Segra Field
What was the home venue of Washington Spirit from 2020 to 2021?
Washington Spirit The Washington Spirit is an American professional soccer club based in the Washington , D.C . metropolitan area that participates in the National Womens Soccer League ( NWSL ) . It is a continuation of the D.C . United Women of the W-League and continues to field both an amateur WPSL team and a youth team , both under the Spirit name . The Spirit is coached by Richie Burke . History . Establishment . The foundation of the National Womens Soccer League was announced on November 21 , 2012 , with Washington selected as a host for one of the eight teams selected for the inaugural season . In December 2012 , the teams name was announced as the Washington Spirit . D.C . United Women head coach Mike Jorden was kept on as well as assistant coach Cindi Harkes . Harkes is married to the former U.S . international and D.C . United star John Harkes . Bill Lynch , the original Washington Spirits owner when the National Womens Soccer League launched in 2013 , sold the majority of the team to tech executive Steve Baldwin in late 2018 . Several other minority investors have since been added to the ownership group—Jenna Bush Hager and Chelsea Clinton , daughters of U.S . presidents ; Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Dominique Dawes ; and most recently ( May 2021 ) Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin . Inaugural season . On January 11 , 2013 as part of the NWSL Player Allocation , goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris ( USA ) , defender Ali Krieger ( USA ) , midfielder Lori Lindsey ( USA ) , defender Robyn Gayle ( CAN ) , midfielder Diana Matheson ( CAN ) , defender Alina Garciamendez ( MEX ) and midfielder Teresa Worbis ( MEX ) were named to the team . During the February 7 , 2013 NWSL Supplemental Draft , the team selected Stephanie Ochs , Tori Huster , Jordan Angeli , Natasha Kai , Megan Mischler and Heather Cooke . The Spirit played their first competitive match on April 14 , 2013 , drawing Boston Breakers 1–1 with Tiffany McCarty scoring the teams first goal assisted by Stephanie Ochs . The inaugural season saw the Spirit stumble out of the gate under Mike Jorden , who was fired after the first eleven games having won only once in that time . Jorden was replaced by Mark Parsons , who finished the season in 8th ( last ) place registering only 2 more wins over the season . 2014–2016 successes . After a poor inaugural season , the Spirit would much improve in the 2014 making some key acquisitions including Jodie Taylor and Christine Nairn , both who would finish as the teams tops scorers with 11 and 8 goals , respectively . Finishing 4th , the Spirit made their first NWSL Playoff appearance . They would lose at Seattle Reign . The Spirit finished the 2015 season with a record of 8–6–6 and repeating their 4th place league position . The playoff result , again , ended in an away loss to Seattle in the semifinals . The season would be the breakout year for Crystal Dunn who was awarded the 2015 NWSL Golden Boot Award , scoring 15 goals during the campaign . At the conclusion of the season , Mark Parsons stepped down as head coach and general manager to take over as coach of the Portland Thorns FC . Building off the successes of the 2014 and 2015 seasons , the Spirit hired former Sky Blue FC manager , Jim Gabarra ahead of the 2016 season . The Spirit had their most successful season to date in 2016 , being league leaders in the standings throughout most of the season . Only in the final week would the Spirits loss finalize them as league runners-up . Earning their first post-season victory against Chicago Red Stars , the Spirit would lose the 2016 NWSL Final in penalties to Western New York Flash . 2017–present . In the aftermath of finishing 2016 runners-up , the Spirit saw a series of key departures including captain Ali Krieger ( traded to Orlando Pride ) , Christine Nairn and Diana Matheson ( both traded to Seattle Reign ) , and Crystal Dunn leaving for Chelsea , while retaining her contracting rights . Unable to adequately replace these players , the Spirit struggled to compete throughout the 2017 season ultimately finishing last ( 10th ) for the first time since the inaugural season . However , building for the future , Gabarra was able to recruit U.S . national team prospect , Mallory Pugh mid-season . Pugh would go on to lead the team in scoring , registering 6 goals in 16 games . The 2018 season continued the Spirits pursuit of young talent , but also continued the struggle for results . On August 21 , after eight straight losses and being eliminated from playoff contention , the Spirit fired head coach , Jim Gabarra , and appointed assistant coach , Tom Torres as interim head coach . Torres lead the Spirit through the final three matches of the season at home , including the Spirits debut at newly opened Audi Field against Portland Thorns on August 25 . The match set a new club record for home attendance with 7,976 fans . The season ended with the Spirit finishing in 8th place , just ahead of Sky Blue FC . During the offseason , the Spirit appointed Richie Burke as the new head coach while retaining Tom Torres on the technical staff . The announcement also noted local tech executive Steve Baldwin had become the Spirits new majority owner . The 2019 Washington Spirit season marked several changes for the Spirit organization . Owner Steve Baldwin outlined several improvements including an upgraded player experience , theme nights for fans , a gear store in the stadium , and a mascot . The 2019 season also featured major changes on the field ; fifteen new players were added to the Spirit roster including Australian national team members Chloe Logarzo and Amy Harrison . The Spirit surpassed their point total from the previous season on May 18 after the 5th game of the season against Portland Thorns FC . They would go on to surpass their past seasons point total the next week against the Chicago Red Stars . They ultimately finished 5th in the 2019 NWSL standings . Colors and badge . In January 2013 , the team unveiled its new colors and badge . The badge was designed to resemble a torch reflecting the notion of Burning with Spirit . It also contains a crown that holds 11 stars to represent the 11 players on the field and a ball with a single star to represent the 12th player ( the teams fans ) placed where the fuel for the torch would be representing how the fans fuel the spirit . All of the components of the badge are wrapped in the Banner of Spirit for a patriotic theme honoring our flag and all of those who have given their lives and sacrificed much so we can enjoy the freedoms we have . The logo was designed by freelance designer Pete Schwadel and incorporates the team colors of navy , red , and white , further reinforcing the patriotic theme woven throughout the teams imagery . It also features both Washington and DC to represent the teams connection with the District and the greater Washington metropolitan area . Stadium . The Maryland SoccerPlex , located in Germantown , Maryland , was home to the Washington Spirit beginning with the inaugural 2013 season . The facility was also home to the Washington Spirit Reserves in the WPSL . Starting during the 2018 season , the Spirit began coordinating with D.C . United to play home matches at Audi Field in Buzzard Point in Washington D.C . The Spirit played their first match on August 25 that season , hosting the Portland Thorns FC . The match registered the teams highest attended game and was viewed as a means to generate more interest in the team . During the 2019 season , the team announced it would host two home matches at Audi Field . On November 12 , 2019 , the team announced that in the 2020 season , the Spirit reached an agreement with D.C . United that will split the teams home games between three stadiums , the Maryland SoccerPlex , Audi Field and Segra Field in Leesburg , Virginia for four games each . Due to COVID restrictions , the Spirit played two home matches at Segra Field in 2020 . Starting in 2021 , the Spirit will play all its home regular-season games at Audi Field and Segra Field , although the club still planned to hold at least one preseason game a year at the SoccerPlex after 2020 . In addition , the team has relocated its training facilities to Segra Field and will occupy the new D.C . United training center in Leesburg once the facility is completed in the summer of 2021 . Supporters . The Spirit Squadron is the name of the supporters group for the Spirit . The group was started by friends Ashley Nichols , Megan Wesson and Tory Johnson . Of the groups founding , Nichols said , .. . with a new league we needed to show the team as much support as possible because we really want a womens pro league to stay here in the United States . So between that and wanting to also provide a fun experience for fans , we decided to create the Spirit Squadron . In February 2021 , The Washington Post reported that Chelsea Clinton , Jenna Bush Hager , Dominique Dawes and Brianna Scurry were part of an investment group investing in the team . Broadcasting . At the beginning of the 2019 season the Spirit announced a broadcast partnership with NBC Sports Washington and Monumental Sports Network . As of April 2017 , Washington Spirit games are streamed exclusively by Go90 for American audiences and via the NWSL website for international viewers . For the 2017 season , the Spirit will be featured in three nationally televised Lifetime NWSL Game of the Week broadcasts on April 22 , June 17 , and August 19 , 2017 . In 2016 , the Spirits NWSL Playoff game against the Chicago Red Stars was broadcast on Fox Sports 1 and was available for streaming on the companys online streaming platform , Fox Sports Go .