BOS Nation FC has hired a general manager, the team announced today. Domènec Guasch will join BOS Nation as their inaugural GM, officially beginning his role in January 2025. The team will begin league play in 2026.

“Domènec is a dynamic leader with an exceptional ability to identify and nurture championship-caliber talent,” said BNFC controlling owner Jennifer Epstein via a team statement. “His extensive experience and forward-thinking vision position him perfectly to lead our sporting operations.”

Guasch joins NWSL from FC Barcelona, where he was head of management for women’s football for the past two years. He spent nearly 14 years at the club in various positions, including leading the American side of Barça Academy. In his role with women’s football at Barcelona, he oversaw recruitment and player contract negotiations.

“The opportunity to build this team from the ground up is a challenge I fully embrace, and I’m eager to create a legacy that our fans and this city will celebrate for years to come. I’m excited to get to work assembling a world-class coaching staff and roster to compete at the highest level,” Guasch said in the team statement.

Per Boston’s announcement, Guasch will be responsible for “first team performance, scouting and recruitment, player acquisition, player care, medical and performance, analytics, soccer operations and administration, and compliance.”

Boston’s player recruitment will take place in the first year of the post-draft NWSL era. With no college or expansion drafts available to stock a roster, Boston will be the first NWSL expansion team required to acquire talent based on the strength of the team’s appeal. However, there is always the possibility the league may create tradeable assets (like allocation money) that Boston could use to even the playing field between themselves and established teams.

BOS Nation has most recently been dealing with the fallout of their team name launch, with criticism levied against both the actual name and a promotional launch video using a “balls, balls, balls” tagline that was panned by fans for being transphobic. The team apologized for the video, taking it down within a day of the launch, and most recently announced that they were considering a name change.

The team is also still working on their proposed venue, a renovated White Stadium in Franklin Park that would be used in conjunction with Boston Public Schools. Demolition has yet to begin on the renovation, while community groups, including the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, have opposed the proposed renovation over concerns that the process was rushed, did not include enough community input and could lead to the privatization of portions of the park.

Should these elements not be resolved by the time BOS Nation has a coach in place, they may impact Guasch’s ability to attract top talent, both domestic and international.

‘Another Barcelona figure heads to the U.S’

Analysis from Barcelona correspondent Laia Cervello Herrero

Guasch’s move to Boston is interesting and one that sees another former Barcelona figure head to the United States, as Jonatan Giraldez did last summer when he took over as coach of the Washington Spirit.

Guasch spent 13 years at Barcelona in various positions. When he arrived in 2011, he began coaching U8s, U10s and U12s teams at Barça Escola Barcelona — a football training school located in the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper for boys and girls between six and 12 years old.

At the same time, he became coordinator of several international camps in the USA, Japan, Brazil, Sweden, Denmark, Montenegro and Luxembourg. In May 2023 he joined the women’s team to become Markel Zubizarreta’s right-hand man, and then Marc Vives when Zubizarreta left four months later.

Guasch took over from Jessie Engelhart in the position. Engelhart was key to Zubizarreta and his departure was one of the reasons for the former Barcelona women’s sporting director’s attrition. Guasch has been in charge during the last year and a half of the personal negotiation phase of player renewals and new signings. In recent days he has been seen working alongside Jordi Arasa, who will take over from him.

In Spain, the departure of Guasch — better known as Dome — was widely expected and the club understood that he could not let this opportunity pass, despite being happy at the club.

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(Photo: Barry Chin / Getty Images)