Colombian federation president arrested, Arango suspended, and more: Tuesday Freedom Kicks
Copa America and the Euros are over, but the summer of soccer continues, with the USWNT playing their Olympic kick-off game tonight in Buzzard Point. Will I be willing to brave the extreme heat to watch them? Time will tell.
Colombian soccer federation president arrested after chaotic Copa America final at Hard Rock Stadium (CBS Sports)
Of course you already knew about the chaos at Copa América, but you may have missed this news, which came out yesterday afternoon. Both the Colombian federation president and his son were arrested for allegedly assaulting security after the match.
Real Salt Lake’s Cristian Arango suspended 4 games by MLS (ESPN)
In more misbehavior news, Cristian Arango has been suspended for four games for violating anti-harassment rules. No word (yet?) on what he did to earn the suspension.
Team of the Matchday: Columbus Crew, Charlotte FC reach another level (MLS)
Cristian Dájome made Team of the Matchday for this two goals against Nashville this weekend. He’s also nominated for Goal of the Matchday for his banger of a game-winner. In my opinion, he faces some pretty stiff competition, especially from the Cucho Hernández goal that made me gasp.
USWNT, despite little time under new coach Hayes, ‘in a good place’ for Olympics (Pro Soccer Wire)
In advance of this evening’s match, Jason Anderson took the temperature of the USWNT on how far they’ve come in a few games under Emma Hayes.
Rosters for 2024 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T (MLS)
I love a good Skills Challenge! Interesting that both of the female players who make guest appearances on Team MLS and Team Liga MX (Diana Ordóñez and Alicia Cervantes) are Mexican, but I suspect the reason is that, with Mexico not qualified for the Olympics, they were available.
NWSL reporting procedures lack transparency (Gal Pal Sports)
After former San Diego Wave employees spoke out against what they called a hostile work environment last week, the NWSL revealed that it had already investigated and cleared the club. Now, some are criticizing the league’s anti-harassment procedures and particularly the lack of transparency, which could help reassure the public after very public complaints.
Now for some fun, try to guess which of these USWNT players has the best layup.
Just one mid-week match for our local teams. Hopefully it’s cooler in Minnesota than it is here in the District.
| Teams | When | Where | Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| D.C. United vs. Minnesota United FC | Wed., July 17 at 8:30 p.m. ET | Saint Paul, MN | Apple TV |
Have a good Tuesday!
No wonder the South American teams are so tough- the entirety of CONMEBOL appears to live by Viltrumite culture! (Invincible reference).
Wondering if Hayes can resist another little Bethune sampler tonight- came the closest to scoring of anyone not named Smith last night
Also, didn’t get to talk about this a ton yesterday, but Messi’s gotta be out for a bit, and though it was a rough play that seems to have gotten him here, I think this is a lesson not to pin your relevance and form on a 38 year old
What about FOUR 38 year olds?
(I wish that was just who Miami was pinning their hopes on. Their youngsters are exceptional, and they have folks like Julian Gressel too. Even Drake Callendar is a homegrown [sort of. They acquired his homegrown rights from San Jose, similar to how Portland dealt with Eryk Williamson, and I believe we did with Garrison Tubbs. {Wouldn’t San Jose really like to have a solid goalkeeper right about now, and a homegrown at that?}]).
Miami might have more going on than their Barcelona alumni, but it seems highly unlikely they’re not getting juiced by MLS failing to look under the hood, salary wise
Yeah, it all seems very suspicious. I think their financial penalty from having four DPs still extended to the beginning of Messi’s tenure? And to be able to add all the pieces they did beyond just the Barca Four… Gressel wasn’t cheap. Yeah, they sold some players (including Yedlin to Cincinnati, which… Cincinnati was able to add players like Miles Robinson and Yedlin willy-nilly too).
It all seems like teams are either a) getting away with a lot more stuff, or b) have way more ambitious/creative/skillful front offices than DC has. I totally buy that Dave Kasper left United in a bad place, contracts-wise. But United unloaded a ton of players in the offseason. They didn’t bring in a full roster, and the only player they brought in that really had a significant cap hit was Herrera. They added Pirani as a full-time player, but he was on last year’s roster, and he only hits the cap at a U-22 level anyway (likewise, Peltola is only hitting the cap at a Young DP level). Yeah, there’s still lots of big contracts, like Rodriguez, Dajome, Birnbaum, Santos, Canouse, etc., but… there’s no room to bring in anybody else?
I think that Schnegg, Enow, and Badji will be good pieces, and a preemptive hat tip to Mackay for getting them. But we can’t get two more U-22 players? I’m not expecting us to go out and sign Marco Reus when we already have a full complement of DP slots filled, but I wouldn’t hate it if we did something like that.
Here’s my take–based on no hard evidence. The ownership wanted Rooney. And Rooney demanded they pony up for some DPs with big money (Klich and Benteke. And then pay far more than appropriate for Reval Morrison). As I recall, weren’t we one of the top 5-6 teams (salary-wise) under Rooney?
And I think ownership has told Mackay and Lesesne “nah, we’re not opening up the checkbook.” And only the 11 game non-winning streak forced ownership to go “OK, we’ll let you do more than just add players by selling/cutting players to add cap room–we’ll actually spend more.” That’s my read.
In short, I don’t blame MacKay or Lesesne. I think it’s the ownership setting limits. Just like they did when Benny and Kasper were here and they were told “until we get the new stadium, we’re on a tight budget.” And DCU was always vying with Columbus for the lowest cap hit in the league.
While obviously its hard to say for sure, I do envision there will be a time in the near future where Miami, Cincy, LAFC, etc. will end up hitting a hard cap wall and will regress. It seems to be the case where most of them (especially Cincy) have thrown a lot of money and resources to get some great players on decent contracts, but those will inevitably get more out of hand as time goes on. So they’ll either have to start getting rid of those players and replace them with cheaper ones, or try to sign them to more friendly contracts, which may or may not end up working for them. I’m sure those teams have a stronger argument for “we can’t pay you as much, but at least you’ll be winning/playing with Messi/etc.” but that’s only sustainable for so long. I can see a lot of these teams going through what Atlanta did, where they had tons of great players for a few years, did really well, and then regressed to a more mid-table team. I don’t think any of them will end up being terrible, but I wouldnt be surprised to see them come back down in the next few years
Likely true. I’m just waiting for our upswing of the cycle.
I think in a just world, you’re right, but MLS may well change the rules to keep the “super clubs” “super.” Time will tell
Kevin Kegan wrote an opinion piece on the league site a week ago about how MLS should embrace the “Big Six Era.” It was more compelling than I expected it to be, about how the competition between elite clubs is pushing them be even MORE elite.
That’s fine, so far as it goes. The issue really starts to become a problem when it’s just the same big six clubs year after year.
But that’s what I’m saying. I think Garber would bite your arm off for a comparison to the EPL. This might well be the new direction of the league, now that there’s ostensible stability and mls specific stadiums.
Perhaps. But you’d think that Garber would be a bit more market-conscious. Having Columbus and Cincinnati and even Miami be elite is great, sporting-wise. But if there’s ever a chance for one of the New York teams to join, or Chicago or Houston or whatever, Garber seems pretty attuned to that.
I would think that the head of a league that has from the start preached parity of structure and means overall, and tried to keep owners equally happy for so long, would not allow this Miami thing to happen. Here we are.
I think it might sink the league at this rate, much like the NASL of old, but Garber seems to have less changed his tune as much as he’s switched genres.
Minnesota has been in a rough spot. We might have a chance at a result at their place. I don’t think we’ve ever won there. However, I believe they’ll have some reinforcements back from Copa America, particularly Dayne St. Clair. Our offense has actually been doing pretty well recently, with the team getting multiple goals (except against Orlando) even when they’ve been shorthanded, with and without Benteke. The types of goals have been varied, and the scorers have been nicely distributed. We’ll need to be sharp to beat St. Clair.
It’s also going to be something of a Finnish Derby, with our Matti Peltola squaring off against their Robin Lod and Teemu Pukki.
Well, Gareth Southgate, come on down and join Luis de la Fuente in the interview circle! Southgate has resigned as England Manager. I know he gets a lot of criticism for England not playing up to the abilities and doubling the number of goals scored in the tourney for all other teams. But…if you’re looking for someone who has a good record in tournaments, produces a team that competes, speaks English, has some knowledge of the US player pool, is available right now, you have to consider Southgate. Maybe he wouldn’t be your first choice. But he’d have to at least get serious consideration.
Come in second in Euros, and resign…pressured by expectations, delusional or otherwise…
The English press is just to harsh….
Their fans, simmering in denial….
I think Southgate has done a fine job with the squad. (No Scottish snark here either, not one bit)
I still think that my preferred choices would be: Rangnick, Thomas, de la Fuente, or Renard. Southgate definitely deserves consideration–he probably he more familiar with some of the US players then any of those others and his teams advance in tournaments. But I think (if all 5 of them said “yes, pick me, pick me!”) that I’d go with either Rangnick or de la Fuente.
The ladies in my section want Renard.
So now that United have beaten Nashville, what are the other teams they’ve never beaten? I think it’s St. Louis, Austin, and LAFC. Is that right? Am I missing any?
Holy shit, Steve Birnbaum is retiring!
The injuries have caught up to him. He’s been an amazing player for the club. I still remember being there in Philadelphia when he was drafted, and getting to chat with him a little bit. Since then, he’s gone on to play the third most games and minutes in United history, after only Jaime Moreno and Bill Hamid.
Congratulations Steve. Thanks for everything, and enjoy retirement. Heal up.
And United’s possible resources this offseason just got a LOT bigger.
A shame to see him have to go out like this and not on his own terms. He’s given so much for the team and will inevitably go down as a team legend. Hopefully he’s able to stick around the team in some way. I think he could actually do really well in the booth with Dave.
It should free up some cap space though, so hopefully the team can put that to good use. I do hope with this, though, that Canouse sticks around after this year.
With Birnbaum retired, Jeremy Garay is now the second longest-tenured player on the roster, after Canouse.
FWIW, after colectomy, people with ulcerative colitis typically feel terrific. He looked great in the club the other night. If he wants to be back, I wish it so for him.
Thank you, Steve Birnbaum. You are true DC United man. Stick around if you want to.
Canouse will be totally fine – I know someone who’s had the same surgery for the same reason and other than some dietary changes you wouldn’t know.
If Canouse played for us again next season, I’d be over the moon
If I see him again, I’ll strike up that we would love that.
Sunspot, you are spot on. Generally speaking, UC patients do well after colectomies. All that nasty auto-immune inflammation ceases.
A wall of Enow and Canouse in front of the defense would be pretty damn tenacious.
I remember there were rumors of bad friction between him and Olsen before the latter moved on, but never anything public. The only reason I mention this is, that’s it. That’s the extent of his record. He was an immaculate pro, a loyal soldier. Remember how a lot of the fanbase thought he was done after the concussion, myself included, frankly? He came back and played like an MLS playoff worthy CB. He’s reached the end, and it isn’t with an MLS Cup, but the fans should give him their gratitude for being one of the few reliable pieces in the Levien era
I never heard that about him and Olsen. I did hear that he and Losada didn’t get a long.
The only player to get along with Losada seemed to be Gressel.
I’m not misremembering, Birnbaum and Olsen were at odds when he left, but it’s hard to believe anyone being harmonious being pushed that long and hard for so long, eventually it had to change, even for Steve.
Losada did piss off a lot of people, apparently, I don’t remember Birnbaum being singled out. At any rate, I don’t believe he ever went public with any of his personal animosity, whatever it was.
I don’t remember Olsen/Birnbaum drama, but unfortunately it was time for him to depart at that point. Taking time away from the bench seems to have had a profound effect on his energy and capability, as we’re seeing in Houston.
As for Losada, while Birnbaum himself never said anything (which is the right thing to do), I recall Goff reporting that the final straw was Losada trying to send him up for a midweek Open Cup game. There was some weird power struggle and the FO overruled Losada. I’d imagine he was not well enough to play but Losada wanted him there as captain.
Correct. Birnbaum had said he needed to rest his knee and hip. Plus at that point a couple of players (especially Seitz) had complained how the micromanagement and diet control.
If I recall correctly, Birnbaum’s wife had just had a kid so he wanted to spend time with them instead of traveling to play on turf against a lower division team.
Sucks to hear. I predicted this would be his last year given all the joint issues he’s had never mind the concussions. It sounds even worse than I thought. Hope he can get to a healthy place – Olsen appears to be quite well shifter hanging them up.
Mr. “Birdbomb”, you’ve been an outstanding player through thick and thin. You’ve been a good team leader. You’ve been a class act. Thank you for being a part of the team that I embrace and follow and cheer on.
The team just posted a really cool video on Twitter of a bunch of different people congratulating Birnbaum on his retirement. He got congratulations from Lesesne, current teammates, Rooney, Olsen, and lots of former teammates like CP13 and Bobby Boswell. Bobby’s in particular was really good.
It’s really nice to see the team doing so much to commemorate Steve, given how long he’s been here
Thumbs up with vigor and gusto
Hey can we link that tomorrow?
https://x.com/dcunited/status/1813307061494599877
Thanks for that. What a lovely tribute. Boswell was especially hysterical, as always.
I sincerely hope that Steve lands in the organization. Its a win win to me.
Lots of good comments. Yep, Boswell’s video was hilarious (Your Robin to my Batman!). And Benny’s comments were very good and from the heart.
It was really nice, as was Steve’s own farewell video. I can’t believe they didn’t end with Boswell though, instead tacking on some (pretty lame) Brad Smith message with a dumb golf joke to finish it up.
Steve is an avid golfer. I am sure that was the nod to the next chapter. (Although, I agree that Boswell takes the prize for the funniest)
Ahead of tomorrow’s game we don’t have anyone suspended, but we do have 3 players sitting on yellow card accumulation warnings:
Lucas Bartlett
Aaron Herrera
Mateusz Klich
https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/mls-disciplinary-summary
I would wager at least one of them is picking up a yellow.
Darth Garber’s agent on the field has three yellows in his pocket with each person’s name and number on it.
Will our home pitch survive the entire season? Seems like it’s coming apart, and the US women were kind enough to comment on it’s shoddy condition (even if one of those was “no comment”).
Not trying to find more excuses for our bad home record, I’d just wager the field isn’t helping.
Goff is saying that the playing surface will be replaced following the Leagues Cup match on July 31.
I’d like to welcome Celtic to our greenery…..
Shh…this is DC metro area we aren’t allowed to do things that make sense, nor will Darth Garber allow it.