The Washington Spirit fired coach Mark Parsons on Tuesday, two days after the club failed to make the NWSL playoffs. Here’s what you need to know:
- Parsons led the Spirit to a 7-9-6 record in 2023, his second stint coaching the team.
- Washington lost to the North Carolina Courage 1-0 on NWSL Decision Day on Sunday. It was a devastating day that saw the club miss the playoffs and lose Trinity Rodman in the 23rd minute when she was shown a red card for tripping North Carolina’s Denise O’Sullivan.
- Parsons missed Sunday’s game because of yellow card accumulation, and assistant Mike Bristol served as the acting coach.
What does this imply about Spirit’s long-term vision?
Parsons has a reputation as a team builder at the club level so assuming he was fired for missing playoffs, this is a real statement from owner Michele Kang about what she truly wants: perform, or else. It probably won’t be that hard to lure another coach in as, based on comments from players and Parsons himself, Kang has a reputation for pouring money into her problems until she gets what she wants. And what she wants now is a national championship team.
The Spirit aren’t the youngest (as in experienced) team in the league but certainly, she’ll want a coach who can continue to get the best out of…
