Former Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations Haley Carter joins the Washington Spirit in a rare blockbuster for NWSL technical staff.
Two weeks after departure the team she helped turn into NWSL champions, Carter will now serve as the Spirit's president of soccer operations.
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The new role will allow her to realize wider ambitions: not just to lead the Spirit, but also to shape the global game through the multi-club structure of owner Michel Kang. However, she faces immediate challenges, including Trinity Rodman's free agency and the Washington Spirit's quest for a second championship.
Carter earned a reputation as one of the league's best general managers during her three years with the Pride after leading them to the Shield and the 2024 NWSL Championship. She also leaves one title contender to another.
Midway through Orlando's historic 2024 season, the Pride announced that the club and Carter had agreed contract extension through the 2026 season with an option for 2027. The Pride reached the semi-finals this season, even after losing star striker Barbra Banda to injury mid-year, and were eliminated by a late goal from eventual champions Gotham.
“I’m proud of what we accomplished as a group in Orlando and very grateful to everyone in attendance: owners, staff and athletes,” Carter said. Athletic in an interview earlier this week. “It will always have a special place in my heart.”
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Carter knows the move north will get the women's soccer community talking. So why leave?
“I think that would be a big question,” Carter said with a hint of a smile.
“The reality is that by taking on the role alongside Michelle, especially the President of Spirit Football, it's such an expanded leadership role that allows me to act on a broader strategic level. Not just building one championship club, but helping shape the future of women's football across multiple clubs, across multiple continents, across multiple contexts – that's really important.”
For Kang and Spirit, finding the right person to lead the athletic department took nearly eight months, with a long list of candidates across America and Europe.
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“No one came close to Hailey,” Kang said. Athletic on Tuesday.
She mentioned Carter's military background, her time as an NWSL player, her work with the Afghanistan women's national team, her time with the Pride and her focus on taking care of the players.
“When I thought about what we needed at Spirit and what our players needed, and how to take our club to the next level, I couldn’t think of a better person after an exhaustive search,” Kang said.
Carter will serve as the Spirit's top football executive since the Spirit removed the interim title from general manager Nathan Mignon. Mignon has held the position since Mark Krikorian's departure in March and works alongside athletic director James Hawken. Carter will oversee “technical, performance and player development functions,” Spirit said, with a focus on long-term vision rather than day-to-day roster building and club management, which will fall under Minion's purview.
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When asked about her discussions with Kang regarding the potential role, Carter joked that it wasn't that difficult since she had a hard time making the decision to transfer. (It also involved a physical move; Carter said she intentionally found a new home in D.C. itself rather than choosing Northern Virginia or Maryland.)
“I've been here a long time and I've watched Washington in particular grow over time. I was very cocky about some of the things going on in the early days with Washington because I knew how big it could be and I knew how loyal the fans were and I could see the potential,” she said.
Carter recalled playing Kan-Jam with the Spirit Squadron in the tailgate after retiring from the game while the team was still playing at the Maryland SoccerPlex, years before she re-entered the NWSL as general manager. Taking on Kang at the helm of the team changed that potential, moving the team to Audi Field and making investments in Spirit across the board while continuing to focus on the global game.
“The Spirit has become a cultural icon in D.C., which is really cool,” Carter said. “He has a rich history in the league and now has the resources and ambition, supported by Michele, to truly compete at the highest level domestically and internationally.”
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The reach of Carter's new role is an important step in terms of realizing her own ambitions: not just to “create something special, sustainable and transformative” but to have an impact on a global scale.
As for Kang, she wants Carter to start with Spirit because she feels the club needs her experience to help develop a model for running a top sports organization. “Let’s build this on a spiritual level and bring it to perfection,” Kang said, and then extended it to other clubs.
Currently, there is still work to be done to help Spirit get over the hump of adding a second star to their crest.
Carter's tenure begins shortly after the Spirit's second straight NWSL finals appearance and second straight 1-0 defeat. Washington's lone NWSL championship win came in 2021. Carter has made multiple postseason appearances and knows how hard it is to not only win a championship, but continue his run into next year. Spirit will need this knowledge after his emotional defeat to Gotham in San Jose earlier this year.
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“It takes a little bit of luck to win a championship — that’s the reality — and a very, very good understanding of how to control what you can control and fine-tuning the details,” Carter said. She's ready to watch the first months of the offseason and said the Spirit doesn't need a major overhaul. Her task is to find those things that need improvement.
“Find out where the gaps are. Find out where we need investment. What changes do we want to make in culture? What does success actually look like?” Carter said. “We have to define this as a club… not just this season, but three, five years from now. What makes me very happy is being able to answer these questions to people who are already here, doing the work, rather than answering it for them.”
Kang was also quick to pay tribute to the existing staff, pointing to their three finals appearances over the past five seasons. “We just need the last mile,” she said. “Surely someone like Hailey can push us all that last mile.”
One of the biggest questions of the Spirit's offseason is the ongoing question of re-signing striker Rodman, which Carter is in the middle of, even though talks have reached NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman.
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“We all know that keeping Trinity is a top priority, not just for me, not just for Michelle, but for the entire league. She is a generational talent. When you think about the last few transfer windows and the talent that has gone overseas, it's a legitimate concern,” Carter said. Rodman's influence off the field must also be considered, from sponsors to ticket sales and broadcasts.
“We will do everything we can to work with the league on solutions that will allow us to retain players like Trinity,” Carter said.
She believes the NWSL salary cap in its current form was created “for a different era of women's football” rather than one in which NWSL clubs compete with a handful of top international teams willing to spend big on player salaries and transfer fees.
“As these international clubs start to increase their investment, the reality is that we will need mechanisms that will allow NWSL clubs to compete for our own players. Michelle gets it, we get it, we all get it, and I think there is real momentum to find solutions.”
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Carter doesn't yet know what those solutions might look like.
“When it comes down to it, Trinity must be the cornerstone of what we are building in Washington,” she said. “We're committed, from a talent retention standpoint, from a league standpoint, to making sure that happens. It's just a matter of working with the league to see what the potential solutions are.”
While salary cap restrictions are still a work in progress, other factors could help Rodman stay where she is. Kang's hiring of Carter is one of those things.
“It was also a calculation,” Kang said. “Someone like Trin, and really all the other players, I think there might be a different model. Yes, money is important and potentially that could be a factor in the decision, but there are a lot of different components players are thinking about now: competitiveness of the league, the training facility, the coaches, taking care of the players and all that.”
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“Having someone like Haley who not only played herself, coached, but also had a player-focused and player-first mentality is a huge thing and can ensure that we retain the best talent in the Spirit.”
Whatever happens to Rodman and the future of the league when it comes to the salary cap and possible workarounds for star players, it won't stop the ongoing momentum in the Audi Field stands. Carter is “thrilled” by the Spirit’s cultural impact on the city and the lack of parking at the Plex until the 2025 gameday Wednesday. Rodman and other players climbed into the capo podium after games this year as the relationship between players and fans develops. Attendance has grown steadily since the move to Audi Field, first topping an average of more than 10,000 per year in 2023, nearly 14,000 last season and more than 15,000 in 2025.
“The product on the field, the fan experience, the fan experience and the athlete experience are not mutually exclusive,” Carter said.
“This growth isn't just about, 'Oh, there are more fans.' The connection has become much closer. It's a weaving of storytelling that I think is really exciting.”
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Starting this week, she will have a role in writing this story for 2026 and beyond.
This article originally appeared in Athletic.
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