Jonatan Giráldez will leave his role as head coach of the Washington Spirit after less than a year in charge, the National Women’s Soccer League club announced Monday
Giráldez leaves D.C. to take over OL Lyonnes, formerly known as Olympique Lyonnais Féminin, which is a part of a stable of women’s soccer clubs owned by the Spirit’s majority owner Michele Kang.
His last game with the Spirit will be on June 22 against San Diego Wave in San Diego. His last home game with Washington will be Sunday against the North Carolina Courage.
In a statement, Kang thanked Giráldez for the “lasting impact” he’s had on the Spirit.
“It has been a privilege to lead this incredible group of players, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have been part of the Spirit family,” Giráldez said.
‘He knows the team’
Assistant coach Adrián González will take over coaching duties permanently in Washington. He served as the Spirit’s interim head coach at the start of the 2024 season before Giráldez’s arrival, posting a 10-4-1 record through 15 matches. His previous coaching experiences include RCD Espanyol Femení in Spain.
“Adrián has proven that he is ready for this role,” said Michele Kang, majority owner of the Washington Spirit. “He knows the team and has earned this organization’s trust through his hard work and dedication. I am looking forward to watching what this team can achieve this season and beyond under his leadership.”
Questions arose about Giráldez’s future with Washington after radio outlets in Spain reported last week he was in contract negotiations with Lyonnes. On Thursday, ESPN became the first American outlet to confirm Giráldez would be leaving Washington. He will take over for Joe Montemurro, who was let go by the French side on Sunday.
Giráldez, 33, was hired last January with much fanfare after he won the Women’s UEFA Champions League twice with FC Barcelona Femení, making him one of the most highly sought-after managers in women’s soccer.
He arrived in D.C. in the summer following the end of Barcelona’s season and was a part of Washington’s late-season surge into the playoffs. With Giráldez at the helm, Washington finished in second in the standings, won two playoff games and earned a berth to the NWSL Championship, where they lost to the Orlando Pride.
The Spirit opened the 2025 season by winning the Challenge Cup in penalty kicks, the club’s second-ever championship. Despite injuries to multiple players, including star forward Trinity Rodman, Washington sits in fourth place in the 14-team league with a 6-3-1 record.
This will be the sixth coaching change since Kang became Washington’s majority owner in 2022. Earlier this year, general manager Mark Krikorian — who was hired in 2022 — stepped down from his role running soccer operations at the Spirit. The changes also come as Rodman is in the final year of her contract with the Spirit; Kang said is a priority to re-sign her to a new deal.
Before entering the sport in 2021 as a minority owner of the Spirit, Kang was known as a businesswoman. Now, she owns three soccer clubs: Washington, Lyonnes and English side London City Lionesses as part of her international multi-team women’s soccer organization, Kynisca Sports International.
Kang told WTOP last August she had no plans to “sacrifice” one team to make another stronger and send any Spirit players to help her European teams, a practice commonly seen in multi-club ownerships in men’s soccer.
“I want every team to be the championship team in the country that they play in, in the league that they play in,” Kang said in August. “We’re not going to sacrifice one team to make another team successful.”
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