Good Wednesday! I’m still reeling from last Saturday. I had invited some Philly friends to come check out D.C. United’s shiny new stadium for their first time. I didn’t expect to have such a frustrating experience. Fortunately, the friendship is stronger than the misery of that match. Onto the kicks!
Thoughts & Numbers: What I’m watching for in MLS Matchday 29 (MLS): D.C. United may not be in action today, but the same can’t be said for much of the rest of the league.
Martino: MLS likely won’t play during 2024 FIFA international windows (Pro Soccer Wire): I look forward to seeing how the MLS season will fit in the regular season, USOC, Leagues Cup, Champions League Cup, and FIFA international windows. Either Messi doesn’t play because he’s called up for Argentina, or he doesn’t play because the team is on its fifth game in 18 days with Wednesday matches.
Washington Spirit ‘boss’ Michele Kang’s plan to elevate women’s professional soccer (WAMU 88.5): Ambitions remain high for the Spirit’s owner.
NWSL Weekend Take-Off: Sophia Smith injury looms as playoff pressure ramps up (Pro Soccer Wire): Catch up on how the rest of the NWSL did last weekend, because the league is surprisingly more than the Spirit’s tying goal in the dying seconds of their match last Sunday.
Gregg Berhalter Is Back. Can He End the Drama and Take the US Men’s Soccer Team Forward? (Vanity Fair): Friendly reminder that Gregg Berhalter is still the coach of the USMNT and will remain so.
Megan Rapinoe to play final USWNT match on September 24th (SSFC): Turns out Megan Rapinoe’s final professional kick will not be a World Cup missed PK.
That’s all for this morning. Get kicking in the comments below!
Chicago will be playing Vancouver tonight (sadly, not in Vancouver). Let’s hope that they play very hard and are feeling pretty fatigued on Saturday.
Of course, United doesn’t have a sterling record against opponents on shorter rest than they have.
Chicago lost, 1-0. Hopefully they’re demoralized, and not hellbent on turning things around.
With United’s record, we should be advertising D.C. to visiting teams as an excellent stop to get some confidence back.
Did you know that your season ticket package for 2024 includes the Inter Miami game?
Get ready for that Messi tax! My Union friends said the SG seats went up 17%, while many others throughout the stadium are up 30-40%.
Kevin Paredes got called up for the USMNT September friendlies. Of course, nobody on the current United roster did.
I might actually like TKD more as an attacking option than Cade Cowell. Think he’s hyped cuz he’s young and athletic, but I think time will relegate him to the “meh” category
He also doesn’t play for DCU. The last United player that got regularly called up for USM Senior NT was Arriola.
Cowell is impressive. Athletic. Strong. Tall. You can’t coach or develop most of those qualities.
TKD seems to have a bit of an “It” factor — the ability to find another gear, the drive to succeed, and enough control to get it done. Cowell has that too, plus that top-level body.
And he also will not develop much more foot skill or technique.
He’s a specimen, I just doubt he’s going to be much more of a long term player than Daryl Dike going forward
Yeah, re-reading this, I just flat out disagree about the level of technical ability between the two players, Cowell is a bull, TKD is a better dribbler. Cowell isn’t the least skilled offensive player to be called in, but he’s miles behind the players this pool has and will have by the time the World Cup comes around.
At any rate, Parades is listed as a defender, but I hope he doesn’t just stand in as an understudy to Robinson. I imagine Cowell will get minutes as that impact winger, to my mind, Parades is more dynamic in that role.
USMNT striker Folarin Balogun has transferred to Monaco from Arsenal for ~$43.4 million after add-ons (~$32.8 million base). Its a 5 year contract: https://theathletic.com/4813214/2023/08/30/folarin-balogun-arsenal-monaco-transfer/
Think he will do well. He has a lot of tools, if it all comes together and he takes the next step, he’ll be an 80 million+ player
If the league stops playing during FIFA windows then we’ll get congestion hell. Unless the # of games played is reduced. Its just a measure of time. MLS can’t go to a winter schedule. Besides that making us compete with the NFL for a longer stretch, it would force multiple teams to play road heavy schedules in the winter months due to unsafe weather conditions. Another option would be to shrink the playoff fields, but I don’t see the league doing that.
I think MLS should have split the season in two (no apertura/clauses seasons though, still just one long season). Also, the first round of playoffs shouldn’t be best of 3, if it was going to be anything it should have been two legged.
The first half could start early February and end late May then the second half could start early August with playoffs finishing early December. It almost lines up pretty well with Liga MX if they want to still take a month long break for Leagues Cup.
Players would get a decent summer break and winter break more or less. Not every team goes far in every tourney, although I don’t know how it would interfere with international tournaments.