Washington Spirit avert scheduling crisis, keep NWSL semi-final at Audi Field; Gotham venue TBD

Game will be played in Saturday noon broadcast windowShift to Northwest Stadium was reportedly in playGotham location TBD amid ‘atrocious’ pitch conditionsThe Washington Spirit will play their NWSL semi-final at Audi Field after the club reached a deal to avoid playing a playoff game at Northwest Stadium, home of the NFL’s Washington Commanders.The club announced late Sunday night that they will play their semi-final against the Utah Royals on 14 November (Saturday) at noon. Continue reading…

Scheduling conflicts were thought to see the game be moved to Northwest Stadium, home of the Washington Commanders The Washington Spirit will play their NWSL semi-final at Audi Field after the club reached a deal to avoid playing a playoff game at Northwest Stadium, home of the NFL’s Washington Commanders. The club announced late Sunday night that they will play their semi-final against the Utah Royals on 14 November (Saturday) at noon. Audi Field has been the NWSL team’s full-time home since 2023, and it has hosted raucous crowds for the team’s playoff runs, including Sunday’s 4-1 win over the Portland Thorns to advance to the semi-final.

A Division III college football game between the Coast Guard Academy and the Merchant Marine Academy was previously scheduled for that same afternoon at Audi Field. ESPN reported earlier this week that the NWSL had been preparing scenarios that would see the Spirit play their playoff game on Saturday at Northwest Stadium, a 64,000-seat venue in Landover, Maryland, roughly 10 miles north-east of downtown Washington where the team have never played a game in their 13-year