Things seem to have gone south for the Washington Spirit over the past few weeks. After riding high with a win in the NWSL Challenge Cup before the season, the D.C.-based club has seen a dip in form, suffering consecutive defeats in their last two games. Not to mention that star player Trinity Rodman is also absent, to make matters worse, having taken a break to address persistent back issues. And as if those predicaments weren’t enough, the latest blow sees Spirit boss Jonatan Giráldez handed a suspension.

The incident transpired in the final minutes of the second-half stoppage time of the Matchday 6 clash against Gotham on April 26. With his side already 0-3 down at home, the frustrated Spanish tactician ended up entering Gotham’s technical area, which earned the former Barcelona coach a red card. That meant he would be required to miss the next match against Angel City, which his side lost 3-4.

Though he did serve his first suspension on May 2, Friday, turns out that Giraldez would be required to serve an additional one-game ban. That’s because even after coming into the referee’s book, the 33-year-old failed to leave the pitch. This has only led the NWSL’s disciplinary committee to extend his punishment.

In a statement released by the board, it said, “After receiving a red card, Giráldez failed to exit the field as required by the NWSL following ejection from a match. After further review, it was determined that Giráldez violated Section 12.4.1 (E), “Send-Offs / Dismissals,” of the League Operations Manual.”

This only means that Giráldez will now miss one more match, which logically is this week’s Matchday 8 clash against the Chicago Stars on May 10, Saturday at SeatGeek Stadium. Either way, this is a huge blow for the Spirit, who once again are being forced to line up without their head coach standing in the dugout. Taking his place again would be, of course, the first assistant coach, Adrián González.

As far as Jonatan’s return is concerned, he’ll be back for next weekend’s Matchday 9 clash against Utah Royals on Saturday, May 17th at Spirits’ home ground. In the meantime, the best task for the players and assistant head coaches would be to find their winning composure in the upcoming game. Already, they are on a losing streak of two games.

In over seven games, they have endured four wins and three losses, keeping them sixth in the table. All of this to top of Trinity Rodman’s absence. Boy, the Spirits are going through a rough patch. Speaking of which, they certainly aren’t alone with another side also facing a similar predicament.

Racing Louisville also joins the suspension club with Washington Spirit

A similar incident transpired in the same match week when the Portland Thorns played a six-goal thriller against Racing Louisville. Following the final whistle, Lavenders forward Ary Borges approached referee Corbyn May to protest what she believed were poor decisions during the match. The confrontation didn’t sit well with the official, who wasted no time in pulling out a straight red card and sending the Brazilian star off.

It caused more drama, with players expressing their discontent with officiating. Even Borges slammed the decisions but did take accountability for her actions. Naturally, the 25-year-old even served the automatic one-match ban suspension in the recent clash against Houston Dash, which Louisville won 1-2, unlike the Washington Spirit. Atleast Racing Louisville has found their form. Yet, from the looks of it, NWSL isn’t done punishing her. The disciplinary committee issued additional sanctions to Ary Borges after further review of the altercation.

As it turns out, the Brazilian is somewhat found guilty of pushing the center official after receiving the red card. “The Disciplinary Committee determined that her conduct violated Section 12.4.10, ‘Major Game Misconduct,’ of the League Operations Manual,” read the statement. And if you think that Borges will be back next week, then we have some bad news for you.

With her post-game actions, the 25-year-old has been handed over an additional three-match suspension. This increases her total suspension to four matches. As for the games she will miss, they include the May 9 clash against Gotham FC, the May 16 matchup with Seattle Reign, and the May 24 game against Angel City. Notably, Borges will be eligible to return from suspension in time for Racing’s June 6 clash against the Utah Royals FC.

While some may criticize the NWSL Disciplinary Committee for handing out such a harsh punishment to Ary Borges—especially in contrast to the lighter action taken against Washington Spirit boss Jonatan Giráldez—it’s worth hearing what further comments the league’s stakeholders had to offer. “The NWSL has a zero-tolerance policy regarding abuse of officials and will continue to uphold the integrity of the game and the conduct expected of all players, coaches and club personnel,” read the statement.

What are your thoughts on this? Sound off in the comments.