Today, the Washington Spirit invited local press to District E for the formal introduction of their newly appointed head coach, Adrián González. After serving as both the assistant coach and the interim, players and staff were happy to see him earn the promotion.
Before opening remarks from González, there was a formal introduction from popular play-by-play announcer Dave Johnson with opening remarks from Washington Spirit CEO Kim Stone, interim General Manager Nathan Minion, and Spirit team captain Aubrey Kingsbury. Kingsbury officially introduced the press into the “Adrian” era.
“I’m so excited to be sharing this moment with you,” the head coach began. “Thank you also to the players, media, and staff who are here today. It’s a special day for me.”
Along with the Spirit front office, a cache of players were in attendance, blending in with the seated media. Gift Monday, Kysha Sylla, Courtney Brown, and several other players made their way to D.C. to attend their coach’s official introduction to the media.
“He’s really involved with us. He’s not lying when he says he wants to connect with us. He thinks that’s an important part of being a head coach,” said Paige Metayer. Paige was one of eight players who came out to support González.
We’ve reached the halfway point of the season, a crucial time for the club. The Washington Spirit are currently in fourth place in the NWSL standings, the top division in professional women’s soccer in the U.S. alongside the newly minted USL Super League. With former head coach Jonatan Giráldez now leading French powerhouse OL Lyonnes, González has a prime opportunity to step up and put his stamp on the club. “He does a really good job of getting to know us off the field,” said Spirit forward Brittany Ratcliffe after the press conference. “He can say things like, ‘I wanna get to know the players,’ but are you actually doing it? And I definitely think he puts in the work, because it’s a lot of work to get to know 30 people. But he does a really good job of that, and he does a really good job with the staff as well. It’s not just the players, but the whole collective.”
So there’s no doubt that the franchise loves this man. I’m sure that adoration will only increase after mentioning his intentions to let the players play freely. With everything set up ideally, fans won’t have to worry about him jumping ship. “I’m here because I wanna be here. I am where I wanna be,” he said passionately. González is in a prime position to steer this ship in the right direction.
The league has been on pause and won’t resume until August because of the UEFA Women’s Euros taking place. Currently in the semifinal round, Spirit players Gabby Carle (England) and new signing Sofia Cantore (Italy) are still competing in the tournament. Leicy Santos (Colombia) is also on international duty for the Copa América Femenina. With those players due to return in the coming weeks and a cache of players returning from injuries (still no timeline on Trinity Rodman), the Spirit have the opportunity to finish out the season strong. González agreed.
“Our short-term goals? Focus on the second half of the season,” the coach said enthusiastically. “Try to have as many players as possible ready to compete.”
While fans and staff alike wait with bated breath for the return of their superstar, U.S. Women’s National Team forward Trinity Rodman, the Spirit roster boasts a wide variety of talent for fans to get excited about. One player in particular, Sofia Cantore, was seen by millions yesterday afternoon in the Women’s Euros. Italy was drawn level with Norway 1-1 and were about to go into extra time, but Cantore assisted a last-minute goal by Cristiana Girelli with a beautiful cross from the opposite side of the pitch. Cantore is a player who can come on and immediately make an impact. “And then she had that assist yesterday (laughs), that’s what we want!” said Spirit CEO Kim Stone. “I continue to be impressed with the fact that we find these gems internationally, and we get them to come to D.C. So I’m super excited.” With other creators like Croix Bethune and Leicy Santos, we should expect plenty of goals on the other side of the league break.
The Spirit will have another two weeks off before they return to the pitch for the restart of the 2025 NWSL season. Their next match will be at home at Audi Field, and they’ll be looking for revenge against the Portland Thorns on Sunday, Aug. 3 at 12:30 PM. The last chance to see the Spirit before their Aug. 3rd match will be this Saturday, July 19, when they host an open training session for their fans.
-Jon Jones
*Photos forthcoming