Giráldez: OL Lyonnes move 'best for both sides'

Jonatan Giráldez said connected Friday that his impending determination from caput manager of the NWSL's Washington Spirit to the aforesaid relation for eight-time European champions OL Lyonnes was "the champion for some sides."

Giráldez addressed reporters for the archetypal clip since the shocking news, which the Spirit and Lyonnes confirmed connected Monday. Both clubs are owned by Michele Kang done her Kynisca multi-club business.

Giráldez arrived astatine the Spirit halfway done 2024 and helped the squad decorativeness runners-up successful the regular play and the playoffs. He came from FC Barcelona, a nine helium had led to back-to-back European titles.

He said connected Friday that helium did not presumption his clip with the Spirit arsenic incomplete.

"No, being honest, I deliberation we should see [my time] here, arsenic the players said, arsenic a instauration to physique thing together," Giráldez said. "I americium portion of the group. I'm not the astir important guy.

"I americium not the astir important person. Club, players, staff, supporters -- especially, nine is implicit everyone. I came present with a plan, astir apt to enactment longer. But immoderate things, you know, successful soccer, things alteration truthful quickly, and everything together, we recovered that the champion enactment for some sides was conscionable going to Lyon for the adjacent season."

Adrián González volition presume the presumption of Washington Spirit caput manager erstwhile Giráldez departs for Lyon, effectual July 18, according to the Spirit. González was interim manager for the Spirit past outpouring arsenic the nine awaited the accomplishment of Giráldez from Barcelona.

Asked astir comments helium made during his departure from Barcelona past year, Giráldez that helium said helium wouldn't permission Barcelona for a rival -- but helium is 33 years aged and determination are galore large jobs successful Europe.

"I said, yes, I'm not going to vie against Barca, but I didn't accidental that I'm not going to vie against Barca ever. I deliberation it's different," helium said.

Giráldez said that the OL Lyonnes accidental developed "a fewer weeks ago" and that helium had discussions with respective people, including Kynisca's sporting manager Markel Zubizarreta, who worked with Giráldez astatine Barcelona, arsenic good arsenic Kang and Spirit CEO Kim Stone. The Spirit bash not presently person a full-time wide manager pursuing the departure of Mark Krikorian earlier this spring.

The OL Lyonnes caput coaching presumption became disposable erstwhile Joe Montemurro informed nine enactment that helium would permission the relation to instrumentality implicit arsenic the caput manager of the Australian women's nationalist team. The Australian FC officially announced that earlier this week.

Spirit co-captain and goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury said connected Friday that, "I deliberation we tin each benignant of recognize this is simply a bully solution for everyone involved." Kingsbury spoke alongside co-captain Ashley Hatch and Giráldez successful a associated property league that the Spirit chopped abbreviated to bounds the fig of questions astir the coaching move, with a spokesperson telling reporters that the club's absorption is connected Sunday's game.

"I volition accidental that a batch of america had benignant of already heard of it, conscionable the shot assemblage tiny and rumors, possibly from agents, different players had benignant of gotten around," Kingsbury said connected Friday. "So, it wasn't a large shock, conscionable because, similar I said, we heard of it. So, possibly that was a small easier to take. But we're precise blessed for Jona. We're blessed for Adrián."

Giráldez said that fittingness manager Andrés González, and expert Toni Gordo, volition determination to Lyonnes with him. They some came to the Spirit with Giráldez from Barcelona.

Giráldez called Adrián González a person and commended him for his enactment arsenic interim manager past year. Giráldez conceded that his midseason departure from the Spirit "is not ideal."

"When I plan, I talk astir that a batch of times, particularly astatine home, due to the fact that we cognize however it works, this environment," Giráldez said. "I cognize however hard it is, this environment, successful presumption of shot -- it changes. I ne'er talk astir projects and 3, 4, 5 years; you person to talk astir today, astir the present, astir the enactment that you tin turn today. And let's spot what is going to hap successful the future."