Washington Spirit Hosts Chicago Stars for Annual Pride Match

Washington, D.C. (08/30/2025) – The Washington Spirit will return home this weekend after a two-win away trip to host Chicago Stars FC for its annual Pride match at Audi Field. The match will kick off at 4 p.m. EDT on Sunday and will be broadcast nationally on CBS.

Following last weekend’s 3-2 road win over Bay FC, Washington jumped to second place on the NWSL table. The match, held at Oracle Park in San Francisco, saw a record 40,091 fans in attendance. With favorable results in Friday night’s games, Washington is assured its second-place position entering Sunday’s match.

The Spirit has a current three-match win streak against Chicago in regular season play, bouncing back from a previous nine-match winless streak against the Midwest team. Holding a 10-11-7 regular season record against Chicago, a victory on Sunday would even the all-time series at 11 wins each.

In their first matchup of the season in May, forward Rosemonde Kouassi scored her first career NWSL goal, and Gift Monday netted her third, leading to a 3-2 Spirit victory in Illinois. Former Spirit player Sam Staab scored one of Chicago’s goals in that match.

Despite ranking well in various offensive statistics like goals and assists, the Spirit sits mid-table in shots and possession metrics. They have scored 28 goals this season, just behind Kansas City’s 34. Washington has secured multiple goals in three of its last four league games since returning from the July break.

After facing Chicago Stars FC, the Spirit will stay home for another match against Vancouver Rise FC Academy on Wednesday, September 3, at 7 p.m. EDT, marking the club’s first game of the 2025-26 Concacaf W Champions Cup group stage.

Chicago Stars FC are eager for their first league win since mid-April, having lost six and drawn seven of their last matches. Recent games have shown improvement though, with the Stars scoring three goals in their last two outings, including a historic hat trick by Ludmila.

Alongside the pre-match festivities, fans can look forward to special giveaways and performances tying into the Pride theme. Tickets are still available for those wishing to attend this celebratory event.