The Washington Spirit managed to get their NWSL semifinal against the Utah Royals back to Audi Field, but there will be a different look to the stadium than usual.
Audi Field had previously been booked on Saturday, Nov. 14 for an NCAA Division III college football game between the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
Because of the scheduling conflict, the Spirit were expected to move their semifinal match to Northwest Stadium, home of the NFL's Washington Commanders.
But some last-minute negotiations saw the match moved back to the team's usual home of Audi Field. The college football game, known as the Secretaries' Cup, was scheduled for a 1 p.m. local time kickoff, but was moved back to 4:30 p.m. ET.
That will mean a quick
turnaround after the Spirit-Royals game, which is set for a noon kickoff. To minimize the time needed for the transition, there will be both soccer and football lines on the field. The soccer lines are in yellow and football lines are in white.
The bases of the football field goal posts will also be up and padded for the NWSL game.
The solution is not ideal, but does allow the Spirit to continue playing at Audi Field, where they enjoy a significant home-field advantage backed by five straight sellout playoff crowds.
The Spirit are tenants at Audi Field, which is owned by MLS team D.C. United.
“We’re excited to host our semifinal at Audi Field next Saturday,” said Washington Spirit CEO Kim Stone. “Thanks to the collaboration of D.C. United and the generosity of Lafayette Federal Credit Union, who stepped forward to underwrite the additional costs necessary to bring this semifinal match home. Let’s sell out Audi Field for the sixth straight playoff game!”
The management of Audi Field booked the Secretaries' Cup several months in advance, before the Spirit or D.C. United knew their playoff fates.
The NWSL championship match will also be held at Audi Field, with the winner between the Spirit and Royals facing either Gotham FC or the Kansas City Current on Saturday, Nov. 21.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why are there football lines at Audi Field during Spirit-Utah NWSL semifinal?
