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          Why 2023 could be a big year for Aubrey Kingsbury, both for the Washington Spirit and the USWNT

          • Kim McCauley
          Mar 30, 2023, 07:01 PM

          "That was sick; she's like Spider-Man."

          That's how Trinity Rodman described her goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury's game-saving stop, before miming shooting a web out of her wrist to grab the ball.

          The Washington Spirit gave up 16 shots and 2.25 expected goals (xG) to OL Reign on Sunday, according to Opta, but held on for a 1-0 victory thanks to Kingsbury's heroics. She was credited with 1.55 goals prevented in the game, based on where the Reign placed their shots, but that hardly tells the whole story.

          Kingsbury's play on the highlight above was so good that she didn't even get credit for any xG prevented, because Reign striker Jordyn Huitema never even got a shot off. Same for this one, another instance of her preventing Huitema from shooting after an excellent pass into the box:

          Despite winning consistent accolades from subjective observers and statheads alike in the five years since becoming the Spirit's starter, Kingsbury has rarely been rewarded with opportunities for the United States women's national team. She hasn't been a member of the squad so far in 2023, and she has just one USWNT cap. No one's consistently better by the numbers, and listening to her new coach talk, it's difficult to figure out what subjective qualities she might be missing.

          "She has the profile of a top modern goalkeeper," Washington Spirit head coach Mark Parsons said of Kingsbury after the game. "Distribution, she deals with crosses, she's calm and clear in her communication, her shot-stopping is outrageous, and then there's the icing on the cake with one-v-ones."

          Sunday's game was Kingsbury's 100th appearance in the NWSL, a milestone for which she was honored on the field pregame. It was also her first time wearing the armband as the full-time captain of the Spirit, a decision that Parsons said was made to to take some weight off Andi Sullivan and free her up to focus all of her mental energy on her performance in midfield. Sullivan ended up being the team's de facto spokesperson following the dismissals of previous coaches Richie Burke and Kris Ward, both of whom were found by league investigations to have been abusive toward players, as well as the departure of previous owner Steve Baldwin.

          "Whether you like it or not, when you have the armband and there are problems, those problems will run at you," Parsons said, while noting that Sullivan is still part of a six-player leadership group, and the team's vice captain. "Whether it comes from you guys in the media, or from players, or staff, you have that responsibility. We need to get some weight off Andi for the best of our team, but also the best for Andi."

          Hopefully no Spirit players will need to talk about owners or coaches neglecting their duties ever again, but the captaincy still comes with some vocal leadership responsibilities, and Kingsbury certainly sounded the part of captain postgame. She took the time to list off a positive contribution made by every member of her back line before saying, "Anybody else? I got to give everyone a shout-out."

          When asked about the evolution of the club's leadership structure, Kingsbury had a lot to say.

          "In years past, players have had to bear a lot of the burden of administrative work or decision-making, just because we're understaffed, and the different dynamics that have happened with coaching staff and just ... things that we won't get into. But a lot of it has fallen on the players," Kingsbury said, referencing the circumstances that led to recent coaching and ownership changes. "By bringing in a lot of world-class talent on our performance and technical staff, and expanding the leadership group, and calling on everyone to be a leader, we're really empowering everyone to really get the most out of their career. I think it definitely helps spread the load. ... Instead of looking to a couple of people, everyone is leaning on each other."

          In addition to convincing everyone of her capabilities as an emotional leader, Kingsbury has consistently proven herself to be one of NWSL's best players on the pitch. She was the 2019 and 2021 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year, a key player of the Spirit's 2021 NWSL championship campaign and arguably one of the team's few bright spots during a 2022 season in which they finished second-bottom. Kingsbury finished 2022 with 6.59 goals prevented and 0.35 goals prevented per 90 minutes, second among goalkeepers who started more than half of their team's matches.

          Goalkeepers shouldn't be judged on one exceptional clean sheet or one bad game, but it's tough not to notice that Kingsbury was the league's best performing keeper on an opening week when the incumbent USWNT starter, Alyssa Naeher, made a big blunder to gift San Diego Wave an equalizer in their 3-2 win over the Chicago Red Stars.

          Naeher finished last season with 0.42 goals prevented and 0.02 per 90 minutes. Essentially, she was an exactly average shot-stopper. In 2021, the gap between Kingsbury and Naeher was similar: Kingsbury had 10.24 total goals prevented and 0.4 per 90 minutes, while Naeher, who missed some time because of both injuries and Olympics duty, had 1.89 total goals prevented and 0.24 per 90 minutes. Kingsbury wasn't named to the USWNT squad for the upcoming April friendlies, so it's possible the door has shut on her chances of making the World Cup team, but the Spirit still have at least eight more games between now and when coach Vlatko Andonovski will name his final squad.

          Between her league awards, her stats and the huge goal-saving plays that we don't even have stats to measure yet, it's difficult to figure out why Kingsbury hasn't been given a fair shot to compete for the No. 1 shirt for her country. And if the answer was any question about leadership qualities, the Spirit are giving her the chance to prove she has that over her competitors, too.