As the NWSL grows in popularity, you can look to the northeastern United States as a major reason why. The Washington Spirit and Gotham FC were the two respective teams playing for the 2025 NWSL Championship, headlined by tremendous star power.
However, these two clubs have seen the success that they have due in large part to the managers they have at the helm. Now, Boston Legacy FC enters the fold as one of the league’s new expansion teams. This creates a fascinating dynamic for three teams in very close proximity, managed by three coaches who bring immense international experience.
Adrián González – Washington Spirit
View this post on Instagram
The Washington Spirit are one of the more high-profile teams in the NWSL. After a 2025 campaign in which they ended as runners-up to Gotham FC, many point to star power the club possesses, like Trinity Rodman. However, at the helm, it is Adrián González who is leading one of the hottest clubs in the league.
González, the 36-year-old Spanish, spent most of his career prior to Washington coaching in his native Spain, along with a brief stint in Japan. His first stint as a manager came from 2023-2024 with RCD Espanyol’s women’s team. Then he would make the move to Washington, where he would start as the interim manager for a bit, and then transition to assistant manager.
In the summer of 2025, González took over as Washington’s official manager, and would lead them to the NWSL Championship. Now, in 2026, he has the opportunity to manage a full season leading the Spirit. Despite a somewhat slow start to the season with three draws in five games, the Spirit is still regarded as one of the most dangerous teams, due in large part to the man at the helm.
Juan Carlos Amorós – Gotham FC
View this post on Instagram
Every great championship team in soccer is led by a great championship-level coach. For Gotham FC, that is Juan Carlos Amorós, the 41-year-old manager who has coached the club to winning two NWSL Championships in three seasons.
Amorós, another Spain-native alongside Adrián González, has been at his managerial career since 2011, including nearly a decade managing Tottenham Hotspur’s women’s team. This would be followed by a little over a year with Real Betis, then a move to the NWSL. It took one year as interim manager with the Houston Dash for Amorós to earn himself a permanent manager position in the league, which would result in him earning the Gotham FC job in 2023.
Since taking over in New York, Amorós hasn’t looked back. He has cemented the club as one of the NWSL’s powerhouses, winning championships in 2023 and 2025, as well as earning the title of NWSL Coach of the Year in 2023. Gotham FC are off to a relatively disappointing start to their 2026 campaign, but Amorós’ team is still considered one of the league’s powerhouses and will likely be a serious player down the stretch.
Filipa Patão – Boston Legacy
View this post on Instagram
Boston Legacy FC are embarking on their first season as a club, and have Filipa Patão at the helm. Patão, takes over bringing plenty of international experience from her native Portugal as both a player and a coach.
Patão spent over a decade playing primarily center back in Portugal, including spending 2013-2018 with Benfica, perhaps Portugal’s biggest club. Benfica is exactly where she would begin her managerial career as well, managing the club from 2020-2025. After over five years of tremendous success there, she left the club she had spent 12 years of her life playing and coaching for.
In the summer of 2025, Patão was announced as the first head coach of Boston Legacy FC. Being an expansion team, a slow start was to be expected for Boston this season. Despite this, they are putting their faith in Patão to be the coach that brings success to one of the NWSL’s newest additions to the league.
Featured image via @_adriang0nzalez
_
GIRLS SOCCER NETWORK: YOUR SOURCE FOR GIRLS SOCCER NEWS
The post Meet the Managers: Northeast Edition appeared first on Girls Soccer Network.