Mark Krikorian addresses Washington Spirit trades, new coach

“Everything is about trying to put the pieces together, to have the best opportunity to be successful as we continue to go forward. And those are two of the most highly sought-after players in the league. And sometimes these different decisions have to be made,” Krikorian said at a news conference. “In the biggest vision that we have, it was an opportunity for us to look at things in a different fashion and to move forward.”

Spirit names interim coach amid wait for Jonatan Giráldez

In an Instagram post after the trade, Sanchez said she was “shocked and heartbroken” to leave Washington. Krikorian said Thursday that Sanchez was informed before the move became public.

“The idea of trading players, it’s complicated, it’s not easy, and there are emotions involved. … As a franchise and an organization, when you have a player that is a valued player and a valued person, it is hard to make these decisions. But the process with Sanchez, I think, is no different really than probably most trades,” he said. “Still, I think that call is difficult.”

Jonatan Giráldez, the coach who led Barcelona to dominance in Europe, was hired this month as the Spirit’s next coach and will take over in June. Krikorian said the club is still looking at adding players and did not rule out the possibility of signings during the summer.

“The amount of interest that we have received now from the international community of players in being interested in potentially coming to us and playing for Jona has elevated,” he said. “We’re probably going to be involved with some players now because of the qualities that we’re all well aware of with Barcelona and Jona that maybe in the past we wouldn’t have had as much of an opportunity.”

The Spirit’s roster has some options for the spots left by the high-profile departures. Croix Bethune, the third overall pick known for her playmaking and creativity, is a natural candidate to fill Sanchez’s role as a central attacking midfielder.

The replacement for Staab, a left-footed center back who three times played every minute of the Spirit’s season, is less obvious. Krikorian pointed out the versatility of new signing Casey Krueger and draftee Kate Wiesner, two outside backs who could play more central roles. Washington has also shown a willingness to test players in new positions; Tara McKeown, the partner to Staab on the back line for much of last season, began as a forward before moving to center back.

While the Spirit’s stateside contingent oversaw the draft efforts, the club’s staff has been in communication with Giráldez and will continue to be “with respect” to Barcelona’s season, which ends June 16.

Krikorian acknowledged that the logistics of this upcoming season are “not ideal” but expressed confidence in what Giráldez and his possession-based style of play will do for the Spirit’s long-term future.

“We think he’s arguably the best coach in the world. And sometimes there’s some sacrifice to be made,” Krikorian said. “But now we’ve put some pieces in place that we think are going to enable our team to be successful through the early part of the season until he does arrive. … Biggest picture, we think it’s a winner.”

NWSL unveils 2024 schedule

The Spirit will open the 2024 season March 17 on the road against the Seattle Reign.

For the second straight season, the Spirit will play all of its home games at Audi Field in Washington. It will open its home slate March 23 against Bay FC, one of the league’s two expansion teams, at 7:30 p.m.

The majority of Washington’s home games will be on Saturdays or Sundays, with two Friday night kickoffs. Last season, the club averaged 10,876 fans at Audi Field, the sixth-best mark in the league.

The NWSL regular season begins March 16 with the Kansas City Current hosting the Portland Thorns in the inaugural match at CPKC Stadium, the world’s first stadium built specifically for a women’s sports team. That match will air on ABC.

The league announced a landmark media rights deal in November to carry games on ESPN, CBS Sports, Prime Video and Scripps Sports platforms. Other games will be available on NWSL Plus, a new free streaming platform. The Spirit will play two matches on CBS, both at home: against defending champion NJ/NY Gotham FC on April 20 and the Thorns on Sept. 7. Its visit to Gotham on June 23 will air on ESPN.

The regular season will pause July 8 before the Paris Olympics and resume Aug. 23. During the break, the league will stage a tournament featuring all 14 teams and international club teams beginning July 19. The Challenge Cup, the tournament held during the season for the past two years, has been reformatted as a single game and will be played March 15 between last season’s points leader, the San Diego Wave, and the league champion, Gotham FC.