HEY SPIRITS

Annie, Ella & André discuss a unique Spirit performance that led to their first clean sheet since April. We review the match by discussing the lineup, tweaks made to frustrate San Diego, improved box defending, and Aubrey Kingsbury's terrific performance. We also chat about Tara McKeown creating a new position for herself, who and what to watch during the summer break, and our summer plans...

Annie, Ella & André recap a strange performance from the Washington Spirit. All the narratives were narrativing ahead of this one—Spirit undefeated away, Thorns undefeated at home, Washington winless all-time at Providence Park—but the vibes just seemed off. We discuss what Portland did to capitalize, and what may have been at the root of the sudden vibelessness. Then we dive into some Spirit...

Annie, Ella & André review the Spirit's 3-1 win over North Carolina Courage! It was a multi-goal win in Jonatan Giráldez's sign off at Audi. We discuss another iffy start, how the Courage frustrated the Spirit early, the solution that led to two goals, and the toll the international break took on the entire team. We also discuss the pre-match press conference, which doubled as a limite...

Well, so much for a quiet international break. Annie, Ella & André process the news of Jona Giráldez's imminent departure from the Spirit after less than a year. As if that wasn't odd enough, he's reportedly heading to sister club under Michele Kang's ownership, OL Lyonnes. We discuss the optics of the move, what might have led to it, and what we hope to see next. We also look...

Annie, Ella & André review a much more like it performance in a 2-1 dub against Seattle Reign! We discuss the Spirits record-tying away victory, fluidity (and goals) in attack, solving multiple variations of the Reign, pressing to force predictability, another weird box defending moment, Rose Kouassi's defensive game, Croix Bethune's first goal since returning to the pitch, and more. L...

Welcome to the only place in woso to get your 2025 Jacksonville Jaguars season preview!! Ok just kidding but also kinda not. Annie & André welcome Esme Morgan to discuss the Spirit's season so far, how her game has developed in the league, and delivers a vibe check on the squad during a rough defensive patch. Then we get into her love for the Jacksonville Jaguars. She shares how her fandom...

Annie, Ella & André review yet another bonkers goalfest at Audi! That sounds like a good thing, and the fight back was impressive, but a quite unfortunate trend has emerged. We discuss the defensive issues, possible root causes, and what that might mean. But we also praise a 😎spirited😎 comeback courtesy of Casey Krueger, Tara McKeown and the return of Hal Hershfelt. Also, we review every goa...

Annie, Ella & André review the Spirit's chaotic 3-2 win over the Chicago Stars (or Tsars). We review yet another new lineup, and ask whether the inconsistency is harming cohesion. Then we review all the goals, good and bad, and marvel at Rose Kouassi's first goal and unique Stat Trick™ performance. We also discuss the Spirit's inclusion in the upcoming Champions Cup, 'Empowerin...

Annie, Ella & André review the wild seven (7!) goal thriller at Audi. Unfortunately, the #NWSLAfterDark didn't fall in the Spirit's favor as they lost to a last minute goal. We discuss defensive struggles, feeling the pain of player absences, and why the Spirit's new formation is feeding into the hands of NWSL teams who go vroom. Despite the result, it was a wild night with a lot o...

Um. Well. Hm. Annie, Ella & André review a very confusing first half of soccer from the Spirits. They went down 3-0 to their [CBS announcer voice] RIVALS, Gotham FC, in the span of forty minutes. We review the game, try to identify what went wrong, and divulge postgame reflections from assistant coach Adrián González and the players. Then we try to look on the bright side, where it's all a...

Annie, Ella & André are joined by the most famous 23-year-old woso reporter, Jenna Tonelli! Annie wants to know whether Gotham and their fans view this as a rivalry, Ella wants to know what's been going on with Gotham's up-and-down start to the season, and André has several questions about Jaelin Howell's new role. Jenna helps answer all this, and then some! We also discuss which p...

Annie, Ella & André review the Washington Spirit's 1-0 win over their certified rivals, Orlando Pride. We relive everything from the weekend, starting with how down we all were when the availability report came out (and our thoughts on the hefty slew of injuries). Then, we dive into the game. From Gift Monday's first start to Tara McKeown playing LCB and Esme Morgan at fullback, we get...

Annie, Ella & André review the Spirit's very professional 2-0 win over Rahsing Loovull. We discuss the starting lineup (and its potential objective), defending Emma Sears, multiple formations, halftime subs, Leicy Santos' exquisite free kick, Makenna Morris' trickery, Brittany Ratcliffe's role in both goals, and more! Plus, we also look ahead to the next match, another tussle w...

Annie, Ella & André review the Spirit's 2-0 win over Bay FC! We discuss the return of the back three formation, and Trinity Rodman's first start of the year. We look at how she was used, and why the Spirit dominated the first half. We also talk about Ashley Hatch's brace, which included wicked deliveries from Leicy Santos and Narumi Miura, and an iconic celebration that came togeth...

Ella & André review a sudden onslaught of Spirit news! We discuss the surprise resignation of Mark Krikorian, and discuss what might be next. We also discuss the signing of Gift Monday, plus multiple national team callups. Then we chat with Croix Bethune! She takes us through her recovery, and how close she is to the pitch. We also talk about her favorite goal and assist from 2024, her dog Kus...

Annie & André review w frustrating 0-2 loss to Kansas City Current in the Spirit's home opener. It wasn't all bad, though. Washington showed off a new formation, and crisper buildup in possession. They also managed to contain Temwa Chawinga for 95'ish minutes. But an unfortunate handball call, and a couple Spirit opportunities to equalize allowed the Current to take and maintain a...

Annie, Ella & André review the Spirit's opening game of the regular season, a 2-1 win away against Houston Dash! The Spirit capitalized on two moments to put the ball in the back of the net and held on against a brand new Houston Dash team. We discuss the Spirit's struggles in possession, but highlight the great work that led to the first goal, and the pressing awareness that led to Ha...

The 2025 Washington Spirit already have one trophy thanks to their penalty kick shootout win over Orlando Pride in the Challenge Cup! Annie, Ella & André relive the lows, then highs, of the match. We spotlight key adjustments and performances, and how even in some moves that weren't quite there yet, there was a lot of promise. (Also Rebeca Bernal may already be a Spirit legend.) Then we st...

Annie, Ella, and André were invited to record live sessions of Hey Spirits at Spirit Fest! Naturally, we set aside our nerves and fears of being perceived, agreed, and had so much fun. We interviewed head coach Jonatan Giráldez and Adrián González together. We discussed the transition that happened midseason last year, eating burgers, the NWSL Challenge Cup, and of course, candy corn. (One likes i...

Annie, Ella & André welcome Amelia and Eugene from Our Futbol Pod to talk all about the Washington Spirit's newest signing, Rebeca Bernal! Amy & Eugene cohost a podcast that focuses on Mexican women's soccer in Mexico and around the world. They were the perfect guests to explain how Bernal became an iconic figure to her former club, Rayadas, and Mexican women's soccer overall....

Annie, Ella & André were delighted to be joined by Washington Spirit defender, Mom and gold medalist: Casey Krueger! We talk to Krueger about being a mom in the NWSL, her experience in free agency (and why she chose the Spirit), the USWNT and winning a gold medal, funniest teammates, and of course her thoughts on candy corn! Thank you for listening, please subscribe, rate, and review. It means...

For our 100th episode (😱) we decided to go back to where it all began and interview our very first guest, on our very first episode: Andi Sullivan! It took some time to schedule because, if you haven't heard, Andi recently announced to her team that she's pregnant! We discuss keeping the secret (and who almost ruined it), what it was like to reveal it in that setting, and her favorite reactions f...

Annie & André take you through the latest Washington Spirit news/things we don't yet know but soon will! After discussing some comments in recent pressers from Jona Giráldez and a few Spirit players, we discuss the Spirit's signing of a fourth goalkeeper, Sandy MacIver. We speculate on what that might mean for the starting role, and if the Spirit really play to start the season with fo...

Ella & André are joined by Washington Spirit midfielder Heather Stainbrook! We chat about Heather's pathway into soccer, who helped grow her passion, and how playing with siblings in the basement can maybe sometimes go a bit too far 😬. We also discuss her move to the pros, and how the Spirit sold her on joining the club. After, we chat about her overall style of play, goals for her second...

With it being a quiet'ish week round the Spirits Annie, Ella & André asked our social media followers if they had any questions they would like us to answer – and we were overwhelmed at the response! So we decided to dedicate this episode to listeners by answering as many questions as we could (we're all long winded, but we tried!). We get into some of our personal history with the gam...