DC Power win, most valuable soccer clubs, and more: Friday Freedom Kicks
Happy Friday! I have been looking forward to a nice weekend, including a day trip to Frederick, MD, but I have suddenly become concerned that Washington Spirit might face more trouble than I expected against a team from the new Pope’s home town.
Loza Abera’s brace spurs DC Power to epic comeback win over Dallas Trinity (The DP)
Good work by DC Power to beat Dallas Trinity AKA Washington Spirit South.
World’s 50 Most Valuable Soccer Clubs 2025 Ranking (Sportico)
It’s probably no surprise that Real Madrid tops this list, but how do we feel about D.C. United at 36th?
Report Showing High Value Of MLS Clubs Hurts The Pro/Rel Cause (Forbes)
Of course people have already found a way to tie these numbers to the favorite topic of American soccer complainers fans.
MLS Tiers Revisited: Ranking all 30 teams (MLS)
D.C. United remain in the “Re-building a Foundation” tier, and Matthew Doyle doesn’t have many good things to say in his summary of the team’s performance so far.
The NWSL enacted mental health leave, and players are feeling the benefits (The Guardian)
Allowing players to take mental health leave is a good thing and seems to have extended at least one of their careers (Imani Dorsey, mentioned in the article). I’ll also note that Sydney Leroux, who announced at the beginning of this season that she would be taking mental health leave is back to play for Angel City this weekend.
D.C. United Set to Host the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 against Charlotte FC at Audi Field on May 21 (D.C. United)
The Black-and-Red’s next Open Cup match is set for Wednesday, May 21.
From adapting to Belgium to facing PSG’s Achraf Hakimi: Westerlo’s Griffin Yow is growing up – ready for transfer buzz and a USMNT shot (Goal)
There are some fun anecdotes in this profile of Griffin Yow, including his difficulty with figuring out how to put out his trash in Belgium without incurring fines.
Who’s the Most Dangerous Passer in the NWSL? (Beyond the Touchline)
The answer, apparently, is North Carolina’s Ryan Williams. But the author also analyzed the highest expected threat (xT) player on each team, based on how likely their passes are to lead to a shot. For Washington Spirit, that player is Rebeca Bernal.
Finally, here’s your schedule of events for the weekend. It’s another busy Saturday, but at least none of the games have the same start time.
| Teams | When | Where | Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| DC Defenders vs. San Antonio Brahmas | Fri., May 9 at 8 p.m. ET | San Antonio, TX | Fox |
| Washington Spirit vs. Chicago Stars FC | Sat., May 10 at 12:50 p.m. ET | Bridgeview, IL | ABC |
| D.C. United vs. Toronto FC | Sat., May 10 at 4:30 p.m. ET | Toronto, ON | Apple TV |
| Loudoun United FC vs. Lexington SC | Sat., May 10 at 6 p.m. ET | Leesburg, VA | ESPN+ |
Gonna be an interesting Saturday! Can watch both Spirit and United, that’s fun! Well, hopefully
That’s a nice interview with Yow. I was wondering for a little while if we might try to bring him back on a U-22 deal, like we did with Durkin. At the time, it seemed like a bad move for DC, but now it seems like a bad move for Yow. (I think he might not even qualify for a U-22 deal right now.) Either way, I think he can set his sights on bigger clubs. It also wouldn’t surprise if he came back to MLS but to a different club.
Man, we really need a development team.
Man we actually need a functional development system from the ground up that’s not pay to play.
1) Our area has a huge amount of soccer potential
2) Homegrown players don’t count towards the senior roster (I think)
3) Teams can keep 100% of the proceeds of sales of homegrown players
There are just so many potential benefits of investing in homegrown players (to say nothing of the added attachment fans often feel to the academy players), that it’s basically criminal neglect for DC United to have run things this badly.
I can confirm your second point. On their first contract, they fit onto the supplemental roster, which does not count against the cap space. I do think that their salary probably needs to stay below a certain threshold, but that’s generally not difficult to do when you’re paying an 18 year old. However, based on the roster breakdown we got yesterday, DC is actually full on supplemental spots currently. So, if they wanted to sign another homegrown at the moment, I’m not sure how it would actually be handled
I think they could move one of their supplemental players to the senior roster. You can have up to 20 players on the senior roster, but DC only has 18.
Also, there’s a Slot 31 supplemental roster spot for a young player that’s out on a season long loan (similar to Kristian Fletcher or Garrison Tubbs, or maybe Gavin Turner). I’m not sure if you can use that spot if you haven’t filled all other 30 roster slots or not.
Two words: Freddy Adu
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/45068377/fifa-council-oks-48-teams-womens-world-cup-31-source
Womens World Cup going to 48 teams in 2031…
FC Cincy looking to strengthen their attack by potentially finalizing a deal with Kei Kamara.
https://www.givemesport.com/fc-cincinnati-finalizing-deal-for-mls-legend-kei-kamara-sources/
If anybody shows up at Tampico Grill in Laurel, MD to watch tomorrow’s epic DCU-Toronto match, your first beverage is on me. FWIW, the ownership team at http://www.tampicogrill.com is VERY supportive of soccer in general and Jacob Murrell in particular.
It is reported by @stevengoff.bsky.social that Badji, McNaughton, and Pirani are OUT for tomorrow, while Bartlett, Benteke, Hopkins, and Peglow are questionable.