In case you haven’t been keeping up, the Washington Spirit, which is D.C.’s team in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), has started the 2024 NWSL season in 3rd place with 9 wins out of 13 matches so far.
Fortunately for us, our new coach, Jonatan Giráldez, is finally about to join the team and take over as head coach to, hopefully, lead the Washington Spirit on a winning campaign for the remainder of the season!
The move was first announced about 6 months ago, around the start of 2024, but now that his final term at Barcelona has concluded with a nearly perfect record, he’s poised to take over the coaching role for D.C.’s NWSL team on July 1st.
Why this is a game-changer for women’s soccer in D.C.
The Washington Spirit, who began the season under the leadership of interim coach Adrián González, have had an impressive start claiming the most wins in the NWSL so far with 9 wins out of 13 matches and have a total of 28 points.
The only teams ahead of them, the Kansas City Current and the Orlando Pride, are tied for first place with only 29 points.
While D.C.’s team, the Washington Spirit, has been on a role, the addition of Jonatan Giráldez to the coaching staff should not be underestimated!
His coaching has aided in FC Barcelona becoming one of the strongest dynasties in European professional soccer in recent years!
Who is Jonatan Giráldez?
Jonatan Giráldez was the coach of the FC Barcelona women’s side for several years, he joined the team as head coach in 2021, and between then and his recent final game as head coach of the club, FC Barcelona won 130 out of 139 matches – drawing 4 and only losing 5.
Giráldez, while just one of many factors in Barcelona’s success, accumulated a total of 10 out of 12 possible trophies in three seasons that he could have won while head coach.
The only two trophies he missed were the 2022 Champions League final against Lyon and the 2023 Copa de la Reina (where they were not allowed to compete after fielding an ineligible player who should have served a one-match ban that hung over from the previous season).
How to see the Washington Spirit games live
The Washington Spirit’s season is underway and will not end until later this Fall, with final matches and a championship playoff around November or December.
You can see them live at Audi Field, just south of Nationals Park, for as little as $10 per ticket!
Now is the perfect time to buy your tickets to Washington Spirit games before they become the talk of the town!
Upcoming home-game dates in Washington, D.C. include:
- June 29th – Washington Spirit vs. North Carolina Courage
- August 18th – Washington Spirit vs. Arsenal FC (non-league game)
- August 25th – Washington Spirit vs. Kansas City Current & Arsenal FC vs. Chelsea FC
- September 7th – Washington Spirit vs. Portland Thorns
- September 15th – Washington Spirit vs. Houston Dash
- October 13th – Washington Spirit vs. Racing Louisville FC
- October 20th – Washington Spirit vs. Chicago Red Stars