MLS continues exploring calendar shift, NWSL CBA finally released, and more: Friday Freedom Kicks
Happy Friday! It’s another rainy day, but I have a lot of fun plans ahead for the weekend to be excited about, including a Masters Party to attend. Sure, golf can’t compare to the excitement of soccer, but think of the pimento cheese and pulled pork sandwiches!
MLS continues exploring shift to international soccer calendar (MLS)
I can’t decide how likely this is to actually happen, but MLS is pushing forward with their exploration of switching to a fall-to-spring schedule.
2030 World Cup: CONMEBOL proposes expanded 64-team tournament (ESPN)
Please stop. Thirty-two teams was enough.
While we’re talking rules, the long-awaited NWSL Collective Bargaining Agreement is finally out! I’m still making my way through the agreement, which was signed last summer but published this week.
Abdellatif Aboukoura wins USL Championship Player of the Month – March (Loudoun United)
Loudoun United’s Abdellatif Aboukoura scored three goals and made one assist in March, earning himself the title of Player of the Month. Aboukoura is the youngest player to ever win the honor and the first Loudoun United player since October 2019.
USMNT draws Haiti, Trinidad & Tobago, and Saudi Arabia in Gold Cup group stage (SSFC)
See all the groups for this year’s tournament — starting June 14 — here.
USL Dallas and Renegades Soccer Club forge partnership to enhance youth soccer development (USL Dallas)
That Renegades SC logo looks oddly familiar….
Travel fears force Venezuelan NWSL players to miss international duty (Pro Soccer Wire)
Uncertainty around U.S. immigration policy and enforcement continues to negatively impact NWSL players, in addition to, you know, all immigrants and some natural-born citizens. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a number of players leave the league during the next few transfer windows.
Finally, here’s your schedule of matches for the weekend. Unfortunately, you’ll have difficulty watching too many of these, as three of them take place at the exact same time tomorrow night.
| Teams | When | Where | Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Spirit vs. Racing Louisville | Sat., Apr. 12 at 5 p.m. ET | Louisville, KY | Paramount+, MNMT, NWSL+ |
| Old Glory DC vs. NOLA Gold | Sat., Apr. 12 at 7 p.m. ET | Metairie, LA | ESPN+, MNMT |
| D.C. United vs. FC Cincinnati | Sat., Apr. 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET | Washington, DC | Apple TV |
| Loudoun United vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies | Sat., Apr. 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET | St. Petersburg, FL | ESPN+ |
| DC Power FC vs. Fort Lauderdale United | Sat., Apr. 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET | Davie, FL | Peacock |
| DC Defenders vs. St. Louis Battlehawks | Sun., Apr. 13 at 3 p.m. ET | St. Louis, MO | ABC |
Have a good weekend!
The groups for the World Baseball Classic next March (March 5-17) are out as well.
Pool A (based in Puerto Rico): Puerto Rico, Cuba, Canada, Panama, Colombia (I project Puerto Rico and Cuba/Panama/Colombia advancing out of the group)
Pool B (based in Houston): US, Mexico, Italy, Great Britain, Brazil (I project USA and Mexico advancing out of the group)
Pool C(based in Tokyo): Japan, Australia, South Korea, Czechia, Chinese Taipei (I project Japan and South Korea out of this group)
Pool D(based in Miami): Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Israel, Nicaragua (I project Venezuela and Dominican Republic out of this group).
The quarterfinals are split between Houston and Miami. The semifinals and championship game are in Miami. How successful the US is will be based on who gets released by their teams in the midst of MLB spring training.
Just an interesting note, the 2023 edition witnessed the first time ever that a Cuban player defected in the middle of the tournament.
I used to think that the US was an ideal country to host international competitions (like World Cups, etc.). I no longer think that. And it’s not just the Visa thing (though that’s a biggie). What a shame.
I agree with you about the WC. If you’re going to go to 64, that really makes a mockery of qualification. Just give automatic entry to FIFA’s top 30-40 teams and let the rest of the world go through qualifications.
I think MLS playing in winter in the US is stupid. But the problem is that the international windows mean that the MLS playoff schedule is a train wreck (both for the players and casual fans as well as efforts to generate publicity).
I think going the Ligue MX route with a fall and spring portions with champions for each then playing each other for MLS cup is more likely.
Without building a bunch of domes, it’s hard to see MLS going fall – spring. Anyone who’s spent some winter time in Chicago, NY, Boston, Toronto, Montreal, etc knows how raw it can get, and while the die hards probably keep coming, I can’t see the casual family attending a 5 F game in the snow in January. Love the idea in theory, doesn’t seem realistic.
Fully agree here. I think something people also don’t consider when advocating for fall-spring is how that would impact TV viewership (and attendance). Switching to a fall-spring calendar means the league has to go head-to-head against the NFL and college football for the entire football season. MLS playoffs would also most likely occur around the time of the NHL and NBA playoffs. That’s a lot of conflict.
On top of the issues you two mentioned, what about player welfare? Players getting hypothermia, hitting hard as ice pitches for tackles and being tackled? All around just don’t think it’s doable
Does this mean MLS is riding the wave of global warming?
/s
If so, they probably shouldn’t have put so many eggs in the Miami basket.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/44592648/uswnt-does-not-starting-goalkeeper-mandy-mcglynn-phallon-tullis-joyce-casey-murphy
I don’t see what Emma Hayes doesn’t see in Phallon Tullis-Joyce. I thought she had a great game last weekend, and it’s crazy she didn’t get her first cap years ago.
I think she’s very close to winning out at this point. And I think Kingsbury should be her backup, at least, but I guess that’s not my call
I agree. I don’t understand why Kingsbury doesn’t get called up for another look.
I will say, I get that modern coaches are very eager to have goalies who are great with their feet and masterful with distribution, but if you don’t have that in conjunction with great shot stopping, stick with the actual job description. Just because a goalie plays it long on occasion doesn’t mean they’re not good enough.
This! Similar to the trend of DMs who can’t actually defend but are good passers. You need to know the basics for your position. Coaches need to stop being cute with their core pieces.
Not that Hayes is really doing that, I think she’s just tough and wanted to point out that there’s room for improvement.
She did this a little bit by telling Mcglynn to distribute more than PTJ did in the first game, and it didn’t go well.