Al Hilal stun Manchester City, Kang expands her club portfolio, and more: Tuesday Freedom Kicks
I write this nursing a slightly swollen ankle after my indoor rec team played tonight (and lost 7-6 with a goal in the last 15 seconds…). Anyways, here’s your top soccer news of the day!
Al Hilal shock Club World Cup with win over Manchester City (ESPN)
In the second upset of the day, and arguably the biggest upset of the tournament so far, Saudi club Al Hilal beat Manchester City 4-3 after extra time. Simone Inzaghi redemption arc?
Michele Kang takes over as president of French soccer team Lyon as John Textor resigns (WTOP)
Kang, who is already majority owner of womens team OL Lyonnes, has been appointed president of the troubled mens team, Olympique Lyonnais. This is not helping the rumors that the Spirit are no longer her top priority…
Washington Spirit Exercises 2026 Options for Andi Sullivan and Gabby Carle (Washington Spirit)
Speaking of the Spirit, the club exercised contract extensions for both Gabby Carle and Andi Sullivan.
They did this because today (July 1st) NWSL players who are on the last six months of their contract are allowed to negotiate with other teams. There are four Spirit players who will be free agents in 2026 including Trinity Rodman…
In positive news, Trinity looks to be healing! Left footed curlers are on the menu, gang!
FIFPRO: U.S. summer temps a concern for 2026 World Cup (ESPN)
The players union is starting to chime in about the risk of playing in such high heat next summer.
D.C. United Announce that Midfielder Fidel Barajas Has Returned to Chivas Guadalajara in Liga MX (DC United)
Finally, DC United did not extend the loan of 19 year old Fidel Barajas. They send him back to Mexican side Chivas de Guadalajara after only 5 appearances.
That’s all from me folks! Make sure to tune in for more CWC games today!
Tom Bogert has had a couple of scoops come out this morning:
Toronto getting a head start on next season. Probably no more gimme points from them which will make staying out of the basement even harder…
But getting some extra money from Yow is good news. Probably won’t help this year with how messed up our budget is.
Bernadeschi wasn’t necessarily bad for them. He didn’t really produce what his price tag indicated he should, but he did ok. No so much for Insigne. I don’t think that shedding the two will inherently make Toronto better unless they go out and sign new players this window.
As far as Yow goes, the increase in GAM would be welcome for sure. As long as the owners do actually convert it to GAM and don’t just convert it to pocket money
Welcome Dennis to the DP staff.
I’m not surprised about Barajas.
I agree that Kang seems to have her eye on a different ball than she did before. If Rodman doesn’t get renewed, that makes it even clearer that the Spirit are at best #2 in her pecking order of priorities and maybe as low as #4. Not good.
And you have my sympathies about your ankle. In my experience, indoor soccer is a different beast–a lot more quickness and cutting required (two things I never possessed).
Appreciate it, Joe! Indoor is definitely intense, but I love the fast pace and the high scoring games. Even a 3 goal difference is still within the danger zone. Fortunately I have the week off so the plan is RICE. It was just a 50/50 ball that ended up with my ankle getting jammed. The other player check in on me after the game so it was all good! We do it for the love of the game!
Well, I hope you have a quick recovery and get back on the fake turf.
Today is Jackson Hopkins’s and Hosei Kijima’s birthday. Jackson is 21 and Hosei is 22. With his return on Saturday, Jackson Hopkins has now played in more games for DC United than Wayne Rooney.
I definitely think the Spirit should make every effort to retain Morris.
As for Rodman and Sarr, it sucks, but as a business, you need evidence that they’re able to return and be long term assets. Their back issues make that uncertain. I desperately want them to return without issue this season, but I get the current waiting game.
I miss the great Zlatanisms….
Zlatan:
“Messi plays with statues, not teammates. He’s surrounded by players who run as if they were carrying bags of cement.”
If I have it straight, Tillman is off to Bayer Leverkusen for $40 million transfer fee from PSV Eindhoven. This is a realy great opportunity for him. I think we will see him on the World Cup roster.
Bayern youth developed, Rangers loan, Eindhoven, now Leverkusen.
Yeah, Leverkusen have an enormous hole to fill, he’ll get his shot.
DC has announced that Gavin Turner is going on loan to Chattanooga through the end of this season
Please let him actually stay there and play. It’s pretty clear he doesn’t have a place in our team right now no matter how bad our offense is.
I’m sure he’ll have a nice 2 week stay there until Pirani, Peglow, Kijima, Stroud, and Leal all run into each other in a training session and tear all the ligaments in their legs and he has to be recalled. Since that’s just how this team works now. Tubbs spent, what, 1 week in Loudoun earlier this year?
I think it was like 3 days…
I was honestly thinking it was 2 days, but wanted to be generous
Pirani has been suspended one game for punching Gaston Brugman, so we’re on our way!
Although his action was rash, he looked like he was getting mugged.
It’ll get him away from the hell that is DC United right now.
The lack of an MLS Next PRO team really is unforgivable from ownership.
I’ve just gotten to the point of not caring about it. If/when it happens, it happens. It’d be nice to have, sure, but who’s to say that having an in-house MLS Next team would have even helped Turner. Chattanooga is 2nd place in the standings. Let’s be honest with ourselves, if DC had an MLS Next team right now, they probably wouldn’t be anywhere near 2nd place.
But it would be ahead of DC United in the MLS standings….
Interesting occurrence in Cameroonian soccer: https://youtu.be/D9RwcMWqBQU?si=zI-21veDyYaUAzed