Washington Spirit: 3 questions for 2019 season
2. If the midfield stays healthy, can they can be unstoppable?
There’s a simple answer to this question.
Yes.
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Last season, Andi Sullivan got minutes, but she wasn’t the most productive player on the pitch. Sullivan started 22 out of her 23 appearances, totaling 1,984 minutes. However, Sullivan didn’t manage to score a single goal and only obtained one assist. Sullivan’s passing was solid, with a success rate of 78.9 percent. However, in the air, Sullivan was less than average, recording a 34.9 percent success rate in aerial duels.
This year, Sullivan is looking to rebound — and she’ll have some familiar faces beside her.
Sullivan was teammates with McGrady and DiBiasi at Stanford. Both players mentioned how they looked up to Sullivan, and the trio played well together during their days in college. However, can that carry over to the Washington Spirit?
They’ll have to keep in mind that it’s not Stanford.
It’s a professional environment — where you must have a relationship on the pitch with all your teammates, not just the fellow alums.
Washington’s midfield also went through a lot of challenges last year with injuries. Rose Lavelle joined the Spirit last year from the Boston Breakers. On paper, the midfield looked stellar, but Lavelle struggled with hamstring injuries. When she was healthy, she struggled to produce. She started five of her 11 appearances. Lavelle failed to score once, or provide an assist.
If this midfield can stay healthy, there’s a chance that it can be one of the best in the league. Washington is an extremely young team, and added to a young midfield by selecting DiBiasi, Dorian Bailey and Bailey Feist in the NWSL Draft.
Meanwhile, veteran presence isn’t lost.
Tori Huster provides veteran leadership and is normally an unsung hero for Washington. Meanwhile, the team obtained Joanna Lohman in the middle of the season, after she recovered from an ACL injury.