As the National Women's Soccer League finals kick off on Saturday in San Jose, Calif., fans of the Washington Spirit and Gotham FC are bringing more than jerseys and banners. They're bringing an entire culture of singing and chanting that has become central to the league's game-day experience.

For supporters of the Washington D.C. team, that energy has been building all season. The Spirit Squadron , one of the club's major fan groups, has spent months preparing the repertoire they'll unleash from the stands on Saturday.

"We have a chant just for when we score," said Squadron president Meredith Bartley, of a raucous, snare drum-laced chant celebrating getting the ball into the back of the net. It's set to the nursery song "The Animals Went in Two by Two." There's a chant (with the

See Full Page