CHESTER, Pa. — The picturesque scene at Subaru Park, just off the shores of the Delaware River, belied the unrest that has roiled the National Women’s Soccer League over the past week. And as the Washington Spirit and Gotham FC took the field Wednesday night to end the league’s tumultuous nine-day hiatus, signs of the discontent were easy to spot.
Among the messages draped around the stadium: “Protect our players,” “#BelieveBlackPlayers,” “#NoMoreSideHustles,” and “We support Spirit fans. Sell the team, Baldwin.”
The match, which ended as a scoreless draw, was one of three on the docket Wednesday as the NWSL returned from its self-imposed break, which included the postponement of this past weekend’s matches after two coaches — the North Carolina Courage’s Paul Riley and the Spirit’s Richie Burke — were fired amid abuse accusations.