As the National Women’s Soccer League finals begin Saturday in San Jose, Calif., supporters of the Washington Spirit and Gotham FC are bringing more than jerseys and banners — they’re bringing a game-day culture built around singing and chanting.
Washington’s Spirit Squadron, a major supporters group, spent months preparing the chants they’ll unleash from the stands. “We have a chant just for when we score,” said Squadron president Meredith Bartley, describing a raucous, snare drum–backed cheer set to the nursery tune “The Animals Went in Two by Two.” There’s also a celebratory chant with the refrain “You’re my favorite soccer team!” and a politically charged “Free D.C.” chant launched in the 51st minute this season — a nod to the long-running push for D.C. home rule and statehood that grew in response to earlier tensions when federal control of the district’s police force and National Guard deployments stirred controversy.
Both clubs’ supporters borrow from global soccer traditions. When stadium energy dips, Spirit fans sometimes turn to a playful chant adapted from English Premier League crowds: “Let’s pretend we scored a goal.” In the tri-state region, Gotham FC fans reworked John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” into “Gotham Roads,” an anthem created in 2023. “To use ‘Country Roads’ was actually my idea,” said Marge Liguori, who leads Cloud 9, a major Gotham supporters group. A Manchester United fan herself, Liguori adapted the song’s lyrics with other fans to pay tribute to the team and region.
Singing and chanting do more than entertain; they build community. “Really, the team is more of just a metaphor for the community,” said Max Jack, an ethnomusicologist and anthropologist at Indiana University who studies sports and music. He said collective singing lets fans share the emotional highs and lows of a match, creating “a sense of stranger intimacy that is incredibly deep and fulfilling” and offering experiences many don’t find in daily life.
That intimacy reaches players, too. After Gotham FC’s 2023 NWSL championship, fans serenaded defender Mandy Freeman as she approached the stands; Freeman wiped away tears while hugging fans over the railings. Gotham FC vice president of communications Jeff Greer said the club feels the difference: “When we hear them chanting, we know that they are at our backs pushing us to victory.”
The Spirit say the effect is similar at Audi Field, where home matches are known for a high-octane atmosphere. “Our players regularly credit ‘Rowdy Audi’ for being the 12th player on the field,” said Spirit director of communications Ben Kessler, noting that the creativity and energy of supporters’ chants play a big role in that reputation.