DC United steals victory, Caven Sullivan makes MLS debut, and more: Thursday Freedom Kicks
Happy Thursday everyone. Could today be the first day this week under 100 degrees? Let’s hope so! Here’s some news from yesterday…
Minnesota United 2-3 DC United (MLS)
DC United was down 2-1 in the 89th minute to Minnesota United and ended up winning the match 3-2. An Aaron Herrera header from Christian Benteke tied it up in the 90th minute, and then Benteke won it in second half stoppage time to steal 3 points.
Cavan Sullivan: Philadelphia Union’s 14-year-old phenom sets MLS record (MLS)
By 13 days, Cavan Sullivan’s debut last night for the Philadelphia Union made him the youngest debutant in MLS history. He’s gonna be one of them ones.
Report: Gareth Southgate contacted to gauge USMNT interest (SSFC)
Gareth Southgate could be a candidate for the USMNT head coaching job after it was reported that he was contacted by U.S. Soccer. Also interested in the job: Spain’s Luis de la Fuente.
Germany star Oberdorf will miss Olympics after knee injury (Pro Soccer Wire)
What a huge blow for Germany as Lena Oberdorf suffered a cruciate and medial ligament injury and will not be available for the Olympics.
Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham named EA FC 25 cover star (ESPN)
Jude is inevitable, even on the cover of EA FC 25. The young Real Madrid star will grace the cover of the video game when it comes out in September.
Mexico sacks Lozano after early Copa America exit (Pro Soccer Wire)
Jaime Lozano has been fired as Mexico head coach after he declined Mexican federation’s proposal to demote him to assistant coach for the 2026 World Cup in favor of Javier Aguirre with Lozano returning to the head coaching position for the 2030 cycle. What a mess for El Tri.
Modric signs one-year extension with Real Madrid (BBC)
Luka Modric will return for one final season with Real Madrid, in which he will don the armband as the team’s captain. It is expected that he will leave the club after this coming season, with Kylian Mbappé acquiring his #10.
Football’s silence over Argentina’s racist chanting is deafening and damning (The Athletic)
Soccer really has to stand up to racism, whether it occurs in the stands, on the field, or on the team bus after winning a major championship. It hasn’t in the case of Argentina’s racist chants and the silence is maddening.
Stay cool out there!
3-2 DCU, I’m loving life right now. Everything is sweetness and cream with lots of air conditioning. This team absolutely does not quit.
The Oberdorf injury is big, really big. I hate to see anyone go down, especially a player this good. But with Lena Oberdorf out, that benefits the US Women significantly–Germany isn’t just weaker, they’re a different team with her unavailable.
And yeah, more than a club or two needs to make a BFD out of the chant.
I shudder to think that Messi could have been involved. I certainly hope not. What a sad display, and to have it on video is stupidly embarrassing. Jerks.
I turned the game off in the 85th minute figuring the team was cooked and done for. Then my phone started lighting up. “Herrera scores in the 90th minute.”
So I turned the broadcast back on and sure enough monster a minute later Benteke scored again to seal an unlikely win.
The game was wide open and hard to watch. The Minnesota fans must be numb, a feeling familiar to DC United fans these days.
I am not saying this team is anywhere near a quality side that can dominate in MLS. But they do have a gem in Benteke and need more players like him.
My final thoughts are that I have not seen a DC United team that plays so hard from start to finish no matter what the circumstances, and I have been watching the team for many years. This may not be the most talented DC United team across the whole roster, but it is certainly among the most tenacious teams I have seen.
They have only had a few stinkers. They play hard with limited resources. I like them and really felt we had to win last night. It is a big win going into the MLS break, being only point out of contention for p p p p playoffs…..
Let’s get ready for Celtic!
Completely agree. We had some tenacious teams under Olsen. The team initially worked hard under Losada. But this team has never stopped working for Lesesne. And very few blowouts (something we saw a lot of under Losada and Rooney). They are bought in to the system.
Matt Doyle thinks we need an actual playmaker instead of Pirani:
https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/what-every-eastern-conference-team-needs-in-the-summer-transfer-window
He’s not wrong. Currently Pirani is a guy who occasionally finds neat goal scoring opportunities for himself. It’s an improvement over what he’d accomplished last year and early this year, but it’s not enough.
Having that number 10 would paper over the other cracks he’s mentioned – our leaky defense. Perhaps next year we also upgrade at GK.
Totally agree. I think Pirani is a good investment. He’s young, technically talented, adapts to the MLS and the tenacious, work on defense expectations. Maybe, just maybe, he can develop some vision and learn to connect with his teammates, make better decisions. A better #10 would mean more threats besides Benteke or relying primarily on crosses from Herrera to create chances.
Doyle also wants us to improve at center back, but I expect that the acquisition of Enow will push Peltola to the back line, which may well be improvement enough. Everything I have seen from Peltola so far suggests to me that CB is his highest, best use… he’s naturally inclined to play things safe and concern himself with what could go wrong, he’s more comfortable with the whole field in front of him, and he has sufficient height and strength to do the job properly. Plus, while McVey and Bartlett are not super-talented, they’ve done very well for us, especially given their acquisition cost. Tubbs has looked promising at times, also. There’s probably nothing wrong with the center back corps that consistent goalkeeping and the permanent removal of Pedro Santos from the left back position wouldn’t solve.
At the very least, he needs a bar to jump over. We need a solid contributor on that role. If Pirani can’t displace such a player, that’s the sport
“I don’t know if the right idea is to try to add another young No. 10 or, instead, to wait until winter and figure out how to use a DP slot there. But they’ve got to do something this window or next.”
It’s patently obvious. Pirani doesn’t even see the pitch very much. That Doyle is speculating about the winter instead seems a nod to the constant refrain that DCU is stuck and can’t squeeze a big acquisition or two under the cap now. I’m in no position to comment, but it seems to me that getting a DP level talent is much more plausible this month than it would be in December, when most top players are under contract and probably a key piece for their club in hte midst of their season.
Yup. If it doesn’t happen now (and it won’t), it likely won’t happen for another year. That or we get another young player from a non Euro league.
I don’t think we can. Klich, Benteke, and Peltola are still ostensibly our three DPs, and we have no Miami mandate.
MLS needs to giddy up and announce the universal rule changes so we can figure out what’s possible- right now, I believe we can’t acquire a DP
Peltola is a Young DP, but I believe he can still be re-designated as a U22 (though he just turned 22), if they wanted to use a 3rd DP slot. That would mean they lose the open U22 slots, but they don’t seem likely to use them anyway.
Lesesne was praising Pirani after the game. Yeah, his goal against Cincinnati was nice, and Lesesne knows his players better than I do, but… Pirani still looks bad. In his time here, which now amounts to basically one full season, he only has 1 assist (and that was a secondary assist). Perhaps “number 10” isn’t exactly the role he plays, but you can’t be a 10 and only have one assist.
It’s also kind of weird that when he scores, he seems like he actively pushes away teammates in his celebrations.
The last time he did that, the pushing, I saw it more like, ok, let’s not waste time, we are still losing and we need to score one more time. Then again, he’s young and probably not happy with his role. Young, talented, players can often be petulant when they feel things are not going their way. Do we not remember Acosta? But yes, it is partly on Pirani to get his head right. But as you say, Lesesne knows his players better than we do. I kind of feel that Pirani, regardless of the number he wears, is not a 10. He’s talented and I think the team/ and him, have to figure out what role will bring the best out of him. With him, I often see the technical ability so I have a more difficult time dismissing him as others do.
I’m surprised, DBU, that you turned the match off in the 86th minute as you are a dyed-in-the-wool Black & Red fan. However …
What I do find incomprehensible is fans leaving Buzzard Point with ten or fifteen minutes to go in a close game either way.
OTOH, earlier leaving Minnesota fans were spared watching an all-time last minute collapse.
Also first time I can remember, but this game was difficult to watch with all the persistent fouling that wasn’t being called.
I got an update from DCU and I was sure Minnesota had scored. Herrera!
https://www.intermiami.news/transfers/inter-miami-set-to-miss-out-on-marco-reus-as-legendary-attacker-agrees-to-join-mls-rival/
I don’t think Miami had the roster construction resources for Reus to join them in the first place. If he had I’d have more questions about how their roster is legal.
Apparently Reus is going to LA Galaxy.
Per Tom Bogert, MLS Roster Rules have now officially been updated:
Teams are now permitted either of these two options:
– 3 Designated Players + 3 U-22 Initiative slots
OR
– 2 DPs + 4 U-22 + $2m GAM
Interesting.
Follow up, how the fuck is Miami compliant with this shit?
Darth Garber says they are…
You are wise to align yourself with Darth Garber……
Now, feel the compulsion to buy a Inter Miami Messi jersey…..
I believe they fall into the 3 DP + 3 U22 designation currently (if their MLSPA salary report is to be believed)
What the fuck is Suarez. Did he really contort himself into a financial pretzel just to retire with Messi?
Yeah, according to the MLSPA, he’s strictly a TAM player. I think he’s on a Max-TAM deal, but its supposedly just TAM. From what I remember, Messi, Biscuits, and Campana (who I think is a Young DP). Alba and Suarez are both high-level TAM players. And then they have 5 U22s, with 2 of them loaned out so they don’t count against the current roster. So currently, they have 2 Full DPs, 1 Young DP, and 3 U22s. Its a mess, but its allegedly legal
No, they fall in to the “Garber special Miami-only dispensation” of 5 DPs, 3 U22s and multiple players that change their salary status day by day when anyone asks about them. To learn more details about the “Garber special Miami-only dispensation” consult the Book of the Dead, p. 1027 held in the secret underground annex of the MLS dungeon.
It does feel a little like the part of 1984 when the authoritarian psychological torture expert makes the protagonist defend that 2+2=4 instead of 5 while being tortured. Like, everyone knows that looking at Miami’s roster and saying, “yep, two DPs” is some 1984 Brazil level mind fuckery.
Darth Garber says the answer IS 5.
Comply…..
I would think that Peltola could be reclassified as a U-22 player, which would allow United to get $2 million and sign two more U-22 players. They’re out of international roster slots (assuming the Boris Enow deal is actually happening), so that would be an issue, but if there are any available, they could probably be had for a pretty big discount with only 9 regular season games left.
Oh, apparently this season they also only get $1 million for opting to go that route, since it’s midseason implementation. Still, I’d think that would be enough to get at least one more U-22 player.
I’d also imagine there would be options to get American U22s, like DC did with Durkin before. I’m sure there are a decent amount of former homegrowns that have gone off to Europe, are doing ok, but want to come back
I’ve been half joking about them getting Griffin Yow for awhile.
Especially since they may be lacking PT and want visibility for whomever the next USMNT coach will be.
Tom Bogert clarifies that it’s not the team receiving $2 million (or $1 million this year). It’s that they’d have the ability to pay that from their own pocket, which may or may not put a damper on any more player acquisitions for DC this year.
U22, like DPs has been just a route to limit cap hit. Teams were responsible for the wages above the cap hit…which is why our cheapo owners aren’t doing it. However, I’m not sure what Bogert is talking about. The release on MLSsoccer.com clearly says it’s $2M in GAM (perhaps only $1 million this year). That’s a boost to what the team can spend on it’s roster generally. It wouldn’t directly hit the spend on U22 — that cap hit is unchanged — but it would allow the team to spread an additional $1M or $2M to spend on the rest of the non-prime roster.
https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/team-of-the-matchday-la-galaxy-inter-miami-gain-momentum
Benteke makes Team of the Match Day.
Apparently DC had Henry Wingo on their Discovery List (despite the fact that he used to be a Sounders player). Toronto sent $75,000 GAM to DC for those rights when they signed Wingo.
Yay?
As a reminder since DCU isn’t on you should tuned at 5:30 PM EDT to FS2 and watch Old Glory DC (4 seed) visit Ft. Quincy (Veterans Memorial Stadium in Quincy, MA) and take on the New England Free Jacks (1 seed) in the Major League Rugby Eastern Conference Semifinal. Old Glory beat New England in week 2 for the first time ever in Ft. Quincy, but the Free Jacks won in the return fixture at the Maryland Soccerplex. Both games were very tight and went down to the wire. This is a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Final. The winner will play the winner of NOLA Gold vs Chicago Hounds in the Conference final the following weekend. This is the 2nd season in a row and 2nd season in team history that Old Glory is playing in the Major League Rugby playoffs.