WASHINGTON — For four frightening minutes, one of the Big Four was in trouble. And in a few tense moments, the defending champions struggled. But at the end of a electric afternoon here at Audi Field, and then in New Jersey, the NWSL playoff dream scenario materialized.
The Orlando Pride, Kansas City Current, Washington Spirit and Gotham FC all won their quarter-finals this weekend.
The Big Four became the final four.
And the semifinals, scheduled for next Saturday and Sunday, began to overflow with star power: Rose Lavelle and Trinity Rodman, Barbra Banda and Temwa Chawinga, and a host of others who separated four clubs from a chasing pack all season.
Orlando, winner of the NWSL shieldwas imposing and complete Friday night in a 4-1 victory against Chicago. Kansas City, the league’s top scorer and chance creator, blanked and beat North Carolina on Saturday.
Sunday, however, brought its share of drama. In a close and tense game in the nation’s capital, Bay FC briefly silenced a sellout crowd and took a 1-0 lead in the 82nd minute.
But in the 86th minute, Spirit center back Tara McKeown stepped forward to cut off a pass… and never stopped charging forward. She escaped the Bay FC midfielders. She saw the corner of the net 25 yards away. And a determined thought came to his mind: “I didn’t miss my sister’s wedding for nothing.”
That’s right: McKeown, a Spirit mainstay since 2021, skipped his sister’s wedding Saturday to prepare for Sunday’s quarterfinal. “It’s been an emotional week for her,” said teammate Trinity Rodman.
Less than 24 hours later, she justified her own decision, and yes, she said, all the emotion was worth it.
McKeown tied the match at 1-1. Some 19,000 supporters erupted, flags flying, scarves twirling. And they never really calmed down as the Spirit cruised to a 2-1 overtime victory. “Even when we clear a ball out of bounds, people are angry,” said midfielder Hal Hershfelt, impressed. “You literally feel like you’re the 12th player.”
Washington will host the first of two semifinals Saturday at noon ET in front of what is expected to be another record crowd.
They will face Gotham, who also won a 2-1 thriller on Sunday. Lavelle’s goal in the seventh minute of added time broke Portland.
The Pride will host the Current in the other semifinal. It will be a clash between the two top scorers in the league, Banda and Chawinga. Both took the league by storm in their first seasons in the United States. Both were rampant in the quarters, overtaking helpless defenders, spreading fear as they went. Chawinga and the Current only finished on one occasion, while the Pride were more clinical. But everyone has the ability to hurt the other on Sunday.
Together, the two semi-finals will be confrontations between the four teams which, in a championship often exceeded by parity, have distinguished themselves as the best of the entire season. Last year, the NWSL top eight were separated by seven points. This year, fourth-place Current finished with 55 points, 16 more than fifth-place North Carolina Courage.
There has never been a Big Four like this in American football. To call them deserving semi-finalists would be an understatement. And the next two weekends should crown a deserving champion.
