TACOMA, Wash. — It was a soggy, muddy Pacific Northwest kind of day, with a spritzing of rain falling throughout. To the Washington Spirit, it couldn’t have been more beautiful.
The Spirit, which has followed a season of turmoil with an unlikely playoff run, kept it going Sunday by beating the OL Reign, 2-1, in the semifinals at Cheney Stadium to advance to the National Women’s Soccer League championship game.
After Sunday’s victory, it’s hard to argue with that. The outcome would have seemed improbable early in the season when the Spirit was rocked by allegations of verbal abuse against coach Richie Burke, who stepped down and was later fired after a league investigation.