With his face and name plastered all over District E in Northwest D.C. Thursday afternoon, Adrián González did not hesitate when asked how long it took for him to think over the offer of becoming the head coach of the Washington Spirit.
“One second,” the Spanish manager said.
The National Women’s Soccer League side officially presented González as its head coach, making him the team’s third head coach in three years. Despite the multiple leadership changes Washington has sustained during its history, González’s hire was presented as stability as the club looks to press forward with the second half of the season approaching.
He takes over following the departure of Jonatan Giráldez, who takes over French side OL Lyonnes after less than a year in charge. González said after Giráldez accepted the offer to leave D.C., Spirit officials approached him as “the top candidate” for the head coaching job. He quickly accepted, calling the opportunity something he’s been patiently waiting for.
“(This) is what I wanted,” González said. “I am where I want to be.”
González is no stranger to the head coach role for the Spirit. 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 before moving down to assistant coach. This year, González coached the team twice in June, as Giráldez stayed with his partner Olaia, while they waited for the arrival of their second child.
Now, he will take charge of a Washington side (7-4-2, 23 points) that sits in fourth place, with 13 games remaining in its regular season.
González, sporting a boot on his left foot after tearing his Achilles tendon during training on Wednesday, said he only plans to make subtle changes to the Spirit’s offensively heavy style but with his own flair. He shared his love for Washington’s players for their hard work and the support they’ve given him since his arrival last year, calling them “a huge inspiration.”
“I’m feeling that this is home and that’s something that is really important to me,” González said. “I just want to be here and help the team as much as possible.”
Goalkeeper and team captain Aubrey Kingsbury was one of nine players who attended the ceremony. She called the coaching transition seamless, adding that players have been able to carry on as normal. Since his arrival last year, González’s ability to connect with players while being vulnerable and honest has allowed the team to understand who he is, she said.
Now that he’s 100% in charge, Kingsbury said she expects him to be more free and “put his mark on the program.”
“It kinda eases my mind as a player that we are going to be fine,” she said. “(Giráldez) may be off to Lyon, but it didn’t feel like a loss. We are more confidant that Adrián will step in and do a great job and help us through the second half of the season.”
Chief Executive Officer Kim Stone told reporters Spirit were contacted by multiple NWSL teams during the offseason about González for their head coaching vacancies. Washington elected to decline those requests, she said.
“We want him with us,” Stone said. “We always knew he would be a head coach at some point, but we didn’t know when it was going to be.”
The next steps will be filling out positions in his coaching staff, who left to join Giráldez in France, and finding Washington’s new general manager. Stone said the GM search is underway, calling the role a “foundational piece” in the Spirit’s success going forward. Assistant general manager Nathan Minion has serviced in the interim since late March.
Meanwhile, González said he is focused on getting his players recovery and rest as the NWSL takes July off for international tournaments. Without providing names, he said many players who struggled with injuries are slowly making their return to training.
Washington restarts the second half of its season at home Aug. 3 against the Portland Thorns, the first of six matches in a 28-day stretch. The Spirit will also start group play in the CONCACAF W Championship Cup, a regional tournament with the best club teams in North America over the past year with the winner receiving a ticket to a future FIFA Women’s Club World Cup.
With the busy month ahead of him, González says he and the players are ready for the challenge.
“We want to be present everyday and working on every single detail to have more chances to win games,” he said. “We’re going to keep building to have a lot of chances to compete, and we are going to be in the best spot possible for the playoffs and obviously, try to be ready to win a championship.”
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