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Is Mark Parsons the right coach for the Spirit’s rebuild?

Mark Parsons returns to the NWSL as the new head coach of the Spirit. (Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images)

On Monday, the Washington Spirit announced their new head coach and the return of a familiar face.

Mark Parsons is back in the NWSL after a year away. The 36-year-old coach got his start in the NWSL with the Spirit, coaching the team from 2013-15 before taking the helm at the Portland Thorns and leading them to the 2017 championship. In 2021, Parsons left the U.S. for a short-lived role as manager of the Netherlands, with whom he parted ways this past summer after a disappointing Euros campaign.

There’s no question that Parsons has the NWSL experience to guide the Spirit back into the playoff picture in 2023, but his appointment also begs a few questions for the upcoming year.

A new era in Washington

The Spirit’s 2021 championship run appeared to set a foundation for long-term success, but since Michele Kang took over as primary owner in March, the club has undergone a full operational overhaul.

Kang hired famed Florida State coach Mark Krikorian in June to build out Washington’s infrastructure, and his influence became clear right away. Kris Ward was removed as head coach in August after an incident at practice, and youth and college coach Albertin Montoya stepped in as interim manager. The season ended in disappointment, with the reigning champions and 2022 Challenge Cup finalists finishing in 11th place with a 3-9-10 record and failing to make the playoffs, and indicated that more broad-stroke changes might be necessary.

Then the real work began. Krikorian hired Morinao Imaizumi (also formerly of FSU) to the team’s technical staff and made one of the biggest splashes of the offseason with the hiring of former U.S. women’s national team high performance director Dawn Scott. The appointments have been an ambitious attempt at assembling some of the biggest names in the sport in the U.S.

The team also made early offseason roster decisions that indicated a work in progress. USWNT veteran Kelley O’Hara opted to leave the club, signing with Gotham FC in free agency last week. Washington then chose not to retain Taylor Aylmer, Averie Collins, Devon Kerr, Karina Rodriguez, Audrey Harding, Alia Martin and Gaby Vincent.

According to Parsons, what happens next begins with Krikorian, and the rest goes back to Kang.

“He’s got the main job of executing this vision. I’m just grateful to be able to come in and play a part in it,” Parsons said.

“After multiple conversations with Michele, it’s clear that not only does she have the vision, but she’s acting and she’s putting everything into that vision. Every time I speak with her and Mark, something else has happened, the club has moved forward again.”

Parsons left the NWSL in 2021 after eight years in the league, at the time citing his desire to be closer to family in England as a major part of that decision. Kang, he said, tipped the scale in his willingness to return. The Spirit are attempting to modernize their staff and create a formidable infrastructure that can remain competitive no matter who is on the sideline.

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Michele Kang has made several high-profile hires since taking over as majority owner in March. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

‘The star of the team will be the team’

Parsons’ reputation upon his return to the NWSL can be looked at multiple ways. He led the Spirit to two playoff appearances and won a championship and two NWSL Shields with the Thorns. The decision to leave Portland was a personal one, and not driven by results.

His approach, however, did not translate well to the Netherlands, which he readily admitted on Monday.

“I gave everything, I think the staff gave everything, I think the players did,” he said. “But in the end, I felt passionately that for the better of the team, and also for the better of me, that this challenge was probably too much.”

Parsons isn’t the first coach with club success to run into problems at the international level, but his issues with the Netherlands underline some of the specificities of his coaching style. Reports of hours-long team meetings centered around culture that might be galvanizing in a club environment did not have the same effect on Parsons’ Dutch squad. Although the team struggled with injuries, the results never changed.

That approach is likely what Kang and Krikorian are looking for as Parsons returns to the Spirit. He will have control over the team’s draft and other transactions before a full preseason with the team. He will also have to figure out how to manage the team’s young stars in Trinity Rodman and Ashley Sanchez, creative playmakers who have thrived with a certain amount of freedom.

Parsons cited assistant coach Angela Salem, a former Thorns midfielder, as an important part of that process.

“Having someone who has been on the playing side is important, but also speeds up the messaging for the staff and also the players,” he said. “She knows the good side, but she also knows the parts where I’m going to be challenging because I want to be able to support these players with my heart, with everything I’ve got. But I’m also going to challenge and push.”

Parsons’ fit in Washington will likely hinge on his mentality that “the star player is the team” as well as his ability to manage high-level talent.

“I had an opportunity to talk to the team earlier on, and I said, ‘You’re going to hear a lot from me on values, behaviors and trust, and how we can build authentic trust,” Parsons said.

The success of that trust could make or break a season.

And while Parson is a proven hire, having yet another NWSL coaching search end with a familiar name might move the needle forward for the Spirit, but not for the league at large. Krikorian told the media that while he felt the hiring process was fair, the Spirit did not use a hiring committee in their search.

“It was just a couple of us that were making the choice,” Krikorian said.

As the NWSL struggles to make significant strides in opportunities for both women in leadership roles and coaches and executives of color, Washington will try to turn back the clock with Parsons under the watchful eye of fans.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

Notre Dame Star Olivia Miles to Forgo 2025 WNBA Draft, Enter NCAA Transfer Portal

NCAA transfer portal entrant Olivia Miles #5 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish dribbles the ball during game against TCU Horned Frogs in the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2025 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.
Miles will reportedly enter the transfer portal. (Greg Fiume/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Notre Dame standout Olivia Miles will forgo the 2025 WNBA Draft, instead opting to stay in the NCAA for her final year of college eligibility. But she reportedly will not for the Fighting Irish.

Miles is set to enter the transfer portal, posted ESPN’s Shams Chariana on Monday, moving on from Notre Dame after back-to-back Sweet 16 exits.

"Notre Dame's Olivia Miles — the projected No. 2 pick in the WNBA draft this month — will forgo the draft and enter NCAA's transfer portal, sources tell ESPN," the journalist posted on X. "The 22-year-old top prospect makes unprecedented decision to use her one year remaining of college instead of the draft."

Miles shakes up the 2025 WNBA draft

Miles will certainly have her choice of top-ranked NCAA programs. But the projected No. 2 draft pick’s decision also has major implications on both the 2025 WNBA Draft and the 2026 draft lottery.

The junior started all 34 games this season for Notre Dame. She averaged a career-high 15.4 points per game while maintaining 48.3% effectiveness from the field.

"I love college. I think I've outgrown it a little bit, though, so that makes my decision tougher to stay. It's comfortable, a place where you have security," the star guard told ESPN after Saturday's loss.

With UConn’s Paige Bueckers sitting comfortably at No. 1, expected Top 5 pro recruits USC’s Kiki Iriafen, South Carolina’s Te-Hina Paopao, and fellow Irish Sonia Citron could all see a rankings boost.

Final Four Spotlight: Can South Carolina Win Another NCAA Championship?

Bree Hall #23 hugs Dawn Staley Head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks after defeating the Duke Blue Devils.
South Carolina has come back from two-straight second half deficits in the NCAA tournament. (Eliana Eichorn/NCAA Photos via Getty Image)

As South Carolina women's basketball returns to the Final Four, the 2024 NCAA champions’ March Madness journey hasn’t exactly mirrored last year’s dominance. But their resilience has kept them very much in contention.

The Gamecocks bounced back from third-quarter deficits in their last two tournament games, relying on tight defense and smart positional rotations to wear opponents down.

“It is that type of year, that for us, there’s not any blowouts,” head coach Dawn Staley said after her team’s Elite Eight win over Duke. “We have to grind for every single win that we can get.”

NCAA tournament player MiLaysia Fulwiley lays up a shot during South Carolina 2024/25 NCAA basketball regular-season finale win over Kentucky.
MiLaysia Fulwiley led South Carolina through this year's SEC tournament. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

South Carolina taps into depth after WNBA departures

After losing center Kamilla Cardoso to the 2024 WNBA Draft, the Gamecocks harnessed their depth, relying on strict minute restrictions to disrupt game flow and launch second-half runs.

Sophomore standout MiLaysia Fulwiley has popped off the bench, complementing leading scorer Joyce Edwards and inside show-runner Chloe Kitts.

One of the team’s key veteran leaders, senior Te-Hina PaoPao has been a grounding force as the only player averaging 25+ minutes per game.

March Madness star Chloe Kitts #21 of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrates a basket against the Vanderbilt Commodores in the fourth quarter during the quarterfinal round of the SEC women's basketball tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 07, 2025 in Greenville, South Carolina.
Forward Chloe Kitts has been instrumental for South Carolina under the rim. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

Defense is key to Gamecocks victory

For the Gamecocks to become back-to-back champs, they’ll have to lean hard on their time-honored calling card: defense.

"Look, I mean, at this point it's not going to look pretty. Okay? It's not," Staley said after South Carolina narrowly escaped Sweet 16 opponent Duke. "There are stretches in each game that is not going to look pretty… Some of it's not going to look as smoothly as us coaches and players envision or how you practice, but you certainly have to get down and play the kind of game that's presented in front of you, and we'll do that."

“If we’re not scoring a whole lot of points, then we gotta up our defense,” she continued. “If we’re scoring a lot of points, we gotta up our defense.”

USWNT Adds Friendly Against Canada as Davidson Exits Camp with Injury

Crystal Dunn #19 of the USA kicks the ball in the first half against Canada in the final of the 2024 SheBelieves Cup.
The US last played Canada in the 2024 SheBelieves Cup. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The USWNT announced their final match of the summer’s three-game international window yesterday, with the team set to take on northern neighbors Canada in Washington, DC on July 2nd.

The friendly rounds out a bill that also includes two previously announced clashes with the Republic of Ireland scheduled for June 26th (Commerce City, Colorado) and 29th (Cincinnati, Ohio).

Team Canada Coach Casey Stoney on the field ahead of summer friendly with USWNT.
Casey Stoney joined Team Canada in January 2025. (Ira L. Black - Corbis/Getty Images)

Canada coach Casey Stoney has an edge on the US

With much of Europe focused on the 2025 Euros, July’s bout with Canada will mark the North American nations’ 67th meet-up — but the first under Canada’s new boss.

Coach Casey Stoney arrived in Canada after parting ways with the San Diego Wave last June, her two years of NWSL experience providing extra familiarity with many USWNT stars.

Stoney previously led WSL side Manchester United for four seasons, giving her further insight into current USWNT manager — and ex-Chelsea head coach — Emma Hayes’s style.

USWNT faces Brazil without injured defender Tierna Davidson

Yesterday, the US posted a major roster change ahead of this month’s friendlies against Brazil, with Gotham center-back Tierna Davidson officially sidelined due to a knee injury suffered last weekend.

Davidson will be replaced by 19-year-old Angel City defender Gisele Thompson, who earned her first two senior caps during February’s SheBelieves Cup.

While Hayes’s USWNT is all about fierce competition and roster experimentation, mounting injuries could force the team into thinner lineups than expected — and up the competition across the board.

Texas, UConn Punch Tickets to the 2025 NCAA Final Four

Sarah Strong #21 of the UConn Huskies wins the tip off over Rayah Marshall #13 of the USC Trojans during the Elite Eight round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament ahead of March Madness Final Four.
UConn advanced to the Final Four. (Tyler Schank/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

No. 1 seed Texas and No. 2 seed UConn punched their tickets to Tampa last night, joining No. 1 seeds UCLA and South Carolina in the Final Four after two tight matchups closed out the NCAA tournament’s fourth round.

Texas got the best of in-state foe TCU 58-47, behind a game-high 18-point performance from SEC Player of the Year Madison Booker.

UConn then handled USC 78-64, holding off the JuJu Watkins-less Trojans as superstar guard Paige Bueckers followed up her career-high 40-point Sweet 16 performance by dropping 31 points on the night.

"We're just so grateful, but we know like the journey isn't done," Bueckers said after the game. "We want our story to continue as long as possible, and we have business to finish."

Texas books first Final Four appearance since 2003

After four Elite Eight appearances in five years, the Longhorns finally punched their ticket to the Final Four — their first time back since 2003 — behind a tenacious defense that forced 21 TCU turnovers.

“Anybody that watched that game today, when they turned the TV off, they had to go, ‘Wow, that freaking team plays their ass off,’” Texas head coach Vic Schaefer said after the game.

"I'm having fun with it now," Booker told reporters. "March Madness — you’re supposed to have fun."

"I’m so proud of myself and proud of my team to get to this moment," Harmon said after registering 13 points against TCU.

"Rori Harmon is still that girl," echoed Booker.

March Madness star Paige Bueckers #5 of the UConn Huskies reacts to a play under the basket against the USC Trojans during the Elite Eight round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament ahead of the Final Four.
UConn superstar Paige Bueckers dropped 31 points to secure the Huskies' Final Four berth. (Tyler McFarland/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Bueckers leads UConn to the NCAA Final Four

The Huskies are headed to their fourth Final Four in the last five years. They advanced on a balanced scoring strategy that saw three different players put double-digit points on the board.

In addition to Bueckers’s 30-piece, freshman phenom Sarah Strong ran the frontcourt. Strong paired 22 points with 17 rebounds and four assists for her fifth postseason double-double. Additionally, Princeton transfer Kaitlyn Chen bolstered the backcourt with 15 points of her own.

"There's Disneyland, there's Disney World and then there's UConn World," Auriemma said. "These are fantasy numbers that make no sense. You couldn't predict this and you couldn't script this at all."

All four remaining teams have the potential to win a national championship. Now it’s a matter of who can deliver when the going gets tough.

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