May 10, 2026 -- DC Soccer Club’s newly announced partnership with the Washington Spirit came to life in a special way on May 5th, as Washington Spirit players Gift Monday and Emma Gaines-Ramos visited Jelleff Rec Center to spend the evening directly with select DCSC girls middle school and high school Rec and Travel teams.

This event brought the professional game directly into the club’s everyday training environment — creating an intimate and memorable experience for players at their field, surrounded by teammates, coaches and the DCSC families.

Throughout the evening, Gift Monday and Emma Gaines-Ramos observed and encouraged players during their training session. Following the training, the Spirit players held a Q&A and took questions from DCSC players about their journeys, experiences in the game, and life as professional athletes.

The evening concluded with photos and autographs for every player in attendance, ensuring each had a personal interaction with the Spirit players. All players also received a commemorative DCSC x Washington Spirit partnership t-shirt celebrating the club’s first-of-its-kind partnership with the Spirit.

The event reflected the shared commitment between DC Soccer Club and the Washington Spirit to grow the girls’ game by creating meaningful, visible connections between youth players and the professional game. By bringing professional players directly into the club environment, the partnership continues to focus on building community, inspiration and belonging for girls in soccer across DC.