WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Washington Spirit are 90 minutes from playing for a title in their own building. The club meets the Utah Royals at noon Saturday at Audi Field in an NWSL semifinal, and the winner returns to the same stadium for the league championship on Nov. 21.
The league picked Audi Field as this year’s neutral championship site back in June. Saturday marks the Spirit’s third straight trip to the semifinal round.
Washington rolled into this round by thumping the Portland Thorns 4-1, with Trinity Rodman scoring two goals and setting up another. Utah arrives as the surprise of the season. The Royals won only six games a year ago and finished 12th, then knocked out the San Diego Wave, the No. 2 seed, in the quarterfinals. The Royals also left Audi Field with a 1-1 draw in March.
The semifinal nearly moved out of the District. The stadium had already been booked for the Secretaries’ Cup, a Division III football game between the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and the Spirit had a backup plan to play in Landover, Maryland. D.C. United, which owns Audi Field, worked out a deal to stage both events on the same day, the first changeover of its kind at the 20,000-seat venue.
Fans will see a field marked for two sports, with yellow lines for soccer and white lines for football. Padded bases for the goal posts will stay in place during the match. Gates for the football game open at 3:30 p.m.
Section: More Washington DC sports news
Filed under: Washington DC Sports News
