Bay FC is set to host the Washington Spirit in a pivotal National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) regular season match on Sunday, April 5, 2026. The contest will take place at PayPal Park in San Jose, California, with kickoff scheduled for 5:00 p.m. ET. Fans can catch the action nationally on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, as reported by fubo.tv.
Bay FC enters this weekend’s matchup with a strong start to their season, securing six points from their first three matches with a record of two wins and one loss. The team achieved an impressive 3-1 road victory against the North Carolina Courage last Saturday, featuring goals from Alex Pfeiffer, Keira Barry, and Dorian Bailey in the first half, as highlighted by fubo.tv and bayfc.com.
Conversely, the Washington Spirit is still seeking their first win of the season, having accumulated three points from four matches with three draws and one loss. Despite their struggles to secure a victory, the Spirit has earned points in three consecutive games, drawing with Louisville, Utah, and Denver, according to washingtonspirit.com.
Last weekend, the Spirit played to a scoreless draw against expansion side Denver Summit FC in their inaugural home match, setting a new NWSL record with 63,004 fans at Empower Field at Mile High. Goalkeeper Sandy MacIver recorded her first career regular season clean sheet in that match.
Historically, the Spirit holds a dominant 5-0-0 all-time record against Bay FC across all competitions, with a goal differential of +8 (12-4). This includes sweeping both regular season series and securing a 2-1 victory in their 2024 quarterfinal meeting. The Spirit also boasts an unbeaten road record against Bay FC, including a 3-0 win in San Jose two years ago and a 3-2 victory at San Francisco’s Oracle Park last August.
Bay FC’s recent success marks their best three-match start in club history. A win this weekend would bring them to nine points after just four matches, a threshold they previously did not reach until their tenth and ninth matches in their first two campaigns, as noted by washingtonspirit.com.
Key Players and Tactical Outlook
While the Spirit lags behind Bay FC in goals and assists for 2026, they lead in shots, shots on target, possession rate, and total big chances. The Spirit has a significant difference between expected goals for (6.5) and actual goals scored (3), indicating a strong ability to create scoring opportunities but a lower finishing rate through four matches. The Spirit’s attack will be crucial this weekend to break through.
Bay FC, in contrast, shows a positive difference between goals for and expected goals for, with a +2.2 margin, ranking second in the league. This suggests they are more efficient in converting their attacking chances despite creating fewer overall opportunities than Washington.
The match will also highlight a compelling matchup between two young attacking talents: the Spirit’s Trinity Rodman and Bay FC’s Alex Pfeiffer. Both entered the NWSL as teenagers and quickly became key offensive contributors. Pfeiffer’s recent performance, with a goal and an assist last week, places her alongside Rodman and Sam Kerr as one of only three players in league history to achieve multiple goal-and-assist matches before turning 21.
Bay FC’s defender Sydney Collins is expected to play a crucial role in anchoring the team’s backline against Washington’s potent attacking talent, having notably contained Rodman during a SheBelieves Cup match last month.
Post-Match Schedule
Following Sunday’s game, the NWSL will observe an international break for player duties. The Spirit will resume regular season play by hosting the defending Shield winner Kansas City Current at Audi Field on Friday, April 24. Bay FC will travel to New Jersey to face Gotham FC on Saturday, April 25, at 1 p.m. EDT.
Fans attending the match at PayPal Park can also partake in special activities and purchase exclusive merchandise as part of Bay FC’s ‘Hello Kitty® Match’ celebration, including a special Spring Surprise Egg Hunt offering prizes. Bay FC will be wearing their new Poppy Kit for the match.
