The Washington Spirit have advanced to the NWSL semifinal with a 4-1 win over the Portland Thorns at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. in a quarterfinal match on Sunday, Nov. 8.
The No. 3 seed Spirit will face the No. 7 seed Utah Royals in the final four, but despite having home-field advantage, the Spirit won't be back at Audi Field next weekend.
The Spirit will be forced to move their semifinal match against Utah to Northwest Stadium, home of the NFL's Washington Commanders.
The game will take place Saturday, Nov. 14, the same day that Audi Field is already booked for a NCAA Division III college football rivalry game between the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
The game, known as the Secretaries' Cup, is considered the small
college version of the Army-Navy game.
Why are the Spirit moving their semifinal?
The Spirit are only tenants at Audi Field, which is owned by MLS team D.C. United.
The management of Audi Field booked the Secretaries' Cup several months in advance, before the Spirit or D.C. United knew their playoff fates.
D.C. United did not qualify for the MLS playoffs, making the Spirit the only potential conflict.
Should the Spirit defeat Utah, they would return home to Audi Field for the NWSL Championship on Nov. 21.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why are Washington Spirit playing NWSL semifinal at Northwest Stadium?
