The Wait Is Over

A Spirited Undertaking

A small gathering of sports media from the Washington area has gathered at the Maryland Soccerplex for a mid-afternoon press conference involving the Washington Spirit and its change in ownership.

Bill Lynch (former owner): Good afternoon and thank you for attending. When I took ownership of the Washington Spirit, I expected a competitive team and a strong fan base, two things that have made owning this franchise worthwhile. In the past couple of years, my passion for being the guy at the top of the pyramid has waned, and I have been looking toward moving onto the next stage in life. When Angela Hucles approached me in November on behalf of the newly-formed DelMarVa Soccer Foundation about the purchase price for the Spirit, I gave her a number that I thought was fair, yet would allow me to recoup a fair percentage of my losses over the past several years. On March 7th, they sent a letter to me and to the NWSL declaring their intent to purchase the club. Yesterday, the DelMarVa Soccer Foundation bought controlling interest of the Washington Spirit, and thus are its new majority owners. I have relished the years I have spent in women's soccer in this area, but the time has come to move on and let a new generation bring their passion and intellect to the ownership side of the equation. It gives me great honor to introduce the executive director of the DelMarVa Soccer Foundation, Olympic gold medalist and former University of Virginia Cavalier, Angela Hucles.

Angela: Thank you, Bill, for that introduction and for giving your explanation of how the franchise came to change hands. At the end of October, following the NWSL final, a number of us Virginia Women's Soccer alumnae began talking about how we could have an impact on the game and also give hope to new generations of players that should they want to, they too could play for or manage or even own a professional soccer franchise. Shortly after founding the DelMarVa Soccer Foundation, I contacted Bill to get a ballpark figure for how much a franchise in the league ran. He quoted me a number that he would consider accepting were we to seek ownership of the Spirit. Over the next three-to-four months, we reached out to soccer clubs, corporations, mom-and-pops, and other foundations in the hopes of reaching that number. When we finally surpass the 51% threshhold on March 4th, our lawyers drafted a letter to the league and Bill stating our intent to buy controlling interest in the Washington Spirit, which gave us 30 days to complete the transaction, which was done yesterday afternoon. At this time, I would like to bring to the podium the chairperson of our Board of Directors and the woman who will be oversee the Spirit on its behalf, my fellow Cavalier and World Cup champion, Becky Sauerbrunn.

Becky: Wow. This place still holds a lot of memories for me, having played for the Washington Freedom here in WPS and then coming back on numerous occasions to take on the Spirit as part of FC Kansas City. Never did I think that I'd be standing here as the head of a women's soccer franchise not even two years after retiring from the game following the 2020 NWSL season. It is truly an honor to be entrusted by Angela and the other members of the Board with this responsibility. Yesterday morning, the Board met at Reagan National Airport for a face-to-face meeting before our sit-downs with Bill and Jim Gabarra that afternoon. In that meeting, we started plotting the course of where we wanted the club to go, and how we wanted to get there. The most important decision that was made was to split the general manager and head coaching jobs. We gave Jim the choice of which one he wished to retain, and he selected to remain the head coach of the Spirit. As a result of that, we have hired a new general manager. She is a former Spirit midfielder, a fellow Virginia alum, and an Olympic gold medalist. Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce the general manager of the Washington Spirit, Lori Lindsey.

Lori: Thanks, Broon. As a former player with the Spirit, I feel a sense of duty to help bring it back to its glory days that were just here not even twelve months ago. The truth is that the moves made by my predecessor over the past year, particularly this off-season, have set the franchise back a couple of years just six months after playing for the NWSL title in Atlanta. It will take time to rebuild the depth on this team and upgrade the quality of players on the roster. I am not sure that will be doable before the end of the season, but we hope to be able to bring at least one new face to Washington by the end of May, following the international break.

Lori steps away and Angela returns to the podium. "We will now take questions."

Grant Wahl, Fox Sports and Sports Illustrated: With Coach Gabarra being kept on as head coach, aren't you afraid that he might sabotage your rebuilding plans?

Becky: Were he to do that, it would be the fastest way to get him to the unemployment line. Seriously, we feel that he's the right man for the on-field job and that removing the general manager's position from his cache will result in a better-functioning organization, top to bottom.

Steven Goff, Washington Post: Lori, what are the immediate needs for the club as it heads into the market?

Lori: On paper, we're a fifth-place team in the Eastern Conference, having very few impact players the likes of Mallory Pugh or Shelina Zadorsky. The immediate needs for the Spirit are adding depth to the defense and bringing in an impact forward to pair with Pugh.

Jimmy LaRoue, Virginia Gazette: Are there any additional staff moves planned for the near future?

Becky: We have hired recently-retired Orlando Pride forward and Maryland Terrapin Jazmyne Spencer as the club's Community Relations director. Other moves will be announced as they are made.

Goff: Lori, your claim that the roster resembles that of a fifth-place team seems a little bit exaggerated. Can you spell out your evidence for that opinion?

Lori: Three-fifths of last year's starting defense were dealt away on Draft Day and a very solid complementary player on the roster was given her release at the beginning of preseason because the situation here had become untenable. The trades with North Carolina and Boston might have brought back similar players, but the loss in experience and talent from those moves has hampered the club's ability to compete on the field with the top teams in the Eastern Conference and will force us to overpay for premium talent to shore up the deficiencies.

Alison Overholt, ESPNW: Critics point at several recent moves made by the club as evidence of a culture of homophobia within the franchise. They specifically call the trading of Cali Farquharson and Caprice Dydasco to Philadelphia a move designed to get two known out players off the Spirit's roster, as well as the draft day trades that sent Stephanie Labbe, Abby Dahlkemper, and Estelle Johnson to new homes.

Becky: We will investigate those transactions, as well as the culture within the offices and on the field here, and will do all we can to eradicate any homophobia we find.

Lori: I'm out, so I have a special concern that our organization be a place where all are welcome. With me in charge of talent acquisition, you never have to worry about moves being made for any reason other than what is in the best interest of the club on the field. I would like to personally apologize to any player or staff member that was made to feel unwelcome by the previous administration and that they should feel free to contact me or Becky if they wish to discuss this further.

Angela: Thank you. The three of us will be available for one-on-ones shortly.

Alex Singer and Sarah Huffman walk up to join the three at the podium to discuss plans for dinner afterwards and to see how they might be useful with the assembled media. Becky tells the two of them to be available in case journalists want more information about the members of the consortium behind the purchase.