D.C. United Leagues Cup schedule, San Diego Wave sold, and more: Friday Freedom Kicks
Happy NWSL opening weekend, everyone! I am super excited for the Spirit season to kick off this Sunday, although as you may have noticed, it’s already creating a lot more District Press work for me. (Big thanks to Rick for taking over Tuesday Freedom Kicks!)
First, D.C. United’s Leagues Cup schedule is out. They will play Atlanta United away and Santos Laguna at home.
Burkle selling NWSL’s Wave to Levine Leichtman family in $113M deal (Sportico)
This news came as a pretty big surprise last night, as there weren’t even rumors that San Diego Wave would be sold. The team is entering its third year and won the NWSL shield in 2023.
FIFA U17 World Cup to be held annually, with next 5 in Qatar (ESPN)
Allowing the same country to host for 5 years in a row feels odd, especially since the host automatically qualifies and since that host is Qatar.
NWSLPA’s Meghann Burke wants to get rid of all drafts as well as trades without player consent (CBS Sports)
Given the league’s demonstrated commitment to parity, I think it’s unlikely that both of these mechanisms will be going away. The move from a draft to a different way of recruiting college players is an interesting possibility, though, especially since the USL Super League has announced they will not be holding college drafts.
Next, an update on the D.C. United supporters’ group protest:
How English soccer sidelines Black coaches (Washington Post)
According to the article, 43 percent of players in the Premier League are Black, but only 4.4 percent of coaches are, and Black former players looking to break into coaches say they don’t get the same opportunities as their white counterparts. Interesting article that draws parallels between similar concerns in the NFL.
Matchday 5: Watch every game FREE on MLS Season Pass this weekend (MLS)
Your chance to get a friend hooked on MLS Season Pass.
NWSL confirms increase in international roster spots (Pro Soccer Wire)
With a ton of international talent coming into the league this year, teams have been allowed to increase the number of international slots from 5 to 7. A good change, but they also need to get rid of the $500K transfer cap to stay competitive.
Now, here’s your schedule for the weekend. It’s filling up!
| Teams | When | Where | Watch |
| D.C. United vs. Inter Miami | Sat., Mar. 16 at 2 p.m. ET | Washington, DC | Apple TV |
| Loudoun United FC vs. North Carolina FC | Sat., Mar. 16 at 3:45 p.m. ET | Leesburg, VA | ESPN+ |
| Washington Spirit vs. Seattle Reign FC | Sun., Mar. 17 at 6 p.m. ET | Seattle, WA | MNMT2, NWSL+ |
| Old Glory DC vs. Chicago Hounds | Sat., Mar. 16 at 4 p.m. ET | Boyds, MD | TRN, MNMT |
That’s all I’ve got for now. Hope you’re all as excited for this weekend’s games as I am!
Let’s put a positive spin on the u17 FIFA decision- at least Qatar hasn’t ditched their development project entirely after hosting the WC! And the stadiums are still there!
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must pack for my Qatar funded trip to Fiji. They have so much money, y’all. Who knew??
I posted this late yesterday OGDC news: https://www.americasrugbynews.com/2024/03/14/mlr-notes-rebolo-to-la-white-to-houston-noa-suspended/
The Annapolis Blues put out their schedule yesterday. I’m very interested in bringing my four year old to a match for them.
One thing I found myself wondering was if players on a team get a per diem while they’re on the road, or if any expenses they run into are out of their own pocket (I assume there’s a team meal on game day). We have a lot of young guys on our team who are making pretty decent money, but not obscene amounts. I was just wondering how much, if any, the team covers on away trips.
I heard Miami has similar issues….
I checked out the CBA, and it provides for $100 per day for meals and $40 per trip for incidental expenses. (Of course there are rules about when these can be prorated if the trip is not a full day or whatever.)
Great digging! Thanks!
Webster’s dictionary update:
Corruption has been replaced by a new word: FIFA
Bribe has a geographic designation as a noun: Qatar
Grift has a new personage: Garber
Interestingly, Garber can be used as a verb, noun or adjective. “He pulled a Garber.” “He Garbered it.” “Garber bucks.” “Garber Vice”
I’m not wild about 5 consecutive U17 WCs in Qatar. Other than some sport washing, you can positively make the argument that it’s an easier haul for the African and Asian federations which may have expense/funding issues. That said, what I think its really about is that it’s a good playground for the rich.
On NWSL abolishing the draft and all trades without permission–I can’t seen abolishing the draft as happening. Right now, there are too many teams that have attractive advantages (like the ability to play in California for instance, or maybe the number who have ties to UNC and Clemson). I think those NWSL proposals make sense only if all of the teams had serious academy efforts.
USA Men’s Eagles XVs are hosting Romania and Scotland this summer. They will play Romania on July 5th in Chicago at SeatGeek Stadium (former home of Chicago Fire and current home of MLR’s Chicago Hounds) and SCOTLAND AT BUZZARD POINT ON JULY 12! Tickets to the game at Buzzard Point go on sale on March 22nd. The men will play Canada at Dignity Health Sports Park home of the LA Galaxy on August 31. The USA Women’s Eagles will play Canada at Dignity Health Sports Park on April 28th.
https://eagles.rugby/news/usa-mens-eagles-to-host-romania-and-scotland-in-july-as-part-of-the-2024-american-series-2024315
OGDC’s game tomorrow is the home opener after being on the road for the first 2 weeks and coming away with 5 points. OGDC sit in 3rd in the Eastern Conference while Chicago is in 4th on 4 points. Both teams are 1-1-0 coming into the game. OGDC’s 5 points come from 4 points for the win + 1 bonus point for scoring 4 or more tries last week against New England. Chicago’s 4 points come from their win in week 1 against expansion side Miami Sharks. Looking to be a good game. OGDC has never lost to Chicago though that’s just the 1 game from last season, which was Chicago’s expansion season.
Troy Lesesne’s Pre-Match Press conference: https://youtu.be/xsH0tdKXOes?si=SULSvPHtfhgt1tvj
Something he mentioned is apparently Benteke purchased his own commercial ticket and flew separate from the team and was as at the game in Cincinnati.