Credit: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports
To hear Rebeca Bernal tell it, Jonatan Giráldez has been after her signature for months.
The Mexican defender told Once Diario last week that the Washington Spirit head coach saw her play for Mexico against the U.S. women’s national team.
“He saw me play against the United States, and said, ‘OK, I want to have her on my team,’”, Bernal told the Mexican outlet. She didn’t specify whether Giráldez had seen the pre-Olympics friendly last July or the Concacaf W Gold Cup group stage match all the way back in February. Regardless, Giráldez saw something in Bernal that he believed the Spirit needed.
Now, three weeks after the news first broke in Mexico, the CF Monterrey legend is officially a member of the Spirit, having signed a three-year contract. Bernal, 27, will slot in at centerback for the club, even though she has spent a lot of time in defensive midfield for both club and country in recent seasons.
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