos. | Destination club | Fee/notes | Ref. |
| September 23, 2024 | Waniya Hudson | DF | Dallas Trinity FC | Loaned through the end of the 2024 calendar year. | |

### Transfers in

| Date | Player | Pos. | Previous club | Fee/notes |
| January 10, 2024 | Casey Krueger | DF | Chicago Red Stars | Free agent signed to a three-year contract. |
| January 11, 2024 | Brittany Ratcliffe | FW | North Carolina Courage | Free agent signed to a three-year contract. |
| March 11, 2024 | Heather Stainbrook | MF | Utah Valley Wolverines | Preseason trialist signed to a three-year contract. |
| April 2, 2024 | Leicy Santos | MF | Atlético Madrid | Signed to a three-year contract. |
| May 22, 2024 | Waniya Hudson | DF | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Signed to a one-year contract. |
| June 13, 2024 | Esme Morgan | DF | Manchester City | Acquired in exchange for an undisclosed fee and signed to a four-year contract. |
| July 10, 2024 | Rosemonde Kouassi | FW | FC Fleury 91 | Acquired in exchange for an undisclosed fee and signed to a four-year contract. |
| July 18, 2024 | Jenna Butler | DF | NC State Wolfpack | Signed to short-term national team replacement contracts. |
| July 18, 2024 | Kaylie Collins | MF | Seattle Reign FC | Signed to short-term national team replacement contracts. |
| July 18, 2024 | Olivia Stone | FW | San Diego Toreros | Signed to short-term national team replacement contracts. |

### Transfers out

| Date | Player | Pos. | Destination club | Fee/notes |
| November 20, 2023 | Camryn Biegalski | DF | Chicago Red Stars | Free agent signing. |
| November 20, 2023 | Amber Brooks | DF | Dallas Trinity FC | Free agent signing. |
| November 20, 2023 | Bayley Feist | MF | Kansas City Current | Free agent signing. |
| November 20, 2023 | Tori Huster | DF | Retired | Free agent signing. |
| November 20, 2023 | Marissa Sheva | MF | Portland Thorns FC | Free agent signing. |
| November 20, 2023 | Nicole Douglas | MF | London City Lionesses | Waived. |
| November 20, 2023 | Maddie Elwell | DF | | Waived. |
| November 20, 2023 | Inès Jaurena | MF | FC Fleury 91 | Waived. |
| December 12, 2023 | Dorian Bailey | DF | Bay FC | Traded in exchange for roster protection in the 2024 NWSL expansion draft. |
| December 12, 2023 | Sam Staab | DF | Chicago Red Stars | Traded in exchange for the 3rd overall pick of the 2024 NWSL Draft. |
| December 12, 2023 | Ashley Sanchez | MF | North Carolina Courage | Traded in exchange for the 5th overall pick of the 2024 NWSL Draft and $250,000 in allocation money. |
| April 8, 2024 | Riley Tanner | FW | Spokane Zephyr FC | Waived. |

### Injury listings

| Date | Player | Pos. | List | Injury |
| July 12, 2023 | Civana Kuhlmann | FW | Season-ending injury | Knee injury sustained in 2023. |
| April 30, 2024 | Anna Heilferty | DF | Season-ending injury | Torn ACL sustained in a match against the Orlando Pride. |
| August 8, 2024 | Lyza Bosselmann | GK | Season-ending injury | Torn wrist ligament. |
| September 4, 2024 | Croix Bethune | MF | Season-ending injury | Torn meniscus. |
| October 9, 2024 | Andi Sullivan | MF | Season-ending injury | Torn ACL sustained in a match against the Orlando Pride. |

### Preseason trialists

Trialists are non-rostered invitees during preseason and are not automatically signed. The Spirit released their preseason roster on January 25, 2024.
| Player | Pos. | Previous club | Status | Ref. |
| Maya Antoine | DF | Vanderbilt Commodores | Not signed. | |
| Heather Stainbrook | MF | Utah Valley Wolverines | Signed to a three-year contract on March 11, 2024. | |

## Awards

    As of November 19, 2024

### NWSL annual awards

* 2024 NWSL Rookie of the Year: Croix Bethune
* 2024 NWSL Best XI: Casey Krueger, Croix Bethune, Trinity Rodman
* 2024 NWSL Second XI: Tara McKeown, Hal Hershfelt

### NWSL monthly awards

style="text-align:left"|Best XI of the Month :
| Month | Pos. | Nat. | Player |
| March/ April | DF | USA | Casey Krueger |
| March/ April | MF | USA | Croix Bethune |
| May | DF | USA | Croix Bethune (2) |
| May | FW | FRA | Ouleymata Sarr |
| June | DF | USA | Casey Krueger (2) |
| June | MF | USA | Croix Bethune (3) |
| September | FW | USA | Trinity Rodman |
| October/ November | FW | USA | Makenna Morris |

#### Rookie of the Month

NWSL Rookie of the Month :
| Month | Pos. | Rookie of the Month | Rookie of the Month | Statline |
| March/April | MF | USA | Croix Bethune | Led rookies with 3 goals, 2 assists in 5 matches |
| May | MF | USA | Croix Bethune | 1 goal, 7 assists in 5 matches; set rookie record for assists in a season; first rookie to score 3 assists in a match |
| June | MF | USA | Croix Bethune | 1 goal, 1 assist; first rookie to win award in three consecutive months |
| August | MF | USA | Croix Bethune | 1 assist, tying all-time record for assists in a season; first rookie to win award four times in one season |
| October/November | FW | USA | Makenna Morris | 3 goals, 1 assist; brace vs. LOU was only multi-goal match for a rookie during the season |

### Weekly awards

NWSL Goal of the Week :
| Week | Winner |
| 12 | Croix Bethune |
| 13 | Trinity Rodman |
| 19 | Trinity Rodman (2) |
NWSL Save of the Week :
| Week | Winner | Ref. |
| 3 | Aubrey Kingsbury | |
| 21 | Aubrey Kingsbury (2) | |