The Washington Spirit announced several additions to its sporting, medical, and performance staff as the club prepares to begin the 2026 NWSL season on Friday.
The Spirit will be led by Head Coach Adrián González, who enters his first full season in charge after being promoted last June. González guided the team to an appearance in the 2025 NWSL Championship in his first months leading the club.
“I am incredibly excited about the staff we put together for the 2026 season,” said General Manager Nathan Minion. “We have goals to accomplish a lot of special things this year and every person on our staff is bought in to that mission and essential to our success.”
Among the key additions to the coaching staff is assistant coach Cristian Catena, who joins the Spirit after more than 14 years with FC Barcelona. Catena served as a head coach across multiple levels of Barcelona’s academy and holds a UEFA Pro Licence. During his time with the club, he worked in player development and talent identification with players including Eric García, Xavi Simons, and Alejandro Balde.
Salva Todolí has been hired as assistant coach and video analyst lead. Todolí brings more than a decade of coaching experience in Europe, most recently working in Spain with Albacete Balompié from 2023 to 2025. He has also worked with Olympiacos FC in Greece from 2022 to 2023, AO Xanthi from 2021 to 2022, and Levante UD in Spain from 2015 to 2020.
Victoria Boardman joins the Spirit as an assistant coach and player development specialist. She previously served on the coaching staff of the North Carolina Courage from 2023 to 2025, helping guide the team to the 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup and consecutive playoff appearances. Boardman was also part of the inaugural coaching staff at San Diego Wave FC, where the expansion team reached the playoffs in its first season. A former professional player and England youth international, Boardman holds the U.S. Soccer Pro License and is currently pursuing the UEFA Pro Licence with the English FA.
On the medical and performance side, the Spirit announced the hiring of Alicia Tang as Vice President of Performance and Medicine. Tang is a sports and exercise physiotherapist with more than 20 years of experience and previously served as the lead physiotherapist for the England Women’s National Team from the under-14 level through the senior team from 2016 to 2023. Most recently, she led the academy medical and performance departments at Derby County Football Club.
Additional hires on the medical and performance staff include David Rhodes as Senior Director of Performance Services, David McHugh as Director of Mental Performance and Team Culture, Erwin Benedict Valencia as Director of Medical Services, Artur Auzmendi as Pitch Performance Coach, Victor Cervera Raga as Return-to-Play Performance Coach, and Denise Lee as Performance Nutrition Services Manager.
