The Washington Spirit arrived at Audi Field on Friday ready to shake off any lingering effects of last Saturday’s 6-0 loss to the North Carolina Courage, the largest defeat in club history.
After the first 10 minutes of its Challenge Cup match against NJ/NY Gotham FC, that seemed rather unlikely. Washington looked disjointed and conceded two goals in a four-minute stretch.
Then came the rain — and with it an hour-plus weather delay. That break proved the night’s turning point: The Spirit side that emerged from the locker room after the storms looked significantly sharper than the one that had first taken the field two hours earlier.