Photo Copyright Amber Searls for USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Spirit are off to a soaring start. After dropping their season opener in Seattle, they’ve gone on to decisively win four straight games. That includes Saturday’s 2-0 defeat over NJ/NY Gotham FC, the reigning NWSL champions. The strong stretch for the Spirit comes as somewhat of a surprise to fans who have followed the team for the past few years.
After winning the NWSL championship in 2021, the Spirit endured two lackluster seasons, finishing in 11th place in 2022 and eighth place in 2023. But so far in 2024 — what was supposed to be a rebuilding year with an interim coach — the Spirit are sitting in second place, thanks to on-field leadership from the likes of Trinity Rodman and Casey Krueger, and a coaching style from interim head coach Adrian Gonzalez that seems to be working. But, perhaps most significantly, the difference-maker for the Spirit is its rookie class.
And speaking of rookies, we need to talk about Croix Bethune. The midfielder, who was…
