Thanks for following along here on VAVEL for tonight's match between the Washington Spirit and Chicago Red Stars. This is Aaron Bellamy signing off and wishing you a good night.
**FINAL WHISTLE: Washington Spirit 0, Chicago Red Stars 2**
90+2' Eubanks tries to chip Boyd, but it goes over the goal.
There will be at least three minutes of stoppage time.
90' **Chicago Substitution** Kaskie in, Mautz out
81' **Washington Substitution** Eubanks in, Banini out
79' Johnson fouls Mautz
75' Mautz got a yellow card for running into Banini
72' Kerr earns a corner after streaking in behind the defense. The kick is headed away by the Spirit.
72' Play stops as Sam Kerr goes down, but she is up and play resumes.
71' Johnson fould Gilliland, but the Red Stars are offside on the restart.
68' Hatch commits a foul while trying to win the ball in the Red Star penalty box.
66' Washington is called offside on a long switch ball.
65' Kerr gets in behind the back line, but the ball runs too far on the wet turf and she can't get the angle right on her shot.
61' **Washington Substitution** Lavelle in, Solaun out
56' Washington offside.
54' **Washington Substitution** Proffitt in, Lohman out
51' The Spirit commit a foul in the offensive third.
49' **Chicago GOOAALLLLLL!!!!** Nagasato gets a goal in the bottom left corner of the net off a pass from Alyssa Mautz.
46' Spirit take a shot, but it is right at Boyd.
46' The second half is underway!
**Halftime** Washington Spirit 0, Chicago Red Stars 1
45+1' Solaun's shot just misses the top-left corner of the goal.
45+1' The Spirit earn a free kick from the top of the 18-yard box to the left side of goal.
45' There will be one minute of stoppage time.
41' Comeau commits a foul. The field conditions continue to deteriorate.
38' Smith is down with a foot injury, but she got back up after the stoppage.
33' Church takes a shot for Washington, but it is wide.
31' Nikki Stanton earns a yellow card for a hard foul.
30' The field is really starting to deteriorate as Sullivan suffers a foul.
25' **Chicago GOOOOAAALLLL!!!** Nagasato took the free kick. The ball bounced just in front of Wys, who spills the ball. Sam Kerr takes a one-time shot and scores the goal.
25' Lohman got a yellow card for a hard challenge.
24' The rain is reaching torrential levels.
23' Solaun fouls Comeau.
21' Rosie White fouls Banini.
19' Solaun takes down Nagasato hard, and the Red Stars restart quickly.
18' Chicago on the attack, but it ends up being a goal kick.
17' Smith suffers a hard foul.
16' Sam Kerr takes a shot from the top of the box, but it goes just over and clips the top of the net.
12' The ball is crossed into the Spirit box, but the Red Stars commit a foul and forfeit the opportunity.
10' Chicago controlled the ball in the attacking third for about a minute but were unable to get a good shot off.
8' A soft shot is saved by Wys.
6' Banini suffered a foul, giving the Spirit a free kick, but the ball is kicked over the end line.
5' Banini takes a weak shot and it is collected by Boyd.
4' Emily Boyd gets her first touch after a dangerous back pass.
2' The ball is played in, but the header goes out.
2' Sam Kerr earns a corner kick for Chicago.
0' And we've got the opening whistle! Just 5 hours later than expected!
The Spirit won the coin toss.
We are back here at the Maryland SoccerPlex! The rain is absolutely pouring down on the teams, but we are just 5 minutes away from kickoff!
The game has been moved to 9pm, so I'll pick this back up then!
While we are waiting there are a few notable lineup changes for the Spirit. Aubrey Bledsoe is on the bench and Kelsey Wys is getting the start in goal. My gut suggests that the change is a mistake and it will further weaken the already lackluster Spirit defense. In another defensive change, Taylor Smith, who played her career in the NWSL as an outside defender, is starting as a forward for the Spirit. This change is almost certainly in response to the fact that Pugh is injured and Ordega is away on international duty.
We are still under a lightning delay. Word is that we are going to be waiting a long time.
Chicago Starting XI: Boyd; Comeau, Gorden, Naughton, Gilliland; Colaprico, Stanton, White; Nagasato, Mautz, Kerr
Washington Starting XI: Wys; Dydasco, Quinn, Church, Johnson; Sullivan, Banini, Lohman; Smith, Solaun, Hatch
We have a lightning delay, so the game will start no earlier than 4:18.
Let's get those lineups out! They are definitely exciting.
Welcome to VAVEL USA's live coverage of the Washington Spirit and the Chicago Red Stars! Sorry about the late restart, the four-hour drive up to Washington turned into a five-hour drive!
Check back tomorrow for lineups, field conditions and live updates from the match!
The Red Stars looked good after starting the season hot and making it to second place in the standings, but they are now riding a seven-game winless streak an have a record of 2W-6D-3L. The sudden slide corresponded to the return of forward Sam Kerr and midfielder Julie Ertz, and the team hit a historic low last weekend when they lost 5-2 at home to the Orlando Pride. The Red Stars were hoping to come into this match, get a win and jump-start their season, but the realization that they would be missing goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, midfielder Sofia Huerta and Ertz while they train with the USWNT makes the prospect more difficult. In their absence, the team will rely heavily on Kerr and Alyssa Mautz to generate offense against the lackluster Washington defense. Shockingly, after years of solid defensive performances, the Red Stars have allowed 16 goals in their 11 matches this season. Rookie Emily Boyd is expected to step in as the goalkeeper in Naeher's absence, and she will surely be tested against the speed of the Spirit offense. If Chicago is unable to get a win on Saturday they will have gone through an entire third of the season with zero wins.
The Spirit are sitting in eighth place on the league table with just eight points through ten games and a record of 2W-4D-4L. The new players that were added during the offseason have not yet clicked as a unit, and things will be more difficult for the team after the announcement that forward Mallory Pugh suffered a knee injury and is likely to miss some time. Midfielder Rose Lavelle, the first selection in the Boston Breakers Dispersal Draft, finally recovered from a hamstring injury suffered in the summer of 2017 and her minutes are increasing. The biggest problem for the team right now is the defensive unit that is allowing 1.5 goals per game while the offense is generating just 1 goal per game. In a sort of backhanded compliment, the Spirit will have an advantage over the Red Stars because none of their players were selected for the upcoming United States Women's National Team friendlies against the People's Republic of China. Apart from the injury to Pugh, the Spirit project to be relatively healthy and fully staffed for the upcoming match. If they earn a win on Saturday they might have time to turn their season around.
The Washington Spirit and Chicago Red Stars will be facing off for the second time this season at the Maryland SoccerPlex. In the first meeting, both teams notched a goal within the first 20 minutes but were unable to break the deadlock in the remaining 70 minutes. Since that contest on April 28th, the Red Stars have been held winless while the Spirit have a single win. Both teams are desperate for three points as they move into the second half of the NWSL season.
Washington Spirit vs Chicago Red Stars live stream commentary
Welcome to VAVEL USA’s LIVE coverage of the 2018 NWSL Regular Season match between the Washington Spirit and Chicago Red Stars. My name is Aaron Bellamy and I’ll be your host for this game from Maureen Hick's Field in Boyds Maryland. We will provide you with pre-game analysis, roster updates, and news as it happens here on VAVEL. This game will be broadcasted on LifeTime. The game preview will begin at 3:30 pm ET and kickoff is scheduled for 3:50.