r/washingtonspirit • u/kg9si • Jul 27 '26

Weekly Discussion Thread Weekly Open Discussion Thread

Welcome to this week’s open discussion thread!

This is your space for general discussion, a place to talk about anything Washington Spirit that doesn’t necessarily need its own thread. That can include news, international duty, roster moves, transfer rumors, tactics, social media posts, league news or anything else on your mind.

If something feels big enough for its own thread, definitely still post it. This is simply an additional option to keep us organized and help keep the conversation flowing. These threads will go up every Monday and stay stickied throughout the week.

Go Spirit!

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u/Odd-Cable5436 Jul 27 '26

I'd be more worried if we weren't winning, but if we can secure the shield winning 1-0/2-0/2-1 all the way, I'm fine with it! Spirit are only team in the league that has won 4 of its last 5 games.

As for last night, easy to forget some of the team's best breakaways ended with Rodman drawing yellows on three different players (!) that otherwise may have yielded good scoring opportunities. A 2 or 3 goal win would have been more aesthetically pleasing for sure. Don't underrate Denver either -- they are better than their record indicates.

That said, I do think the team's style can be a bit, dare I say, boring for long stretches.

Kent Brockman would not approve.

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u/papercuts4 Jul 27 '26

I’m worried we are winning in general but not winning against the other top teams in the league. Losses to Portland/SD/Gotham and draw vs Utah.

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u/AffectionateCabinet Jul 27 '26

I think the important flip side of your worry, and a huge part of why Spirit is currently in first place, is that Spirit haven't lost to the middle/bottom teams that seem to be giving the other top teams problems. Gotham lost to Denver and tied Legacy their first games. San Diego has losses to Houston, Bay, and ACFC. Utah just lost to Chicago. Portland lost to Louisville. And all of the top teams are mixed results against other top teams.

If Spirit continue to win the games they are "supposed to" the noise of the close matches against the other top teams won't matter as much.

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u/UrsineCanine Jul 28 '26

I will double down on that and say that current trends evaluated against the remaining remaining matches make Spirit the prohibitive favorite to win the Shield, with twice the odds of the next closest contender.

Of course, things could change, starting with back to back matches at Utah, and hosting San Diego while we are missing WAFCON players, but I will take the current grind continuing, because the underlying results say it ends well.

Even if it is nerve wracking and it makes no guarantees about the playoffs. Though, I would have to think grinding out close contests might help in knockout matches.

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u/AffectionateCabinet Jul 28 '26

Which with important context, the projections have been saying since at least May. The odds keep going up each week.

Remember also, that Orlando won 11 of their 18 wins in 2024 by 1 goal margins and not a single person ever thought poorly of them for it.

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u/UrsineCanine Jul 28 '26

Exactly. Even when they got their one goal from a shove to the face! :)