Spirit coach Jonatan Giráldez set to take OL Lyonnes job, Adrián González to lead Washington
Washington Spirit head coach Jonatan Giráldez is set to become the next head coach of OL Lyonnes in France and will join the club at the end of June, sources confirmed to The Athletic. Assistant coach Adrián González, who previously led the team in an interim capacity before Giráldez arrived, will take over as head coach in Washington.
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OL Lyonnes is part of businesswoman Michele Kang's growing global portfolio of women's soccer clubs, under the umbrella of her company, Kynisca. The Spirit and England's recently promoted London City Lionesses round out the group, though Kang also has her eyes on expanding the multi-club organization.
OL Lyonnes (formerly Olympique Lyonnais Féminin) is the most successful women's club in Europe, having won the UEFA Women's Champions League a record eight times.
By comparison, Giráldez's former club, Barcelona, has claimed the title just three times, including twice under his leadership. Before joining the Spirit, Giráldez said he 'would not compete against Barça,' when speaking of his next move to Mundo Deportivo in December 2023. He was announced as the Spirit's head coach on Jan. 9, 2024.
Giráldez will replace current Lyonnes manager Joe Montemurro, who will leave the club to coach the Australia women's national team in the coming weeks, according to sources familiar with the deal.
Moving from the Spirit to Lyonness less than two years into his time in Washington was not part of a larger plan for Giráldez; rather, the opportunity came about when it became clear Montemurro would leave, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. The move is seen internally as the best decision for both clubs, even if the timing is not ideal.
The Spirit said it 'does not comment on rumors or speculation' when asked about the coaching changes.
According to sources, this also does not change what Kang has said publicly about the movement of players between clubs under her umbrella. Speaking to Forbes last year, Kang said multi-club ownership in women's soccer is a 'necessity.' While she told Forbes she sees the shared resources as a benefit, she said, 'We are not going to sacrifice one team to make another team successful. Absolutely not. Our goal is to make every team the champion in each of their leagues.'
One of the Spirit's biggest stars, Trinity Rodman, who is currently out with an 'excused absence' as she recovers from a longstanding back injury, is out of contract at the end of the season. Under the multi-club organization, players won't get moved to other teams the way Giráldez has, as the organization views coach movement differently.
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In March, Kang said, 'It will be very, very important not only for the Spirit, but in my opinion, for NWSL' to keep U.S. Olympic gold medalist Rodman playing games stateside for now.
Kang continues to value the Spirit, the first club she invested in, according to a source, and does not see this as relegating Washington to No. 2 behind Lyonnes.
Giráldez didn't join Washington in person until six months after his initial announcement on June 20, 2024, just weeks after winning back-to-back Champions League titles with Barcelona. His last win in Europe was a Champions League final victory over OL Lyonnes.
In the interim, González led Washington through preseason and to a 10-4-1 record through the first fifteen games of 2024. During the Olympic break that year, Giráldez took over. He built on González's strong start to lead the Spirit to the NWSL championship last year, which they lost 1-0 to the Orlando Pride.
Now, a year later, the reverse will happen.
González will have the international break, starting June 23, to reset with the team. However, players are already familiar with the coach, something that was seen as a positive by the organization.
Similar to last year, the Spirit has dealt with a spate of injuries this season, headlined by Rodman, but is currently fourth in the NWSL table with a record of 6-3-1, five points behind No. 1 Kansas City Current.
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