Ahead of the Washington Spirit’s first preseason match last Thursday (February 29), Interim Head Coach Adrián González spoke to the media for the first time. He was passionate, effusive in his praise for the players so far, and clear about his task and responsibilities for the next 3-4 months.

Perhaps the most obvious question was to find out what drew him to this opportunity in the first place. Spirit supporters are well aware of Y. Michele Kang’s passion, investment and ambition, but he’d never coached in the NWSL before, and had to leave his current team, RCD Espanyol Femení, in the middle of the season.

“It was hard to be honest, because we were in the middle of the season and performing very good to be honest,” said González. “Michele’s vision and this project for me is huge, and I thought this was a really good opportunity for me as a coach. Being part of the Washington Spirit now is really great opportunity, because we are just starting something new, we are building a really good project. There are a lot of people involved, the vision the club has for me was also really good, and also start working with Jona [Jonatan Giráldez] being part of this project for me was the key to decide to come and join the Spirit.”

There’s no hiding from the fact this some of this rhetoric sounds familiar, as the Spirit haven’t exactly been a model of stability in the coaching department over the past few years. However, much of that is new leadership cleaning up from old leadership. Richie Burke was an abusive coach who had to go, then Kris Ward was fired over ‘concerns of verbal abuse and emotional misconduct‘. Before becoming Bay FC’s head coach, Albertin Montoya took over in an interim capacity, and Angela Salem took the helm in between Ward and Montoya.

Mark Parsons’ tenure only lasting one season is on this leadership group, and can be looked at in two ways. Perhaps Parsons, who similarly spoke of a project and what was being built, could have turned things around and made the Spirit into the Portland of the east. It could also be looked at as leadership not wasting time to course correct or establish something more potent. Given the coach and style of play they’re pursuing, the decision seems to have been informed by the latter.

“I cannot give you too much information yet. But just the basics, we believe that players are the most important thing, we are trying to help them to develop personally and also professionally,” said González, before relenting and giving additional hints on the new style of play.

“But of course, everything is going to be related with the ball. We are going to be organized through the ball. For us, the way that we understand the game is related especially with time and space. We are trying to help players to recognize what is happening in each game situation and to give them tools to solve those those situations – with verbal and nonverbal communication. In terms of the playing style, you will see during the season, we are now just starting.”

González’s job is a bit tricky. Not only has he left his team in the middle of the season, but he’s in a new country, preparing for a new league, and in a few months he will step aside for current Barcelona coach Jonatan (Jona) Giráldez to take over. However, he reports that there is a lot of communication between the two.

“We’ve know each other since many, many years [and] we worked together before and had a really good relationship,” explained González. “We’ve been connected every day, we talk. I know what the situation. It’s complicated because he’s now with Barcelona, so full commitment there. It’s a bit difficult, but he wants to be involved. We talk almost every day, we are building what we want together and the relationship is really, really good.”

The job of an interim manager can be difficult, but in this case it’s more straightforward than usual. González knows his primary task is to build necessary foundations within the team, and the more successful he is, the easier the transition will be once Giráldez arrives.

“I think it’s a challenge, but the club just asked me to come here and to lead the team until Jona [Giráldez] comes, so this is what I’m trying to do,” he said. “We are building a team. We started as a group of players and group of persons here – new players, maybe new coaching staff – so now we are building those relationships, and this is for me the key. We want to be all of us on the same page.”

“My job now is to try to build the basics: to lead the team this four months,” González explained. “Of course what we are doing is going to be connected with what Jona wants, because the the playing style, the ideas, are the same. So my job now is to try to make it easier once he arrives, so the transition could be could be easy to all of us.”

The number one question about bringing in a European – specifically Spanish – style of play is always: Can it work in the NWSL? Sure, if you dropped Barcelona into the league they would likely win as they do in Liga F, and just as they would in any other domestic league. But Barcelona don’t have to adhere to a salary cap or any roster limitations outside of a budget that’s agreed upon internally. Differences in leagues stretch beyond the financial limitations, to styles of play – with the NWSL being faster, more physical, and more competitive week to week.

To adjust, González leaned on increasing his own familiarity and the experience of coaches that have remained on the Spirit’s staff.

“I know the league before for sure, and the players. Before I came I tried to watch as many games as possible from our team, and from the opponents for sure. All the coaching staff have experience and know the league properly,” said González, before delivering his assessment on the league overall.

“I know that it’s really physical league with a lot of transitions. Some of the teams maybe play with long distances so sometimes the games are a little bit broken with long balls, we need to be aware of that and we’re preparing for that. For me, the most important thing is we need to think about us [and] what we want to be as a team, how we want to play and try to adapt to that according to the league, but the main focus is is on us right now.”

However, he is also aware of how the league is changing. As more coaches come into the league with more specialized and technical styles of play, there’s more variety in style of play, which González is encouraged by and sees as something that will ultimately benefit the players and the league overall.

“I think it always is positive for every league in the world that we can have coaches from different countries, different playing styles,” said González. “That’s going to help the league to have different different situations and different also approaches. I think now the league is maybe changing a little bit, and I think that it’s going to be positive, because we can have a better league, even more competitive. And also it’s going to be good for players and coaches, because it’s going to be a challenge. … I think we need to be open as a coaches, and also as a players and leagues, to try to improve the league. Because I think that’s going to be important for the players. … For me, players are the most important thing, so I think that’s really positive.”

While it was good to get Adrián’s thoughts on bigger picture, longer-term subjects, it was also important to focus on his new team. After all, there has been a lot of coaching instability, the transition will make different asks of players, there are lots of new young players, and presumably everyone has a lot to learn.

“I think we are getting closer. We’ve been trying to give them at least the big picture of what we want to build as a team in terms of in possession and out of possession, so we want to be a team that knows how to play in different situations, with different heights, pressing, high pressing, maybe a little bit lower in a mid block, and also how we want to attack in the main shape. I think the impression I have is really positive, the team is learning fast. So I’m happy for that.”

González also notes that it’s a project, and that they expect to be at the Spirit for “at least three years” to build something for the present, but also the future. But it all starts now, in these weeks before the season and in the months before Giráldez arrives. While the work is still early and ongoing, González is full of praise for the players and their professional approach as they build toward the season.

“The feeling is that they want to improve, there is a huge ambition to be better. They are so open minded, they want to learn, and that’s very, very positive. As a coach, for me that’s like a gift. Because all the plays are ready to learn, to take [instruction], and try,” González stated with excitement in his voice. “Even young players, they are just picking up things very, very quickly, so that’s really positive. The desire to be better to listen to learn, that’s really positive. As a player, you can make mistakes, for sure mistakes are allowed, but if you want to improve, you are open to learn. That’s for me the key, and they are really professionals. The commitment is really good, they are trying and they are learning so far. So I’m so happy.”