2021 NWSL Final: Washington Spirit and Red Stars Will Fight to be Named Champions
The 2021 NWSL Final is set, and a new champion will be crowned in Louisville as the Chicago Red Stars, and Washington Spirit go for their first title. This season has been a wild ride with plenty of ups and downs, but the playoffs have been thoroughly entertaining.
The Red Stars have been in this position before and are finally looking to get over the hump and win that elusive title. For the Washington Spirit, they might be a little ahead of schedule, but that won’t stop their young attack from going for it all. So let’s take a closer look at the 2021 NWSL Final.
The road to the final for both of these teams has been almost identical through the playoffs. The Spirit took out the Courage 1-0, and the Red Stars took out Gotham 1-0. Neither game was pretty, but each side did what they needed to advance.
In the semifinals, both teams were underdogs, and both stepped up in a big way, as highlighted in our last preview. The Spirit showed heart after allowing an early goal to the OL Reign. Then, Ashley Sanchez scored one of the best goals ever to propel them to the final.
On the flip side, Chicago also scored two world-class goals and stayed strong at the back to deny Sophia Smith and Christine Sinclair any real opportunities.
Unfortunately for Chicago, they might not have Kealia Watt for the final after picking up an injury. However, the fact that they won without Mallory Pugh means they have more than enough depth to get the job done.
Both teams hit their stride towards the end of the season while the Reign and Thorns stumbled near the end. They started playing their best soccer at the right time, which helped build the necessary confidence to take out the top two seeds. With that said, let’s get into the 2021 NWSL Final matchup.
#3 Washington Spirit vs. #4 Chicago Red Stars on Saturday, November 20 at 12 PM ET on CBS and Paramount +
Based on the matchups during the regular season, this looks like it’ll be a highly contested showdown as well. They first played to a 1-1 draw back in June, then Chicago edged out an ugly 1-0 with an own goal from the Spirit, and finally Chicago beat Washington 3-1 in August.
All signs point to this being the year that Chicago finally wins the title they’ve been after. As a model of consistency in this league, they’ve done everything from a success standpoint except for winning it all. Unfortunately, Kealia Watt likely won’t play, and there’s no guarantee that Mallory Pugh will either with her in COVID protocols.
While the Spirit has the edge at goalkeeper with Aubrey Bledsoe, no one has talked about how good Cassie Miller has been filling in for Alyssa Naeher. The same goes for Chicago’s defense; Sarah Gorden and Tierna Davidson continue to be rock solid in the middle.
The key figure of this matchup is Tatumn Milazzo because Washington will try to exploit her the same way Portland tried to with Sophia Smith and Morgan Weaver. However, if she holds up in one-on-one matchups against Ashley Hatch, Trinity Rodman, and Ashley Sanchez, Chicago will be able to squeak this one out.
Washington has been an amazing story with a bright future, and they are more than capable of winning, but experience might play a factor. Chicago has been here so many times before, and the North Carolina Courage and Portland Thorns are no longer in their way.
So when it’s all said and done, the Chicago Red Stars are likely to be the champions of the 2021 NWSL Final.
PREDICTION: Red Stars win 2-1
Featured image via @NWSL on Twitter
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