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Washington Spirit: 3 questions for 2019 season

By Rachael McKriger

HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 08: Mallory Pugh #11 of United States warms up before the game against the Mexico at BBVA Compass Stadium on April 8, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 08: Mallory Pugh #11 of United States warms up before the game against the Mexico at BBVA Compass Stadium on April 8, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /
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ORLANDO, FL – JULY 07: Washington Spirit forward Ashley Hatch (33) shoots on goal and scores the games first goal during the NWSL soccer match between the Orlando Pride and the Washington Spirit on July 7th, 2018 at Orlando City Stadium in Orlando, FL. (Photo by Andrew Bershaw/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL – JULY 07: Washington Spirit forward Ashley Hatch (33) shoots on goal and scores the games first goal during the NWSL soccer match between the Orlando Pride and the Washington Spirit on July 7th, 2018 at Orlando City Stadium in Orlando, FL. (Photo by Andrew Bershaw/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

1. Matthews will boost the front line, but will Hatch be remembered?

Washington might run into a forward conundrum this season.

There’s an overcrowding of forwards on the roster. Mallory Pugh had a rough outing in 2018, Cheyna Matthews missed the season due to pregnancy and the birth of her son Josiah and now Estefanía Banini is slated to remain in Spain.

Matthews returning will boost the front line, but one unsung hero for the Spirit is striker Ashley Hatch.

Hatch was the league’s Rookie of the Year in 2017, where she celebrated a seven-goal, 24-match appearance, season with the North Carolina Courage. After exiting the club for her sophomore season in a trade, Hatch and Taylor Smith spent 2018 in the nation’s capital. Hatch won the Golden Boot for the Spirit, scoring four goals in four goals in 22 appearances.

Hatch started every one of her appearances.

When the World Cup comes, Francisca Ordega, another forward, will head to France with Nigeria, while it’s evident that Lavelle and Pugh are going to be automatic selections for the U.S. Women’s National Team. Also, there’s a chance that Matthews can be called up for Jamaica — as she made her first international appearance with the nation that’s bound for its first berth in the tournament.

Hatch will have a big role on offense for the Spirit.

Cali Farquharson has the potential to have a breakout season with the World Cup participants gone. Farquharson battled injuries last season, as well. However, she did make five appearances. With the Spirit since 2016, Farquharson is still looking for her first NWSL goal. It can very-well happen alongside Hatch this summer — or even before.

However, back to the conundrum before the World Cup even happens. Washington normally featured with a three-person frontline. However, with Ordega, Pugh, Hatch and Matthews, who gets left out?

Granted, Richie Burke could pull all the cards and move a player down to midfield — which would likely be Pugh or Hatch.

Next. NWSL: Breakout players in World Cup year part 2. dark

However, it’d be wise of the Spirit to keep Hatch up top. She might not be the most popular player on the roster or a household name — or even a name Jill Ellis, head coach of the USWNT team, remembers (but totally should) — but she’s easily Washington’s most consistent striker.

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