Yazmeen Ryan among Gotham departures, 2024 round-ups, and more: Friday Freedom Kicks
Happy Friday and happy holidays, everyone! I am back in town after a few days with family for Christmas, and while I’m looking forward to some quiet time at home after that, I was thinking yesterday that I wish I had some international football to enjoy as well. I could try to get into the Premier League or something, but that seems unlikely.
Messi, Cavan & more: 10 biggest MLS moments of 2024 (MLS)
The end-of-year round-ups are rolling in. Here’s one from Charles Boehm on the biggest stories in MLS this year.
USWNT year in review: Six stories that defined an utterly unique 2024 (Pro Soccer Wire)
Jason Anderson’s take on the year in USWNT.
Sources: Houston Dash Sign Yazmeen Ryan From Gotham for Transfer Fee (Sports Illustrated)
After acquiring all the biggest names in free agency last year, NJ/NY Gotham FC is starting this offseason with a flurry of departures. Lynn Williams and Delanie Sheehan already left the team, and now Yazmeen Ryan, who’s recently been making an impact on the USWNT, is headed to Houston.
Liverpool are starting to believe in Premier League glory (ESPN)
Liverpool extended their lead to 42 points over Chelsea’s 35 with a Boxing Day win.
In some cross-sports news, USL Championship team Oakland Roots is retiring number 24 in honor of Rickey Henderson.
Investors eye MLS Next Pro in wake of Minor League Baseball overhaul (Sportico)
I can’t say I’m crazy about this idea.
For some fun, a thread of Washington Spirit players talking about why they chose their numbers.
Have a good weekend!
Happy Holidays to you Annie and all other folks who work at or read the DP. I’m looking forward to a great year of DP coverage in 2025 of even better seasons for our local teams.
Let me add my thanks to you, Annie, and all your DP colleagues. My New Year’s wish: that more Commentariat regulars would follow Washington Spirit and Loudoun United commensurate with DP’s quality coverage. (DC Power FC is another matter.)
My 2025 prediction: barring a repeat of their awful injury record in 2024, Washington Spirit will both dominate NWSL and outdraw DC United at Buzzard Point.
Agree thank you for this community! I’ve kept this site (and its BRU predecessor) as daily reading even while in Colorado since 2017.
Agree that the Spirit will outdraw DCU though given the population of the area both should be selling out a 20,000 person stadium every game…. Here’s hoping that in 2025, that starts to happen! (will take a small percentage of the area’s Euro fans in particular deciding to get off the couch and come to see live soccer)
Just want to send my thanks and echo these posts
Bryan
Three quick updates from Goff on Bluesky:
The signing of Kim Joon Hong has been completed
Akinmbony to Bornemouth has also been completed
DC is looking at a Paraguayan player, Gabriel Aguayo, who currently plays for Cerro Porteno. He’s 19 and appears to be a winger (primarily right, but can also play left) according to Transfermarket. Goff says he’s “on the radar” but that there hasnt been anything substantial yet
Aguayo is another underwhelming prospect. He’s been called into Paraguayan youth squads, but hasn’t seen the pitch yet, and his goal-scoring record as a pro is just slightly above nil. I can’t understand why other teams are able to snag better players, but DCU is stuck picking players who…they think they can develop?
Underwhelming? This kid has vision, dribbling, work-rate, and can play both sides of the wing and in the middle. 2 goals and 4 assists isn’t bad for his 1st pro season. I hope we can snatch him before Wolverhampton can. I’m willing to bet if we are able to get him, he’d bring back some early DC United South American vibes back.
Ant word on DC getting an MLS Next Pro Team?
I’ve not seen anything anywhere