The unique good luck charm that might help Ashley Hatch win the 2024 NWSL championship

Ashley Hatch and her team, the Washington Spirit, will compete in the 2024 NWSL championship Saturday in front of a special guest.
The Spirit are flying 1-year-old fan Meera to Kansas City for the championship game.
Baby Meera has become the team’s good luck charm.
The team is a perfect 7-0 when Meera is in attendance, and the Spirit are hoping to extend that streak to 8-0 as they attempt to win their first NWSL championship since 2021. That season, Hatch led the NWSL in scoring with 10 goals.
After the Spirit’s semifinal victory on Saturday, the Spirit made Meera’s designation as its “good luck charm baby” official in an Instagram post.
Spirit fans encouraged the team to bring their good luck charm to Kansas City, replying to the post with comments like “I hope you’re flying her out for the championship match,” “PUT THEM ON THE CHARTER TO KC” and “So we gotta get this baby to KC.”
Meera is the daughter of avid D.C. soccer fans Molly Brune and Vikas Mendhiratta, according to the Washingtonian.
Brune, Mendhiratta and Meera weren’t planning on attending the final before the post went up. They had reached out to the team about attending its already sold-out watch party and were gifted a better offer from the team.
The Spirit are paying for the family’s “flight, hotel and tickets” to attend the NWSL final in Kansas City, the Washingtonian reported.
The Spirit teased the news with emojis and then announced Meera’s trip on social media with a video of Meera smiling when she found out she would watch the Spirit play.
Though Meera is only 1, her parents told the Washingtonian that their daughter has a growing understanding of the game. They said she points to the ball and claps as the other fans cheer.
“She’s not that into music generally, but at games, she really hangs on to it,” Brune said. “When we score, I’ll pick her up and bounce her high in the sky — she loves that.”
But is Meera really a good luck charm?
“Honestly, the Spirit are so good that we can’t really claim that it’s because of Meera,” Brune said.
The Spirit play the Orlando Pride in the 2024 NWSL championship on Saturday at 6 p.m. MST. The game will be broadcast on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.