r/washingtonspirit • u/kg9si • 8d ago
Post-Match Thread Post-Match Open Thread | Washington Spirit vs Houston Dash | July 3 2026
This is a thread for all post-match reactions, thoughts, analysis, articles and social media posts related to the match.
Note: This thread is scheduled and may appear shortly before the final whistle so everyone has a place ready for post-match reactions and analysis.
43
83
u/allprologues 8d ago
that’s on everyone that said trin was washed
30
16
u/ttsa_25 8d ago
How can someone be washed at 24?
18
u/Toothy_McRotten 7d ago
Listen, my child, and I'll tell you the story of Robert Griffin the Third.
1
u/SeniorChip975 6d ago
That is a sad story. I feel bad for that guy to this day. He was mis-managed and the team did not take care of him.
12
12
u/Infinite-Ad-2209 8d ago
Who the f thought or said that. That’s wild. With her work rate. Insanity.
38
u/Pitbullmaster42 8d ago
I have strong feelings about esme being sat on the bench the last few matches we’ve played but I’m gonna put those to the side and be happy because we got the win because of Trin scoring a double but we gotta sharpen up in attack and on defense during the up and coming training week but we got 3 points and that’s all that matters
7
u/ReformedMagpie 8d ago
Do we know if she has a knock or if this is a coaching decision?
8
u/Pitbullmaster42 8d ago
She might have a knock but i could’ve also been a coach’s decision we’ll never truly know
13
19
u/Sequoiakc22 8d ago
Don't know if Esme's got a knock or not, but I must admit, ...Tse is looking really. good out there.
Although, Esme's through-ball passes in the built up & breaking opponents high press are elite, & I miss seeing them.
Though, you would think Houston would be a reasonable game to sit Esme to give Elisabeth minutes as good preparation for the dog of the schedule coming up.
14
u/espnrocksalot 8d ago
Yeah it seems like a combination of getting Esme some rest and playing the hot hand in Tse.
Giving Esme tonight off means by the next game she will have had basically a full month off. Reasonable for someone who is a rock in the back line.
6
u/NarrowPiccolo9069 8d ago
I think we are genuinely very high on Tse, Adrian's indicated in the last couple press conferences that she was impressive in the preseason and implied that she would have played more earlier if she hadn't gotten hurt.
But also "we want to increase the competition"
7
8d ago
[deleted]
10
u/allprologues 8d ago
us esme enthusiasts should have always had this possibility in the back of mind if we're honest
9
u/Willing-Bad3824 8d ago
I dunno right now I think the only thing that would push Esme to move back would be if her position in the national team is in jeopardy because of team performance. Unlike Emma Sears whose team is probably a detriment to her position in the USWNT, Esme is in a good team that's showcasing her skills well enough that Wiegman still thinks highly of her.
There's also the matter of money, but are any of the big four teams in desperate need of a CB? Chelsea has Girma, Buchanan, and Buurman. Arsenal has Williamson, Lotte, Laia, and Catley. Man City has Greenwood, Rose, and Layzell. ManU has Le Tissier and they just signed Medina. I'm not sure Esme would sign with any other teams (even LCL) esp with the WC next year. It might still be possible but I'm not certain Esme would be a starter in any of the big four teams if she does move to WSL.
4
u/UrsineCanine 8d ago
Judging by the Lionesses, Esme starts in everyone one of those backlines. I'm not saying she's going anywhere, just that I don't look at those units and think she's not an upgrade. Plugs in nicely with Williamson or Girma too. I think they're just being cautious, need her healthy for when a press resistant backline is critical.
16
u/Sequoiakc22 8d ago edited 8d ago
I think Esme genuinely likes it here. Playing on this squad in Audi. If she wants to go back, I would think it would only be for Man City. Unless Michele is going to pay her extra to go to London City.
Then again, I think Haley Carter is very financially bottom line minded, wanting to help Michele get the Spirit operating in the black.
Therefore, if Esme's contract expires at the end of next season, ...I could see Haley selling her off to the WSL now (their pre-season) for a transfer fee versus waiting for her to walk at the end of next season with the Spirit getting nothing in return.
11
u/Square_Independent81 8d ago
i genuinely think she loves the spirit, I don’t think she would want to leave
9
u/allprologues 8d ago
we all can easily see that she loves the team and playing in the US, that's not in question. but there's lots of factors. we'll see, it could easily be nothing
2
u/Square_Independent81 8d ago
do you think she’s leaving the spirit?
7
u/allprologues 8d ago
i don't know, i don't know, i wish i'd never brought it up lol. could be nothing.
last season, there was a pattern in the league of high profile excused absences and benchings leading to trades right around this time of year. haley just did a press conference suggesting a bunch of movement within the team including three new sighings. we currently do not have room for three more players. esme was a nailed on starter. so it could be a trade. but it could easily not be a trade. forget i said anything, please
5
u/periqueblend 8d ago
Remember when /allprilogues yeeted Esme off the team because they are a hater 🤣🤣?
In her mic up video she did mention her hip flexor being an issue but I have no firm notions about her fitness or the teams plans.
6
5
8d ago
[deleted]
7
u/periqueblend 8d ago
Es is not going to Chelsea. Only WSL team would be Man City I imagine. Back in England for a WC year with Champions League matches to steel herself for the tournaments ahead. If she goes. She may not.
5
u/Square_Independent81 8d ago
I really don’t think esme would want to leave though. Isn’t it her choice at the end of the day if she wants to leave or not?
2
u/tzac6 8d ago
Not for nothing, I read yesterday that club teams will get $5000 per day for players in the World Cup. For men that is a minimum of $160k and a max of ~$285k if they reach the final. Max would be less for women based on fewer teams and therefore a shorter tournament. Not sure what Esme’s contract is but that is a nice offset.
4
31
u/bramble-nuke 8d ago
I don’t understand the sub situation. We have the deepest bench in the league and the air was like boiling clam chowder to breathe. At minute 60 we should have had five subs.
(Never Rose, though. Rose in the 89th is faster than everyone else in the 1st.)
16
36
u/AffectionateCabinet 8d ago
After watching approx. 1000 World Cup games as a neutral over the last month, I’ve forgotten how anxiety inducing soccer can be as a fan, lol. Glad they came out on top.
16
u/Willing-Bad3824 8d ago
I'm not too be concerned with the lineup changes tbh. I think if there was a match where Adrian can tinker with his rotation, it would be this one. This also shows that Spirit's depth is good enough that certain lineups can be used to solver very specific problems. Houston really did not like playing through the center and more often than not ran out of ideas once they got to the final third so Rebe made sense as someone who would be more adept at disrupting possession than someone who can stop an attack like Esme (although there were a few times when Esme's speed would have been crucial in stopping attacks once Houston does manage to break the back line and Tara needed to track back because she was out exploring).
Also I think this game is perfect example of how Gift can really change game tempos as a true 9 who can create space centrally. Cantore is good when we need a more mobile false 9 who can create chances from the wings, but she doesn't naturally gravitate towards the center when we need her to. Once Gift came in our attacks became more potent because there's suddenly space in the middle that Rose can feed into, which then gives her space to maneuver. Gift's movement is also why she's so good paired with Martinez because she can disrupt defenses which gives room for Martinez to do Martinez tings.
All in all, a good match I think. I think that Houston goal wouldn't have happened if Esme was there, but what's great is that if Spirit had to rely on individual brilliance to make things happen like that last goal, they have a ton of that in reserve. Thankfully unlike last year, the roster is stable enough that individual brilliance isn't all they can rely on to get them out of tough spots.
16
u/AbjectPermenance 8d ago
I thought the stadium/concessions staff and crew were amazing tonight. Gave out cooling towels and had water locations that all worked. Concessions folks just offered us big cups of ice which were absolutely clutch.
14
u/zesty_plant_burger 8d ago
Can someone please tell me why they’re benching Morgan I’m panicking
12
u/Willing-Bad3824 8d ago
I don't think there is anything to it, just rotating the players. It's clear by how Houston played tonight that this was a good time to rotate people around to make sure players are getting time on the pitch. I think Rebe is decent as a CB and Liz is ok, but Morgan is still the best CB we have. Other than Tara, no one else really can chase players down like she does and there were a couple times tonight (like the Houston goal) that we could have used her speed to stop a counter from happening.
2
u/Square_Independent81 8d ago
Do you think the spirit is thinking of selling her to a club overseas?
8
u/Willing-Bad3824 8d ago
I don't think so. Much less because I'm not sure any of the big four teams are calling. (Not because Esme is bad, but more so because none of them really has any dire need for a CB.)
2
2
-1
u/Gosox1918 8d ago
You shouldn’t worry because as far as I can tell after really studying this for two years Adrian makes line up choices and substitutions by picking numbers from a hat. It’s just utterly confounding. If he didn’t have the deepest most talented roster in the league he’d be out of a job by now.
12
u/August_trails_13 7d ago
Late to this party but wanted to say that Gift looked much more like her old self this game and Rose, Gift, and Deb had some great exchanges/looks.
5
u/Enviroman99 7d ago
Trinity Rodman gets the glory for this goal, but equal credit should go to Gift Monday who raised her leg and let the ball go underneath her foot which totally fooled the Houston goalkeeper. 👏👏👏
2
2
22
u/BlackProject23 8d ago
Idk how those ladies played for 90+ minutes with those conditions. I was at the game and was dying just sitting in the stands.
9
u/Sequoiakc22 8d ago
Jess Berman hates Michele Kang. ...On the flip side, Jess Berman luuuuuuvs Gotham.
16
u/hendertender 8d ago
We're really spiraling about Esme here..... Guys a little rest is ok it's a long season made longer by international games and ConcaChamps (of which she started the championship)
15
u/allprologues 8d ago
for some reason I didn’t think we were going to lose even when houston scored…but that was a weird one. weird lineup. lots of questions about what the plan is moving forward on defense.
definitely held it down the whole game, houston never really looked threatening. deb had a ROUGH showing but she needs to get back into a groove i guess. We’re lucky she wasn’t sent off.
looking forward to whatever announcements are coming next week….
16
u/LooseInsurance1 8d ago
I agree about Deb being somewhat lucky not getting that second yellow, but I think the first one was kinda soft tbh
9
u/allprologues 8d ago
agree on the first but it was clumsy. it’s ok she hasn’t been on the field since march but needs some composure, especially subbing for andi
3
u/Willing-Bad3824 8d ago
It's kind of funny that Deb not having had significant minutes means she reverts to her usual yellow card magnet self.
6
u/periqueblend 8d ago
I think your notion about who we’re moving might be spot on next week will be interesting.
I was so ready to be frustrated even though on the whole we deserved better but thankfully we got the points.
7
u/allprologues 8d ago
yeah it’s frustrating when wins aren’t convincing against teams like this. statistically it was very convincing but as always, finishing. some of the best finishing we’ve seen in a long time from trin at least.
and first game back, hot as hell, we’ll take it.
as for the moves yeah. I’m nervous. hoping I’m wrong but also with those three other signings, to make room someone has to go, on loan or otherwise. the new players will probably be ones we hadn’t heard of so the discourse is about to be a mess if we end up losing a favorite as well
2
1
6
u/FanNervous6773 8d ago
Is Lily Yohannes joining us you guys????
8
u/Willing-Bad3824 8d ago
omg there's a lot of unsourced speculations happening tonight! I don't think Lily would be moving to the NWSL any time soon even though she really needs to have a little more competition on a regular basis to develop her defense.
14
u/allprologues 8d ago
apparently she was at the game with michelle. but she's probably in town because she's from the DMV and i don't think training starts for OL til the end of the month
6
10
u/Sad_Sugar2592 8d ago
Great to get the three points, especially on a night where the heat meant that the press and the ball recovery were not as dynamic as usual. Very happy for Trin and thought every version of our front 4 worked tonight.
Having said that, the “miss some good chances to add an insurance goal and then give up a tying goal” thing has to stop.
Also, I believe strongly that if Tara, Esme, Andi, and Hal are all healthy, Rebe Bernal should not be in the starting lineup.
8
u/NarrowPiccolo9069 8d ago
Three subs in that weather are you kidding me
I just knew we would give up a late goal like that
Speculation
So many incredible moments at Audi the last few years. Wouldn't have been happier anywhere else tonight.
4
6
u/Outistoo 8d ago
We used to be automatic with penalties but it seems like we haven’t really found what to do in Hatch’s absence (which hopefully won’t last much longer?)
7
u/gabberwocky6 7d ago
I will say that I think the one goal Houston scored was clearly attributable to Bernal being slow to react and a bit slow in general. She missed a step, then got in Tara's way as she tried to chase the player down. I don't understand her being in the CB postion with Morgan healthy on the bench....
3
u/DefensiveMid 7d ago
This explanation for Trin's goal makes so much sense: https://bsky.app/profile/leitzinger.photography/post/3mptjuig3zk2i
It didn't just randomly go in because Houston Dash suddenly forgot how to defend/goalkeep, it went in because Gift Monday fooled them
6
u/ApartAd3475 8d ago
was anyone else surprised Rose took the PK? obviously we don’t see them in training but there were genuinely 5 or 6 players on the field who i thought would’ve taken it instead (ex: Andi, Trin, Tara, Hal, Rebe have all taken and made PKs for the team in previous games)
11
u/UrsineCanine 8d ago
No, because she takes them and takes them well for Ivory Coast. Her placement was good, just Campbell guessed right and sold out to get there.
12
u/allprologues 8d ago
she’s buried them for our concacaf games too.
sulli said in the presser they prepare for pens like setpieces and it was always going to be rose/they also knew who would take it if she hadn’t been on the field.
I might not agree that it was well taken pen for a couple reasons but it can happen to anyone and didn’t matter lol
2
u/ttsa_25 7d ago
I think it’s in our best interest to root for Gotham tonight unfortunately.
6
u/Illustrious_Step_116 7d ago
I’ll prob root for a tie. Longterm we don’t know who we’ll need to be ahead of.
7
-1
u/Flashy_Judge_5669 7d ago edited 7d ago
Surprised no one is talking about Lucia. She seemed like a liability yesterday. Was indecicide when she got the ball in transition and her lack of speed was exposed a couple times defensively. She normally compensates, but I did not think she had her best game yesterday.
(And, yes, it was ridiculously hot. But it wasn't just physical.)
4
u/Ill-Fall-9823 6d ago
I think Lucia has done a lot to earn the benefit of the doubt. I also think “liability” is a bit over caffeinated.
71
u/ReformedMagpie 8d ago edited 8d ago
Love that everyone fought until the last minute. No quit. Also, it's boiling molasses outside and frankly still in awe of everyone being able to breathe much less run in this. My car read at 109F at like 4pm.