Rookie pods are back!

Hal Hershfelt & Kate Wiesner talking to media today from Spirit preseason. Asked what's needed to take the next step & lift a trophy. Hershfelt emphasizes "consistency," while Wiesner says the team took lessons specifically from the championship game that they want to apply for 2026.

Carle on team goals this year: "They say third time's the charm. That's obviously our ultimate goal this season, to get back there and win it." Morgan says she wants the Spirit to "win the battle first" & not just lean on raw talent to win games. (? from @risswillett.bsky.social)

Spirit preseason presser #1 of the week has begun after some tech issues. Esme Morgan says she "needed to completely switch off" after multiple years where she didn't get a break between seasons. Gabby Carle says she went to Hawaii, & confirmed her hamstring is good to go after that playoff injury

Esme- " I played against Luci in the semifinals in the Euros and I remembered her being like a real attacking threat & she's such an energizer bunny in training. She's always zipping about, really good technically. Eli's really comfortable on the ball, she wriggles out of spots well & is really good

Warms my heart to see Trin in Spirit gear for the first time since her new contract announcement 🥰

✊🏾NEW POD✊🏾 Sylvs joined André for a chat about the future of the USWNT, not in terms of results but something just as important (if not more so): its advocacy. We discuss what’s missing, and how to reclaim it. 🟢 open.spotify.com/episode/1M29... 🍎 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d... #woso #uswnt

Hey, @washingtonspirit.com, where's our Black joy?

Lookin at you, @washingtonspirit.com - would be a reallllllll shame if a team that has historically leaned in to the diversity of our team, fan base, and community doesn’t course correct on our theme nights not including Juneteenth/celebrating the Black community at MINIMUM.

So any potential that we see in the market like young players that we can develop for the future that's something that we always want."

We don't need that man at a Spirit game 🤢

Aww our Spirit girlies 🫶🏼

That's our triple espresso ☕️🤩 🎥 @chicagostars.com

bruce said they ain’t misappropriating my shit ever again

spirit fans becoming lifelong corinthians supporters on a random wednesday in january, we're a proper footballing country now

Love to all the Spirit's thriving 🔥

🔥🔥🔥

we have way too much depth for Hal to make sense at CB (club and country) but dang she is good at it!!

Croix just sees so far ahead. I'm so excited to have her back in this kind of form for the new season.

Croix's first national team goal 🥹

A whole lot of firsts in the first ☝️

Back to business for half #2 😤

Pick out that corner, Trin 🔥 USWNT x Volkswagen

Hit the celly 💃

I want to see Adri do the dance at Audi

Love to see Trin healthy and full of fun 😍

rodmeg

Woo! 🎉

Croix! Hal! & Kate!

Emailed my rep about the theme nights. Hopefully they'll listen to fans.

@washingtonspirit.com I’m disappointed that we lost the Juneteenth, Hispanic Heritage, and Disability Awareness games from the schedule. The Spirit fandom are a vibrantly diverse crowd, and lumping everything into a generic “Culture Night” feels less than celebratory especially when…

Also, I was literally listening to the @heyspirits.bsky.social talk about the roster drop right as I logged on here to see the roster drop 😂

We have a roster! Haley getting those international spots down 💪

Reached out to the Spirit, who confirmed that Haugen and Skurcenski are replacing Ashley Hatch & Casey Krueger.

The biggest risk in this moment is something sociologists call “symbolic compliance.” That’s when an institution that is violating civil rights gives the public just enough symbolic victories that accountability efforts lose steam before there has been any meaningful change.

did it not occur to her, especially with such a young and new team, that she might have the responsibility to start that conversation? even just from a mental health perspective for the players themselves

Did we get the roster?

Yay, it's official!

Woo! Trin Pod!

😬

Our thoughts are with the people in Minnesota and across the country who are bravely standing up for their neighbors despite violence committed by ICE. If you are looking for a way to support the people of Minnesota, we want to highlight the work being done by the Immigrant Rapid Response Fund.

Emma Hayes on Trinity Rodman's game today: "She looked rusty, like all of them did in many ways, but she said to me at halftime, 'You're not taking me off 'til I get a goal, because I've got a celebration.'" Which duly happened, and then... #USWNT

Croix Bethune recorded her first senior #USWNT goal contribution today - though on the assist for Emma Sears to make it 6-0, not the own goal she forced. I asked Emma Hayes after the game for her opinion on Bethune's camp so far, with so much competition in the midfield:

Kare 11 local news just read, in full, this statement from Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Pretti. "Please get the truth out about our son."

We're ready for the Tara Rudd x Trinity Rodman era 🤩

CROIX ASSIST TOO

Trinity Rodman. Always iconic.

Hal is coming!

You get a goal. You get a goal. Everybody gets a goooalll. Paraguay had 45 minute of defense in them and that was it.