Winless in 7 consecutive matches, the Red Stars came into their final match before the international break desperately needing a good performance to propel them into the second half of the season. They’d have to wait a little longer, as it took a whole day of waiting out some classic Washington summer weather to get the match in, but eventually Chicago was able to do just that, taking the Spirit down 2-0 behind goals from Sam Kerr and Yuki Nagasato.
For all the trouble Chicago sometimes has integrating their national-level talent into their lineup, they have a great history of pulling together in the absence of their USWNT stars, and that tenacity was on display for much of the match.