Spirit grow STH base by 71 percent, U.S. Open Cup begins, and more: Tuesday Freedom Kicks
Happy Tuesday! For reasons unclear to me, there’s a lot of Washington Spirit and Loudoun United content to share today. Don’t think that I’m ignoring our other local teams! I just work with what I’m given.
Washington Spirit grow season-ticket base 71% (Sports Business Journal)
It helps to have a successful season, but this is crazy growth!
On a related note, Craig Hoffman interviewed Spirit’s CEO Kim Stone about marketing the team, plans for the fan experience this season, and the promised rebrand. SPOILER: The final rebrand date remains TBD.
2025 nwsl week 1: xG race charts & g+ pass networks (BTVC)
André’s weekly NWSL stats posts are back!
USL Championship Power Rankings — Week 2 (USL Championship)
I’m a little surprised to see Loudoun United so low after two straight wins to open the season, but that’s Power Rankings for you.
Takeaways from Loudoun United’s first win at NCFC (The District Press)
Meanwhile, Ryan Keefer had lots of nice things to say about LUFC.
2025 U.S. Open Cup: First round schedule and how to watch (Pro Soccer Wire)
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup begins tonight, and our own Loudoun United will be playing. Here’s a preview of Round 1, and below are the details you’ll need to watch.
| Teams | When | Where | Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loudoun United FC vs. West Chester United SC | Tue., Mar. 18 at 7:30 p.m. ET | Wayne, PA | YouTube |
Bulgaria’s Arda apologise for mourning ex-player who isn’t dead (ESPN)
Oh, nooooooo. This is honestly pretty funny.
For some final fun, the Loudoun United players were asked a question, and many of them have a suspiciously similar answer.
My buddy and I got tickets for the home opener, and there was certainly a massive spike in price from the last time I bought tickets. Glad there’s at least one reason they probably jumped, but I’m also side eyeing ticket master for being even worse with the unannounced fees at checkout.
If only someone who had some authority who could monitor such things existed. 🙄
America was given a pretty clear choice about an administration taking on junk fees, and an administration that would allow companies to bleed them dry, and they said collectively, “Stick it in me!”
My buddy is getting a rare Saturday off, and I really want him to experience The Spirit as he’s easing into soccer fandom and has some potential to fall for the team, but for me, personally, it looks like I won’t be seeing a stadium again for some time.
Just kind of thinking about how desperate DC United seemed to be even keep their season ticket holder base, let alone grow it. 71% growth for another team at Audi Field is insane, and has got to sting. It COULD show a way forward – field a great team that you’ve invested heavily in – but I dunno, that seems hard, man.
Michelle Kang will soon inform Levien about the stadium “Actually, this is mine’s now…”
Also, I have to admit, I’m not pushing DC United fandom on my buddy, at least this season. Dude started out watching Champions League with me, and as much as I’d like to share my obsession with others, I neither want to hear nor expect anything different than “what is this shit?”
DCU has pooped the bed for so long. I can only hope that The Spirit gives them the shock probe they need to make this storied franchised truly competitive again. I have had serious discussions with the girlfriend about channeling our money elsewhere next year. Attend a few games? yes. Devoting every other weekend, crushing other extra-curriculars in the process, makes the investment less palatable. DCU, take note.
As a STH of both DC United (22nd season as STH) and the Spirit (3rd season), I can attest that there’s a big difference in how the two clubs treat STHs.
1) Though my buddy Tom Calhoun typically arrives 30-40 minutes before kickoff for both clubs’ matches, we almost never can get a DCU program (so few are printed) and always get Spirit programs.
2) Spirit provide pictures of opposing starters on video board while DCU just shows a list.
3) I see Spirit adds at Metro stations, on Metrobuses, TV channels, and elsewhere but I cannot recall seeing similar DCU ads anywhere.
4) Spirit ticket prices are more reasonable. Spirit seems to value filling Buzzard Point.
5) I cannot make DCU WiFi work. It always tells me “no Internet connection.”
6) I get two-three Spirit newsletters a week. They are always very user friendly. Less frequent DCU newsletters are just compilations of club news releases.
7) I see Michele Kang in the team box (field level below Section 126) almost every match. Though that’s also DCU’s box, I cannot recall ever seeing Jason Levien there.
8) There’s no doubt that Michele Kang is investing in every aspect to make Spirit WoSo’s #1 club. Last year’s roster featured 13 national team players from different countries. Though I don’t think that Levien et al. are cheapskates, at best DCU had four national team players from minor soccer nations and a past-his-prime Benteke (who is still plenty good).
In short, Spirit makes me feel that they really value my fandom, DCU much less.
spot on
Can I just opine that neither team should be producing programs. Let’s be honest, when they do, they are simply producing eventual waste. I get that this is an example of one team being cheap and the other not but I honestly think it would be better to limit waste creation.
I sit in section 210 and I never had a problem accessing the Internet while at games.
Haven’t been to a Spirit game yet but I do agree that DCU is not the greatest of hosts. Having said all that, it doesn’t have to be. It just needs to start consistently winning, once they actually achieve a winning team, people will show up. I would also recommend lowering prices, especially with what is to come, because with what most see coming for the economy in general, very few people will spend their money on attending a game. If I drop my season tickets next season, it might be due to the economy in general and not related to anything the team does or does not do. The team does not make happy, mind you, but they have been my team since the beginning, that is not going to change, unless the Twitter guy buys it. Then I couldn’t do it anymore.
My team from inception too. To be clear, I just feel that my time and money is too invested now. It’s just kind of feeling like a chore rather than a pleasure.
Yeah, it’s been like that for a while, unfortunately. But I stuck with the other Washington team for 25+ years of misery so . . . sports fandom tends to be psychologically abusive from time to time but also a distraction. I need DCU to be a bit of a distraction to me right now, even if not the greatest source of happiness. So I decided not to get too upset about our ineptitude. The Sports deities are bound to reward our patience and suffering with our own version of Jayden Daniels at some point, right?
Jason is always at the game, you just probably don’t see him… most of the time his child is with him… and he loves to say hello to the fans… winning makes people happy and sadly we haven’t done much in that department lately… although the team is still undefeated and somehow we feel like they are underperforming…
I’m very glad that Jason is at games often with his child. Though I know him on sight, I just haven’t seen him.
I will state that Jason is very nice to talk to in person. He is no Dan Snyder.
Responding to Brendan — I don’t think DCU are desperate to keep their season-ticket holder base. They would act very differently. For years, they’ve had “extra” tickets in our plans, and little interest from fans, who are paying for those games. They have made it harder to turn those tickets in, and have even announced some of these games just a couple of week before the “Capital Cup” matches, announcing them only over the PA as people exit. No internet publicity. I’m sure there have been fans who didn’t know the game was happening, at least not before getting some notification on game day.
They’ve also made it increasingly hard to exchange the tickets for credit. NO longer do we actually get real credit. Only a balance which we can use for other tickets (or “experiences”). Once you could exchange them up to 24 hours before the game. Then 48 hours before the game. Now it’s 9 days before the game, Not even a week before, but 9 days. It’s absolutely calculated to to catch members unaware nad make it far more difficult to exchange.
Given that we don’t get our money back, it really makes no sense to do that. If we could return the tickets, the team would have the opportunity to both sell those tickets, and indulge the STHs with upgrades or tickets to other games. I can only think it’s meant to make things tougher and maybe force ticket-holders to turn up despite schedule conflicts or bad weather forecasts.
Responding to David –
1) There are DCU programs??? I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen one since they moved to Audi Field. I didn’t realize they exist.
2) Pictures of opposing starters on video board? They don’t even care enough to get DCU’s own lineup right sometimes.
3) There are no DCU ads anywhere, as far as I’m aware, except maybe some Google Ads, which probably only target people who’ve already bought tickets.
4) Almost every team’s ticket prices are more reasonable.
5) I guess if DCU’s WiFi worked, I might check out other games. I don’t even bother with the WiFi at the stadium.
6) DCU’s communication is awful. For example, the friendlies — there’s no publicity before, during (no streams), or even after. No reports of results. The team doesn’t care about them, but they’re not shy about charging season ticket-holder for those games.
7) One time I sat in one of the front rows, at midfield. I did see Jason Levien in the field box. I have photographs. Small sample size, I realize, but it has happened..
8) Levien et al. are definitely cheapskates. Other than the money for Benteke, they don’t really spend — not on a world-class training facility. Not on top talent. They sold players this off-season, and it seems held on to the cash, rather than turning it into GAM.
Even their coach and GM — they didn’t make a real run at proven coaches or GMs. Instead brining on young deputies with little pedigree. They come really cheaply. Their scouting department used to be non-existent. I’m not sure if they’ve expanded it, but you can’t tell by the results. Almost every other team seems to bring in better foreign players, and also do a better job with bringing in veterans who can still contribute to a winning side. Some teams get a Kai Kamara or Paul Arriola, while DCU get Dom Badji.
In short, DCU does not make me feel that they really value my fandom. I’ve held on for 3 years to see Messi and this year, the Club World Cup.
Sadly, I pretty much agree with everything you wrote. The 9 day exchange ruling is designed entirely to favor DCU.
I sat with some people in C5 since the park opened, super friendly, passionate, and fun. Out of over a dozen, it seems that only 4 remain (including us). The abandoned seats are empty. Midfield club seats are empty!
And then they hatch this bizarre Blue Halo Lounge, where I can pay double to move to the end line. (true genius).
Goff is reporting that Aaron Herrera has opted out of international duty, and will be available for DC against Orlando. I’m not terribly down on Derek Dodson, but that seems like a real positive for United.
Holy shit, Aaron loves us. We love him right back.
Also, the last time he played for Guatemala in a competition (not a friendly) they overplayed him and he came back hurt and missed a month or two for us. I think he perceives that they don’t have his best interests at heart. You reap what you sow.
We may love Aaron, but we dont have ANYTHING on how much the Guatemalans love him
Kind of worried that he’ll face harassment for opting out. Sports people are generally a-holes.
Why do you think I’m on here instead of DC United Reddit?
For the rugby (and Ilona) fans in here:
https://bsky.app/profile/stevengoff.bsky.social/post/3lkntjtbpik2b
USA Men vs. England, USA Women vs. Fiji at Audi Field on July 19th!
shoot you beat me:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/mar/18/us-rugby-ilona-maher-england-fiji-dc-doubleheader
Here’s hoping they get the security and ticket checking issues straightened out. I got there in theory 20 mins before kick off last summer before Scotland and guessed I’d miss the first few mins of the half and ended up missing all but the last 10 mins of the first half. That was because it took forever to get through security.
https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/mls-vs-liga-mx-returns-2025-mls-all-star-game-opponent-austin
https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/team-of-the-matchday-messi-luna-make-their-mark-in-matchday-4
Montreal’s Jonathan Sirois made the bench for team of the week/matchday
He had a good match… glad I received his jersey after the game…
Sirois was the difference for Montreal.
J Sam Jones drops DCU 3 places to 23rd in his power rankings on the league site.
https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/power-rankings-st-louis-city-continue-climb-charlotte-fc-rebound
Huge late breaking news
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6213452/2025/03/18/usl-promotion-relegation-us-soccer-vote/
This is certainly a wrinkle, maybe even shots fired, but I don’t see it overcoming MLS dominance. It may end up destabilizing USL, as MLS clubs continue to gain prestige and value knowing they cannot go under. We’ll see.
This statistic is wild
I’d want to know how many people did watch on Apple.
The English pyramid might serve as an example. Huge revenues at the top tier. Then, mostly smaller clubs competing in several Football League levels, but then, also teams outside the EFL, like in the National League.
MLS could stay at the top of pyramid here, with MLS NextPro operating like the youth level academy teams in England, instead of competing with USL sides as they used to.
But, and I was giving this some thought last week, I think MLS will eventually get to it’s own pro/rel identity, when it hits 40 teams. The USL move might have even push that date up to when MLS hits 36 teams, but I have doubts. However, having an MLS 1 and MLS 2 seems like a plausible solution to the pro-rel dilemma and also a boon to a league that’s just become too unwieldy and divided between East and West with little competition during the year between the conferences. We’d get back to the home-and-home schedule, but just facing 19 teams in MLS 1 or 2. Otherwise, MLS teams could go several years or more, without ever facing each other. That would still be true, in a two-tiered MLS, but there would be more intense competition among the teams in each tier.
So, two tiers would protect MLS owners from falling down multiple levels, and also solve the problem of bringing in promoted teams who haven’t paid up to be part of MLS. That just wouldn’t happen, as MLS would continue to exist apart from the USL. And yet, MLS could see some benefits from it’s own self-contained pro/rel. It would definitely add some spice to the schedule for a lot of teams who may never be competitive with the likes of the LA Galaxy, LAFC and Seattle Sounders, NYCFC, Atlanta United, or possibly Inter Miami, if they remain a super-club after Messi.
To highlight that geographic dilemma, I think that when Sporting KC played us, it was only the second time they’d been at Audi Field. The first time, they lost on a Paul Arriola goal assisted by Wayne Rooney. Now, I think COVID played a role in that gap, but still.
Here are the 10 biggest cities (according to Wikipedia) that don’t have an MLS team yet.
Phoenix (5th largest city in the country)
San Antonio (7th)
Jacksonville (10th)
Fort Worth (12th)
Indianapolis (16th)
San Francisco (17th)
Oklahoma City (20th)
El Paso (23rd)
Las Vegas (24th)
Detroit (26th)
Phoenix, Indianapolis, and Detroit all have really solid lower level soccer culture. MLS has wanted to get into Vegas. The Texas cities might be a stretch, but Oklahoma City could make a lot of sense.
And then beyond these ten, you’ve got places like Baltimore, Louisville, Sacramento. Maybe some smaller cities that have long, deep soccer roots like Charleston, Richmond, or Rochester.
It would make some sense to do what you’re proposing, and it seems like the only realistic way to get that big. Who knows if the league would go for it, but some pressure from USL just might help it get there.
San Antonio has a decent team in USL Championship. They got robbed of a shot at an MLS franchise when what’s his face threatened to move the Crew and got Austin FC instead.
I will admit first that I am a fan of MLS eventually getting to the point where the East and West conferences just don’t ever interact with each other until the MLS Cup Final (or maybe some non-league intra-league tournament thing) instead of them ever going to pro/rel. But, with that being said, if MLS did eventually adopt pro/rel instead, I think you still run the risk of getting really imbalanced, geographically speaking. We’ve seen plenty of MLS seasons where one conference is much stronger than the other. It is entirely possible that you end up with a situation in pro/rel where like 18 out of 20 teams (or whatever the total number of teams is) end up being in the East. Making just a small number of west coast teams fly back and forth cross-country every other week doesn’t really seem sustainable.
I was curious and just looked into the Russian Premier League teams, since the size of Russia is a decent comparison to the US. From what I can tell, the team that is furthest East in their premier league currently is Orenburg. The furthest team from them to the West looks to be Saint Petersburg. Overlaying a map of the US on Russia, the distance between those two places is roughly like NYC to Minnesota, and most of the rest of the teams in the league would still be east of the Mississippi river. So having non-conference pro/rel across the entire country would really be unprecedented in terms of geographic size and travel. USL could obviously end up dealing with that too. But as we keep expanding, I think we’re closer to a “MLS East” and “MLS West” than we are to “MLS 1” and “MLS 2”
From what I can tell, relegation promotion being adopted within MLS isn’t so much about what problems it would solve logistically, and what issues the owners would find with it. I just don’t see what incentive any of them have to deal with the reality that a bad season means the next, they can’t compete for MLS Cup nor call themselves a first division team. And lest we forget, the entire history of the league is built on the appeasement of owners, and the courting of owners. So, I think this is more a gambit by USL to make themselves more desirable and to try to take MLS on. Doesn’t seem to me that this change means they’re going to top MLS in any meaningful way, as excited as pro/rel hardcore ideologists are in this country- there aren’t actually that many.
Loudoun won their round 1 Open Cup game over West Chester United last night 3-2. The game was played at West Chester; the field looked like it was in the back of an industrial park next to a highway, the stadium looked like it only held a few hundred people, and the coverage only had 1 ground-level camera. Watching the game really hit home that MLS is absolutely robbing us of the chance to watch Messi and Friends play in environments like that. Why watch them play against Liga MX for the 25th time when you can watch them play on a probably-too-small converted football field in rural Alabama
FWIW — SKC II played the Des Moines Menace tonight, in what looked like a high school field, with small metal bleachers. Admittedly, the weather was miserable — driving rain and windy, but there were few fans. Even though, the Menace featured an MLS old-timers all-star team, with Kljestan, Alonzo, McCarty, Wright-Phillips, Hedges, Meram, and SKC legend Benny Feilhaber. I’m sure Messi would have drawn a bigger crowd, but still….
OTOH, my brother will be driving over an hour to the Maine hinterlands, to watch Portland Hearts of Pine play their first match tomorrow.