Washington, D.C. (12/03/25) — The Washington Spirit today announced the appointment of Haley Carter as the club’s President of Soccer Operations, effective December 1. Alongside Carter’s appointment, the Spirit has promoted Nathan Minion to General Manager on a permanent basis.

As President of Soccer Operations, Carter will serve as the club’s senior sporting executive, responsible for defining and executing the long-term vision and strategic plan for the Spirit’s soccer operations. In this role, she will oversee technical, performance, and player development functions, working closely with ownership, and the NWSL to align strategy, culture, and resources for sustained success.

As General Manager, Minion will report to Carter and continue to manage the day-to-day execution of the club’s sporting strategy, leading roster construction, player transactions, and salary cap management to ensure competitive excellence on the field.

“Haley represents exactly the type of leader we want driving our soccer operations forward,” said Michele Kang, majority owner of the Washington Spirit and Founder & CEO of Kynisca. “She brings unique experience as a former NWSL player and proven executive with a clear commitment to elevating women’s soccer. This new role reflects our continued investment in the Spirit’s infrastructure, supporting Nate and his team as we build a sustainable, world-class soccer organization.”

Carter brings a rare combination of experience as a player, coach, and executive across the women’s game. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy and serving as a U.S. Marine Corps officer, she played professionally as a goalkeeper for the Houston Dash in the NWSL. She went on to coach internationally with the Afghanistan Women’s National Team and the Antigua and Barbuda Women’s National Team, where her work earned recognition from FIFPro. Most recently, she served as Vice President of Soccer Operations for the Orlando Pride, overseeing technical and performance departments and helping guide the club through a period of competitive growth and stability.

“To be part of Michele’s vision to set a new global standard in women’s football was an opportunity I could not pass up,” said Carter. “What Michele is building is truly special – a player-first investment model focused on sustainability, innovation, and growth. Washington has such a rich history in the NWSL and one of the most passionate fan bases in the sport, and I’m excited to help shape the next chapter of that story.”

Under Kang’s ownership, the Spirit has entered a new era of growth and professionalization, setting club attendance and revenue records while expanding its investment in performance, player development, and fan experience. Carter and Minion will work closely with Head Coach Adrian Gonzalez and Sporting Director James Hocken to build on the Spirit’s successful 2025 season and further strengthen the club’s competitive foundation.

About The Washington Spirit

The Washington Spirit is the premier professional women’s soccer team based in Washington, D.C. and plays at Audi Field in Buzzard Point. The Spirit was founded on November 21, 2012, and is an inaugural member of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) the fastest growing sports league in the US. The club is home to some of the best players in the world who have won championships for both club and country. For more information about the Spirit, visit WashingtonSpirit.com and follow the club on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Multiple people were arrested at a City of Port Washington meeting Dec. 2 where protesters spoke out against the proposed $18 billion data center.

At least one person was arrested at a City of Port Washington meeting Dec. 2 where protesters spoke out against an $18 billion artificial intelligence data center campus for tech giants OpenAI and Oracle. Multiple others were handcuffed and escorted out of the building.

The arrest came during public comment after a woman speaking against the project led chants of “Recall, recall, recall.” Her three-minute time slot to speak had ended, and city officials had already warned attendees to not speak outside of their turn.

The woman had mentioned that advocacy groups, namely the citizen group Great Lakes Neighbors United, are already planning recall elections to challenge members of the council.

She appeared surprised as police officers approached her to escort her out of the building.

Immediately, the council chambers erupted into commotion, as other protesters stood to defend her. They called out, “She didn’t do anything” and “What is the arrest for?”

Washington Commanders coach Dan Quinn said he’ll consider remaining the defensive playcaller next season, three weeks after taking over those duties for coordinator Joe Whitt Jr.

It would represent a slight change of thinking for a coach who came to Washington saying he wanted to delegate to his assistants more than he had in the past.

“I’m finding a rhythm, so I’m not sure where I’m at on that yet,” Quinn said. “I haven’t discussed or gone down that road too far yet. But yeah, I would say that’s a possibility.”

Another possibility is quarterback Jayden Daniels’ return for Sunday’s game at Minnesota. He remains sidelined because of a dislocated left — and non-throwing — elbow and has yet to be cleared for contact. Daniels hasn’t played since getting hurt with 7 minutes, 39 seconds left in a 38-14 loss to Seattle in Week 9.

Quinn said the team wants to gauge Daniels’ “functional contact” before clearing him: contact that he uses playing the position, such as stiff-arming a defender. Quinn said he would have a better idea of Daniels’ availability Friday after watching him in practice for three days.

“That’s the step we need to see from him,” Quinn said. “It’s not traditional in the sense of taking a hit.”

Quinn said Daniels “ripped a bunch” of passes today and that he’ll work on the functional contact during practice, both in individual sessions and on the side. Daniels was limited in practice last week. He participated in all throwing drills, making sure to not overextend his elbow too much when attempting a pass.

Daniels also will have a new quarterbacks coach the rest of the season with Tavita Pritchard having been named head coach at Stanford. Quinn said assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough will take over Pritchard’s job for the rest of the regular season, with pass game coordinator Brian Johnson also helping more.

The full-time job will be settled in the offseason, which is also when he’ll decide if he wants to continue as the playcaller. Whitt had been the playcaller since the start of 2024 until Week 11 when Quinn took over.

Washington has played less man coverage the past two weeks — 15 combined snaps after averaging 17 the first 10 weeks. Washington lost both starting defensive ends and its top two corners to season-ending injuries.

For the season, the Commanders’ defense ranks 28th in scoring and 31st in yards. Since the change, it ranks 14th in scoring and 25th in yards.

“I feel much more settled in,” Quinn said. “This week we found a great structure. Joe’s been incredibly supportive to help and assist and we kind of found our rhythm together quickly.”