Arsenal and Chelsea women to play in DC, top-selling MLS jerseys, and more: Tuesday Freedom Kicks
Happy Tuesday, everyone! We’re getting some very pleasant weather early this week, so I hope you can all enjoy some time outside, in addition to chatting about soccer with us, and working I suppose. I might make some iced tea!
Spirit will host Arsenal in August friendly at Audi Field (The Washington Post)
As previously rumored, the Washington Spirit have arranged some summer games with WSL squads Arsenal and Chelsea. Arsenal will play the hometown team on August 18, and the two English teams will face off on August 25 in a double-header with Washington’s game against Kansas City.
MLS announces top 25 selling jerseys (MLS)
No surprise the #1 is Messi. I do find it a little surprising that only 13 teams have jerseys in the top 25.
Valencia fans who insulted Vinícius are first to be convicted for racism abuse in Spanish soccer (Associated Press)
Hearing the news, Vinicius Jr. said, “…I am not a victim of racism. I am a tormentor of racists.” Which is a pretty good line.
Press will return to Angel City training two years after ACL tear (Pro Soccer Wire)
I don’t even care if she comes back for the Spirit game and immediately scores on them; I just want to see Christen Press play again.
MLS and its weird history of raccoons: On the field, in the press box and ruining merchandise (The Athletic)
I thought this was delightful. It should surprise none of you that a fair proportion of this is devoted to the raccoons at RFK stadium.
Loons’ Zarek Valentin calls out Puerto Rico federation for low pay to players (Pioneer Press)
Valentin says he earned just $75 playing for Puerto Rico against El Salvador last weekend!
MLS midseason grades: How your team is doing halfway through 2024 (MLS)
D.C. United gets a B-minus from the writers at MLS. Do you agree?
Finally, we have just a couple of midweek game this week:
| Teams | When | Where | Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grove Soccer United vs. VB City FC | Wed., June 12 at 6 p.m. ET | Richmond, VA | – |
| Virginia Dream vs. Annapolis Blues | Wed., June 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET | Falls Church, VA | – |
Have a good week, everyone!
B- is a little harsh. We were expecting to be cellar dwellers instead of mid-table. Still, the failure to fill out the roster more hurts. We’ll see what mid-season brings.
It’s a fair grade. Perhaps we look like we deserve better, but our record and recent trends don’t lie. We’re already running on fumes and need bodies if we’re going to make it through the summer tournament and the rest of the season.
Total agreement. Fair grade.
Remember, we were suspended from school for many years. Improvement.
Yeah, I have no qualms with the grade. We are only halfway through year one of the rebuild after a number of F (or close to it) years. Yes, we’re doing great! For where we are relative to where we came, I couldn’t be happier.
But still a long way to go. And Mackay needs to prove that he can do good topline talent evaluation. Pretty much every MLS he made (including draft and USL picks) came good in big ways. Matti Peltola is pretty good, but perhaps not fully living up to a DP reputation. There’s still time for him to grow into it, and he certainly hasn’t been bad, but it’s not a slam dunk of a signing for a limited resource. Benteke and Klich, who predate Mackay, have performed much better. Similarly, Mackay made Gabriel Pirani his own by making the loan permanent. Pirani has been basically a warm body on the bench (which, actually, we super duper need). Peltola being a Young DP gives Mackay the option to get two more U-22 signings, and he needs to a) even make those signings, and b) have them be real contributors.
But yes, I was expecting a cellar dwelling season. Instead, the team is entertaining, but short staffed, and loses leads way too often, but is also among the league leaders in xG. Benteke’s been at a Best XI level, Klich has been quietly great, and the roster clearing has been very thoroughly done, and should be mostly complete by the end of this year. The process is underway, but sure seems to be working pretty well so far. Keep it going, and get to the A!
On Peltola, I wonder why Hopkins is getting the start even when our DP signing isn’t needed in the back. The first time it happened, I assumed it was rotation, but it’s occurred after, as well. I don’t really even have a conjecture for why this is happening, it’s strange.
Lesesne really seems to like Hopkins. He’s been fine, although I don’t know that he’s been any better than Peltola in that role.
Hopkins has indeed been proving his worth centrally, IMO, but I don’t quite get Hopkins being almost the dedicated 6 while Peltola rides the pine. Stroud has been more of an inside shuttler, as well. I just get the feeling there’s something about the situation we as fans aren’t privy to.
The team has not done well with Hopkins at no. 6. This may or may not be his fault. But Hopkins has the limitation of positioning and passing. He is good at hustling but has great limitations at the position. He is makeshift at best.
Peltola is far better at that position and should be the starter. He has very good positioning and passing. His defense is also better. He will only improve. He looked very good on the Finland national team.
I generally agree, except for your characterization of Hopkins. His passing ability is quite good, his positioning is improving, it’s more his top speed and ability to cover ground, to my eye, that is lacking. I don’t think he’s a makeshift starter, just maybe not the ideal destroyer.
But yeah, Peltola is a very strong lone 6, and I think it’s strange he doesn’t start there consistently.
I think that we shouldn’t really be judging Peltola as a DP. He’s really only a DP right now because of the transfer fee we paid for him and because of how the U22 rules worked at the beginning of the season. In reality he’s closer to a TAM level player and if we’re judging him based on that then I think he’s done really well.
As others have stated, it is a little concerning that Hopkins has been playing as the DM ahead of him. But I’m not too worried by that at the moment. My guess is that he’ll go back to being in the middle once our new signing gets here and we, most likely, go back to four in the back.
It’s fair to judge Peltola as a DP, just because it’s a finite resource. We only get three of them on a roster. Yes, he mostly has that designation as an accounting measure, and because he’s a Young DP, it opens up two other U-22 slots. But so far, Mackay hasn’t filled those, and potentially he could have filled the DP slot with someone better (he did help bring in Hany Mukhtar in Nashville, for instance).
Now, if Peltola starts playing better, or if United gets two more (good) U-22s, or the MLS rules change and Peltola can be reclassified as a U-22, then things could start looking much different.
Yeah, I agree, don’t think it’s possible to ignore the DP tag
Btw, the US u-23’s including Griffin Yow are playing Japan on YouTube, streaming free. If you’re looking at this, about to start at about 8:05
So how bad do we get smoked by Brazil tonight?
Huh a hard fought 1-1 draw….and Brazil’s goal came from the US players turning off again…