Mallory Pugh during last seasons match against the Portland Thorns (Photo by John Rudoff 7-22-2017)

2017 Record: 5-15-4, 19 points, tenth in the NWSL

Coach: Jim Gabarra

Key Additions: GK Aubrey Bledsoe (Trade-Orlando Pride), DEF Taylor Smith (Trade-NC Courage), MID Rose Lavelle (Dispersal Draft-Boston Breakers), MID Rebecca Quinn (NWSL Draft-Duke University), MID Andi Sullivan (NWSL Draft-Stanford University), and FWD Ashley Hatch (Trade-North Carolina Courage)

Key Departures: GK Stephanie Labbe (Calgary FC), DEF Shelina Zadorsky (Orlando Pride), and FWD Lindsey Agnew (Houston Dash)

Author’s Note: Forward Cheyna Matthews will miss the 2018 season due to pregnancy.

The Big Question: Will the reboot pay immediate dividends for 2018?

After a difficult 2017 season the Washington Spirit went into full rebuild mode during the offseason. The club said goodbye to some of their more recognizable impact players (Labbe, Zadorsky) and said hello to a steady stream of young exciting talents, who the club hopes will be a part of their long-term plans (pretty much every name above). Combined, their six newcomers have made 67 appearances for the Canadian and United States Women’s National Teams, which shows that they are bringing in a level of talent that the club lacked last year.

Now the big question is how quickly can their acquisitions develop a rapport with those that are making their return to the Maryland SoccerPlex in 2018? In particular, the midfield will be the club’s biggest question mark with Lavelle and Sullivan joining Tori Huster and a fully healthy Joanna Lohman. Their ability to create chemistry and rhythm will be one of the biggest areas to keep an eye on, especially in the early part of the 2018 season. If they can develop a rhythm and a flow in creating attacking chances and building plays, then the Spirit’s rebuilding plan may be a bit shorter then projected.

Another thing to keep an eye on is the relationship that Sullivan develops with forward Mallory Pugh. Those who have watch the USWNT over the winter got a small sample as to what a.) Sullivan can bring in terms of her passing and ability to run the counter-attack and b.) how she can help Pugh. Watching the Denmark match in particular Sullivan always seemed to read Pugh’s with little to no issue and gave her passes that were always on point. The two will be playing with each other a lot this season given that both are locks for the Spirit starting XI and the USWNT roster ahead of the 2019 World Cup. Spirit supporters will hope that this relationship will lead a to a few more goals than the club’s 30 from last season (fourth lowest in the league).

Position to keep an eye on: Goalkeeper

Bledsoe, Kelsey Wys, and Didi Haracic are all experienced goalkeepers in the league and seem up to the task of handling the starting goalkeeper duties in 2018. But which one will get the first crack at earning the top spot. Based off of minutes in the preseason it would appear that Bledsoe has the inside track, given that she played 32 minutes in their 1-1 draw with the University of North Carolina and the full 90 in their 2-0 loss to the NC Courage on Saturday. Bledsoe in her time with the Pride showed that she can organize her defense and can make good reads on shots. Orlando allowed just 31 goals last season and her work between the pipes was a very big reason for that.