Washington Spirit vs. Chicago stars live stream; Where to watch NWSL online, TV channel, odds, start time

The 2025 NWSL regular season is back in action as Trinity Rodman and the Washington Spirit face Ludmila and Chicago Stars FC at Audi Field on Sunday (at 4 p.m. on CBS and Paramount+).

Despite sitting 12 points behind Kansas City Current in the NWSL Shield race, the second-place Spirit are on track to make another postseason appearance. With nine weeks remaining in the regular season, there's still plenty of time for gaps in the table to narrow, and for now, the Spirit are emerging as clear competitors to rivals Kansas City for best team in the league.

On paper, Chicago sit second to last on the league table, but they're on an unbeaten run of four games and have been part of two consecutive come-from-behind draws. The Stars rallied from three goals down in each of the turnarounds, thanks to a stellar 10-minute hat-trick performance by Brazilian international Ludmila.

Sunday's meeting is an opportunity for the Spirit to maintain their elite status and for the Stars to play spoiler, and as both teams come off record-setting weekends, it's the perfect timing for a clash of team cultures.

Here are storylines, how you can watch the match and more:

How to watch and odds

• Date: Sunday, Aug. 31 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
• Location: Audi Field -- Washington, D.C.
• TV: CBS | Live stream: Paramount+
• Odds: WAS - 210; DRAW +300; CHI +400

Managing chaos

The Spirit ticked off another victory last week, in front of a record-setting crowd on the road against Bay FC at MLB's Oracle Park. It wasn't easy, as the Spirit had to hold off a home side eager to steal points. The narrow 3-2 victory was a happy ending for the Spirit, but it was another example of the parity between clubs this time of the year.

"Well, it's tough to find normal games. We should maybe define that a little bit first ... But as I always say, we want to be really focused on what we have to do, obviously respecting the opponent, knowing their profile, but also trying to improve in the areas that we have to," Spirit manager Adrian Gonzalez told the media.

Both the Stars and the Spirit conceded goals over the previous two matchweeks, and that's the opportunity to improve for Spirit as the home side on Sunday.

"So I think we are doing a good job starting the game, scoring goals. Maybe we need to get a little bit better in those last minutes and try to suffer a little bit less. But again, it's not easy, because the opponent also plays. And obviously we know how crazy the games are in the last 10, 15 minutes in this league," Gonzalez said.

Culture building

If timing is part of the recipe for success in NWSL, the Spirit are getting it right. The club have had to manage a fairly injured roster and a head coaching departure throughout the first half of the year. But like Gonzalez, several players are performing well in their sophomore seasons.

The club have helped key starters Rodman, Leicy Santos, and Casey Krueger manage varying injuries. Second-year players Hal Hershfelt and Croix Bethune rose to starting-lineup-caliber players last year during their respective rookie seasons and were also sidelined earlier this year. Roster depth kept the group treading well above water, as the Spirit have not fallen lower than fourth-place since week three of the season.

The return of Bethune and Hersfelt, while Rodman and Santos worked their way back, provided a big boost to the squad. Bethune, the 2024 NWSL Rookie of the Year and Midfielder of the Year, scored her first goal since her eight-month absence against Bay FC.

"Well, they are improving a lot. They are doing great. And even though they are still young, it seems like they are better now," Gonzalez said of his second-year players.

The Spirit's 2024 rookie class earned significant playing time last season, and their growth launched them into starting players or starting-caliber players. The sophomore players, and Washington's 2025 first-year acquisitions, are responsible for 11 of the Spirit's 25 goals this season.

"The type of year that they had, not just Hal, Croix, Courtney [Brown], Heather [Stainbook], all the players that were coming from college. I think they had a pretty good year because we could give them a lot of minutes, and also they got those exposures," Gonzalez explained.

"Maybe in other teams it's harder to find those minutes, but fortunately, we could give them those opportunities, and that helps right now. The fact that they have more experience, they are more mature, they know each other, the connections are much better, and they are in a better spot to help the team. Also, in terms of leadership, they are stepping forward. So, I'm very happy with the performance. We are a team that it doesn't matter the age, or it doesn't matter where you're coming from; if you are ready to compete, you're going to have chances."

The deep roster has presented some early champagne problems for the Spirit. With so much prospective talent and only 11 starting spots, the club made some roster changes at the summer window deadline. Makenna Morris was traded to Racing Louisville FC, where she was immediately slotted into the starting lineup on Friday.

Meg Boade joined the Spirit this season as a non-roster invitee before signing a short-term injury contract, featured in three matches, and scored a goal for the club. Following a national team replacement player stint with Gotham FC, she recently joined Chicago Stars FC on a roster relief contract and could feature against the Spirit on Sunday.

Sustainable success

Between successfully scouting talent and building a deep roster, the club also needed to solidify their head coaching role. Despite luring former Spirit manager Jonatan Giraldez away from FC Barcelona, the Spanish coach departed the club after less than a year to take a coaching position back in Europe with Lyon. Even with the sharp reversal, Gonzalez's presence was constant for the group.

He was interim in 2024 while Giraldez completed his time with Barcelona in the UEFA Women's Champions League and was appointed head coach after Giraldez's departure to France. Gonzalez's year two trajectory has also grown alongside his many sophomore players.

"Trying to know myself much better, if I can say [it] like that. Because, you know, I'm also learning. I'm trying to identify the best way to transmit what I want," Gonzalez said about his second year in NWSL.

"How can I be better every day? Knowing the players much better, knowing the league, knowing the coaching staff. Being a head coach, there is a huge responsibility. There are a lot of things to do. So you need to be able to manage those situations. You need to be very efficient with your time, because, if not, you can be working 24 hours. So, trying to learn how to create that impact and being more efficient."

The club's turnaround since Spirit owner Michelle King's franchise acquisition in 2022 is notable. After more coaching changes, and no postseason appearances in 2022 and 2023, the club are clear contenders and were runners-up in the 2024 NWSL Championship.

The group started 2025 with an early title win in March as the NWSL Challenge Cup winners. Even with former general manager Mark Krikorian's departure, the impact of the former executive and the club's scouting department can be seen across the roster and team culture.

"We've been building that from the beginning. It's been one year and a half, creating that team culture where we are welcoming people ... When we are creating those environments where people can feel safe, where people can feel that there's no judgment here," Gonzalez said.

"It doesn't matter where you're coming from, who you are, how old you are, your background, and also trying to help them to integrate as fast as possible. They did that with me, so I was more than happy. And after that, we just tried to emphasize that with every person who was coming new to the facility ... because it's not easy when you are coming from another country, another environment, to come here and to perform quickly. So, I think we are doing a good job."