For the Washington Spirit, an otherwise routine 3-1 win over the North Carolina Courage on Sunday came paired with an unexpected occasion: Coach Jonatan Giráldez’s Audi Field farewell.
The Spirit announced last week that Giráldez will leave for French power OL Lyonnes after a June 22 match at San Diego, with assistant Adrián González taking the reins. The decorated Spaniard’s move to another club owned by Y. Michele Kang, less than a year into his Spirit tenure, was a seismic development that shook the women’s soccer landscape on two continents. Although Giráldez downplayed his impact at a Friday news conference — “I am not the most important person here,” he said — the change was undeniably unmooring for a top NWSL title contender.