Photo courtesy of Breanna Biorato / Washington Spirit
The first week of regular season National Women’s Soccer League play saw Washington Spirit edge a 2-1 win over Houston Dash despite a far-from-convincing performance. It was arguably their poorest start to a season in recent years, but injuries played a major role. With only eight players available on the bench, and key figures like Croix Bethune and Trinity Rodman just returning from injury, the result was more about resilience and getting an important away win rather than playing well.
Despite this, the new-look center-back pairing of Rebeca Bernal and Tara McKeown showed promise. The Washington Spirit can be pleased with the duo’s dogged display overall, especially as the Dash looked to assert more control over proceedings and created numerous offensive opportunities at will.
The pair is in their athletic prime — Bernal at 27 years old and McKeown just 25 — and epitomize the Spirit’s novel style of play. The way they played in the first game highlights head coach…
