By Joséphine Demos
This past month, women’s soccer team DC Power FC played their first home game of 2025 at Audi Field. Power FC started play this past fall, in the USL Super League’s inaugural season.
The league, which received division one sanctioning, is focused on creating more access and opportunity for women in professional soccer. Its status as a first division league puts it on equal footing with its more established counterpart, the NWSL, though the USL Super League differentiates itself with itsEuropean schedule, which allows easier international recruitment, and greater access to professional play due to its academy structure– the league has corresponding junior programs through which players can grow into professionals.
The USL comes as a clear response to the growing interest in women’s soccer– interest which has been particularly prevalent in DC. It comes as no surprise that DC Power is one of the eight founding teams in the league- and though new to the scene, DC Power understands what it means to represent the district.
“As a team, we know there are so many great DC teams. We’re very proud to play at Audi, and play in the heart of DC,” said captain Claire Constant of their home-turf in Southwest. “It means a lot when we have our supporters out there. It feels like our home.” Constant is one of many DC-area locals on the team, having grown up in Alexandria, VA.
The team’s DMV pride serves to motivate their play too. Coach Phil Nana told The Southwester ahead of the first 2025 home game, “This week we talked about pride a lot– pride in defending our goal, pride in defending our home, pride in our community and defending Audi Field with everything.”
The game took place March 9th against Lexington Sporting Club on a sunsoaked pitch. Lexington secured a lead early with a goal in the 23rd minute. DC’s response was immediate in the form of a shot on goal off the kick-off. Though it didn’t go in, the tone was set for the rest of the match: DC went on to get 20 shots off throughout the game compared to Lexington’s eight. Lexington’s second goal came in the 60th minute, but DC showed no signs of discouragement. With five minutes left on the clock, Loza Abera, fresh off Power’s bench, scored off of forward Gianna Courle’s assist, ensuring the team didn’t go home empty handed and ending the game with a 2-1 loss for the Power.
If the 2025 home opener is any indication, DC Power is set to bring tenacity into the rest of this USL Super League inaugural season. This month, DC Power plays home games against Carolina Ascent FC on April 8th and Tampa Bay Sun FC on April 18tht. Tickets for these games are available online at the DC Power FC website.
