One of the more serious matchups on Sunday, October 20th will take place at Audi Field in Washington, DC when the Washington Spirit host the Chicago Red Stars. Both teams are certainly qualified for the NWSL playoffs, but this final game of the regular season has enormous strategic dimensions – final placement and possible goal differences could play a role in the quarterfinals.

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Spirit is currently second in the table and would like to remain in this high position. If they progress, this would guarantee home advantage for the NWSL final. On the other hand, the sixth-seeded Chicago Red Stars will be eager to secure their postseason spot and perhaps dream of an upset victory over the mighty Washington team.

There is little doubt that the Washington Spirit is a team that bounces back from defeat and performs better. Six defeats this season have been followed by Spirit victories, with an incredible goal difference of +11 in those games. Last weekend they continued with an impressive 4-1 victory over Racing Louisville FC to move to the top of the table.

One of those highlights was rookie Makenna Morris, who scored two goals in the first half, becoming the first pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft to score multiple goals in a game this season. Ashley Hatch couldn't be left behind, taking her 11th penalty of the season and scoring in her 150th league appearance. Let's not forget Lena Silano, who literally scored the goal just before the final whistle from outside the 18-yard box to seal the win.

With such a solid performance, the Spirit enters the game against the Chicago Red Stars on a four-game home winning streak, three of them by a three-goal margin. That makes Washington one of the toughest teams to beat right now – especially at Audi Field, where they have simply dominated.

The Chicago Red Stars also come into this game with a respectable performance of late. They have picked up two straight away wins and are now looking for a third straight win to better secure their playoff spot. Even though they didn't exactly put in a convincing performance in the 2-0 loss to Gotham FC in their last game, Chicago hasn't shown much weakness on the road for the most part. This Gotham game remained goalless until the penalty kick finally opened the floodgates in the final minutes.

With six away wins this season, the Chicago Red Stars have already achieved their second-best record of the regular season. Coach Lorne Donaldson always talks about his team approaching every game with a playoff mentality, and at this point in the season it couldn't be more appropriate.

Interestingly, recent history between these teams has been similar to Chicago. The Red Stars have not lost in their last seven regular season road games against the Spirit and have a record of 5-0-2. That adds pressure to Washington, which is still trying to break that streak and prove its recent home win can overcome this ongoing challenge.

The most intriguing question heading into Sunday's game seems to be: Will the Washington Spirit maintain its recent offensive performance? The team has already scored 48 goals this season – the most in franchise history – and is celebrating its third four-goal win of the year. Additionally, Washington has an exciting attacking lineup with Makenna Morris, Ashley Hatch and Lena Silano in excellent form.

Historically, however, the Red Stars have been a tough nut to crack for the Spirit, with the team averaging less than a goal per game in the 26 games the two teams have played against each other. That means Washington must maintain its aggressive offense while maintaining a sense of decorum to avoid being caught off guard by organized Chicago.

In the meantime, Chicago knows they need to avoid turnovers and ensure passing accuracy gets far better. During their last game against Gotham, the Red Stars recorded an alarming passing accuracy rate of less than 70%. Something like this can't happen again against a team like the Washington Spirit that's willing to exploit every mistake, no matter how small.