Washington Spirit head coach Jonatan Giraldéz on Friday began his first press conference since the news of his midseason departure to lead OL Lyonnes by admitting the situation was “not ideal.”
As he gets set to coach his final three games in NWSL before moving to France, he encouraged fans and players “keep working, keep supporting the team in the way that they were” last season when the Spirit made it to the NWSL Championship.
“I am part of the group. I am not the most important guy,” Giraldéz said. “I came here with a plan, probably to stay longer, but… in soccer things change so quick.”
OL Lyonnes, like the Spirit, is one of three women’s soccer clubs owned by Michele Kang under her expanding Kynisca Sports International 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. Giraldéz will start his job in Lyon on July 18.
“Coaching at a club like Lyon, training those players, will be a major step forward in my career,” he added.
According to Giraldéz, as well as sources who previously described the move to The Athletic, the organization only began approaching the coach with the opportunity after it became clear that former…
