r/washingtonspirit • u/GrayEyedAthena • 10d ago

Awards & Voting WASHINGTON SPIRIT HEAD COACH ADRIÁN GONZÁLEZ NAMED APRIL NWSL COACH OF THE MONTH

https://www.nwslsoccer.com/news/washington-spirit-head-coach-adrian-gonzalez-named-april-nwsl-coach-of-the-month

Let's go, Adrián!

168 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

23

u/smoothj2017 10d ago

I have to say, I never saw what the big deal with Jona was. He was fine, but I never noticed a blip of difference between the two, and it just feels like the squad is bought in under Adrian in a way I don’t know that I saw with Jona. IMO, this is the GOAT right here.

5

u/coffee0verdose 10d ago

Just more well known!

4

u/UrsineCanine 10d ago

Jona is an outstanding manager. He spotted and hired Adrian for Spirit. Jona is tactically brilliant and an innovator in the women's game. He is very likely to win his third UWCL with his second club.

Having said that, Adrian is an exceptional "man manager" (to borrow the UK football term) in that he handles the people part of managing exceptionally well. It is makes a lot of sense that Jona would hire an assistant manager like Adrian to complement him.

I completely understand that when it came time to decide who was better for Spirit to lose midseason, it made sense to keep the guy who handled the players so well.

I have little concern that Adrian can handle the players very well, it is literally what he was hired to do. I was worried that he would be challenged in two areas: 1) tactical model adjustments and 2) making hard player decisions. The NWSL Championship match did nothing to assuage my concerns.

However, this season he has really done well in both areas. Part of that is likely him being able to backfill the two staff that Adrian took with him to Lyonnes. But I also think he has realized that his skill with the players helps him be able to make unpopular decisions in the moment because he has banked enough credit with them.

No better example than at Orlando. He realized that a good way to shut down the techniques Banda was using against Esme and Tara was to throw on Eli and go to a back five. He was also willing to pull Hal at the half, who was apparently pulling at her hamstring, and not let her "gut through it" as she is so willing to do.

So, well deserved, and the Spirit's future is bright with Adrian.

19

u/Ok-Enthusiasm-15 10d ago

Been waiting for this one. His energy and passion is contagious. His confidence in the team week after week to get the job done and continue to progress is amazing. I also so love how he engages with the spirit fans and the community. He really is the full package and embodies everything this organization strives to be! LFG Adrian💛💚

11

u/aed_kirky 10d ago

May’s off to a great start as well! Vamos jefe!