Geoff Burke USA TODAY Sports
This time last year, the Washington Spirit was a club starting a new era, one meant to blend the long-term vision of an ambitious owner with the style and guidance of a new coach who has a proven history of success.
The same description holds entering the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League season. There is some déjà vu in DC, where the long-term project took a sharp detour after less than a year. In steps arguably the splashiest coaching hire in league history, Jonatan Giraldez, who won’t join the team until at least Juneafter he finishes the season with FC Barcelona.
Ambition is undeniable within the Spirit organization, but the abrupt dismissal of former head coach Mark Parsons and the delayed arrival of Giraldez raises questions about how much patience will exist from management, and how long will be needed to reach their goals.
“We’ll certainly be willing and able to exhibit great patience, understanding that we’re not going to see the best version of ourselves until we can get everybody here all the time,” said Mark Krikorian, the Spirit’s president of soccer operations and general manager. “But that certainly doesn’t discount the fact that we think we’re going to be pretty good. We have a talented roster, we have a talented staff, and we’ll put them all together and we’ll go and compete and hopefully get better day to day.”
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