Richie Burke, a longtime youth coach in the D.C. area, has been hired by the Washington Spirit to coach the National Women’s Soccer League team, a person close to the situation said Thursday.
Burke addressed the players for the first time during a conference call Thursday. Neither he nor Spirit officials responded to messages seeking comment.
Burke was the first choice of the Spirit’s new majority owner, local tech executive Steve Baldwin. Bill Lynch, the team’s primary investor since its launch in 2013, will continue to have an ownership stake, multiple sources said.