A look at what’s ahead for the Spirit in the 2023 campaign
The 2023 season is rapidly approaching with the NWSL kicking off this Saturday, March 25! The 11th year of league action will feature 12 teams with the 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup featuring mid-season.
In a team-by-team preview, we’ll break down each squad’s big moves, massive matches, and more of what to know as we get ready for the regular season opener.
Washington Spirit
2022 Season: 11th | 3-9-10 – 19 points
Big Additions:
- Gabrielle Carle – Canadian international most recently with Swedish side Kristianstads DFF
- Inès Jaurena – French international with experience for Lyon, Bordeaux among other clubs
- Chloe Ricketts – 2nd youngest NWSL professional in history
Key Games:
- March 26: OL Reign (H) – Regular Season Opener
- April 19: NJ/NY Gotham FC – Challenge Cup Opener
What to Expect:
Mark Parsons is a new head coach who is also a returning head coach. He was hired in November 2022, but he is returning because he was in charge from 2013 to 2015. After finishing 11th last season, Parsons will now be back and have to get his Spirit team off near the bottom of the table. The club welcomed nine new players in the offseason, so he joins a mix of returning and newcomers.
The club’s defense is without Kelley O’Hara, who left for Gotham FC, Emily Sonnett, who was traded to OL Reign, and Julia Rodder, who started in all 15 games she played last season but is now in Sweden. Nicole Barnhart and 2023 draftee Lyza Bosselman are also back in goal. But now that defender Amber Brooks is back, she will fit in with Sam Staab, Tara McKeown, and Dorian Bailey, among others, on the defensive line. Gabrielle Carle, a new defender for the back line, will team up with her college coach and current Spirit President of Soccer Operations, Mark Krikorian.
Inès Jaurena’s arrival will also help add depth to the club’s midfield, where Jordan Baggett, Ashley Sanchez, Andi Sullivan, and others are more familiar faces. Even though San Diego forward Melanie Barcenas recently broke the record for the youngest professional signing in NWSL history, the club still has high hopes for midfielder Chloe Ricketts’ upcoming career.
Trinity Rodman and Ashley Hatch are two of the team’s most important and influential players on the forward line. Washington’s top scorers were Hatch and Rodman, who scored nine and four goals, respectively. Sanchez and McKeown also scored three goals in an effort to boost their offensive output. With the upcoming season just around the corner, the club’s other 2023 NWSL Draft selections, Civana Kuhlmann and Leah Silano, will also be looking to make an immediate impact.
