From the Spirit’s semifinal to Division III football: Inside the 2-hour flip of Audi Field
WASHINGTON — Washington Spirit fans, clad in “Rowdy Audi” hats and cherry blossom scarves, erupted with joy Saturday afternoon as their team beat the Utah Royals 2-1. But athletes, fans and staff did not have much time to bask in the glory of a third straight NWSL Championship berth. There were locker rooms to clean, soccer fans to usher out and football fans to usher in. Two hours later, more…
Washington Spirit fans celebrated their 2-1 victory over Utah Royals, securing a spot in the NWSL Championship. However, they had only two hours to prepare the Audi Field for a football match. More than 1,000 cadets marched onto the field, led by a pipe band. The Spirit's victory was not without controversy, as they were forced to play at Audi Field due to scheduling conflicts.
The stadium, originally owned by D.C. United, had to be transformed in just two hours, with soccer lines painted in yellow and football lines in white. Despite the inconvenience, Spirit players and fans were happy to be playing at their home stadium. Utah captain Paige Cronin expressed disappointment over the scheduling mishap, as WNBA Finals and NBA games had also faced scheduling issues.
The Spirit's fifth championship berth was celebrated by a sold-out crowd of 19,365 fans, with the team leaning heavily on their passionate home support.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
