Washington Spirit Playoff Preps

Thank you so very much. Well, listen, we love winners in this town, and we're on the cusp of another one. The road to an NWSL championship continues for the Washington Spirit. They've had a great season, hoping to just, you know, just put the cap on it. The team taking on Portland this Sunday at a high-stakes playoff matchup, and Spirit CEO Kim Stone. Joining us once again to talk about the big matchup and the season and where we are now. How are you feeling as a team and as running the team right now? For us, this is like an early holiday present. So this is what we play for all year. And so we're going to pack Audi Field this Sunday to play against what is arguably one of the good teams as well. So it's not a given. So you got to show up and come. We need every fan in there to make sure that the opponents. I literally feel the heat of the D.C. fans. Yeah, if people don't understand how the league works, you play all season, you fight all season to get into the postseason. And then no matter how good you are, it's one and done, right? I mean, you have to bring your best every game. It is nerve-wracking because it is one and done, and so you don't get a best-of-five series. So you've got to bring it that day, and you can't have an off day. And it's what makes the NWSL exciting. We're super excited for this third time in a row to make it to the playoffs. And we talked earlier about we're going to host the championships. So we want to be in that championship. We believe that third time's a charm. We're excited for this year. Yeah, the championship game is going to be at Audi Field this year, no matter who's playing. But we've got to make sure that we have home team advantage, right? Home field advantage for that. Kim, we talked at the beginning of the season as we were getting ready for this whole campaign to kind of play out. What are your thoughts now that we've made it through the season? You know, anything's possible. That the one and done. The format of the playoffs makes it a little nerve-wracking, but we are widely known to have one of the most talented rosters in the NWSL. So we can do this, and we feel ready. There's no doubt Coach Adrian Gonzalez will get our team ready for it. They'll rise to the occasion. Trinity Rodman, she's considered an MVP candidate for the NWSL this year. So we have all the makings to do. A great run through the playoffs, and listen, we've been to the championship two years in a row. Let's make it three because third time's a charm. Yeah, we certainly hope so because we love to support the spirit, and we want great things to happen here, and D.C. loves to celebrate a champion, no doubt about it. When you came here, Kim, one of the things that you wanted to do in addition to build a great team on the field was to have a great experience for the fans that come out as well. You've seen that. You've had multiple sellouts this year. I've been to a match. It was just an incredible game environment. How do you feel about how just the momentum of soccer has evolved here in the nation's capital? We have seen since the Men's World Cup, An increase in attendance, an increase in viewership. So the halo effect and the spillover effect from having the World Cup on U.S. soil has also risen women's soccer and interest in women's soccer. So we're super bullish on this. And, you know, if you look ahead, there's going to be the Women's World Cup in Brazil next year, followed by the Olympics in L.A. where women's soccer is featured. And then in 2031, you know, we're in the mix to maybe host when the Women's World Cup comes to U.S. soil. So there's a phenomenal runway, and we're super excited. We're proud to represent D.C. It means a lot for us to have Washington on our jerseys, and our fans show up every day, and they're known. So the true fans are going to be there, right? And somebody watching now is like, if they've been sitting on the fence, or they're like, I don't know what to expect, this is a great time to be down there for the playoffs because the energy is going to be there. I can tell you, I know that one of the matches that we went to, I think Spirit won 4-1 maybe, something like that. At the end of the match, it's still a sellout. Nobody left. The crowd is still there. They're still loud. They're still animated. How do you describe that atmosphere and what puts the rowdy in rowdy out? It's the fans. The fans do it. The fans are energetic. They love the team. They understand soccer. And what I love about it is you'll see a play building and you'll start to get this murmur in the crowd. And then it builds to a crescendo when the goal is scored. So it is a lot of fun. So even if you aren't as familiar with the rules of soccer, you're going to come. You're going to get a sense of community. You're going to high-five your neighbors. You're going to understand. And you're going to leave with just this sense of fun and joy and that you had an amazing time. And we really encourage people to come. I think once you come and you've been. You really leave thinking, wow, that was an amazing experience. Yeah, I hope everybody gets a chance to experience that on their own. And you've got one of the best players on the planet with Trinity Rodman, but that's one out of 11 on the field. Hopefully, fingers crossed, everybody stays healthy. Are we in good shape so far? We are heading into the playoffs in good shape. We did lose our midfielder, Hal Hirschfeld, but other than that, we are the healthiest we've been in two years, which bodes well for us. So we're really poised for a nice long run in the playoffs, and getting to that championship game is our goal. It always is. All right. Well, you do your part in making sure that you can be there for the championship game at Audi Field, and the fans will do their part in supporting as well. Sunday afternoon game, there's the information on your screen. Screen right now if you want to get down there and support the spirit against Portland. Kim, thanks very much. Good luck to everybody involved in the organization. I always appreciate chatting with you. Thank you. We appreciate the support. Good luck to the spirit.