The Washington Spirit did not have much of a chance to celebrate its 2021 National Women’s Soccer League championship, won last fall with an unfathomable run amid off-field turmoil. Players dashed off to international duty, and ownership issues moved back to the forefront. A proper bash would have to wait.
On Sunday, more than five months after lifting the trophy in Louisville, the Spirit mixed the present and the past at Audi Field: It defeated Seattle’s OL Reign, 2-1, in its regular season opener, then commemorated last year’s valor with a celebration featuring the mayor, musicians and merriment.