The Washington Spirit spent the offseason answering one question: how do you get back to a final without losing what got you there? The roster that took the league by surprise is a year older, a year more expensive, and — the front office insists — a year hungrier.
The early returns support the optimism. Through the opening month, the Spirit have controlled the midfield in nearly every match, and the underlying numbers suggest the attack is arriving even before the goals do.
The schedule stiffens from here. Three of the next four come against playoff sides, and the road trip that follows will test a back line that has been remarkable but rarely stretched.
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