DCU and Loudoun Tranactions, NWSL Hiring and Firing, Nerd Boss Tier, and more: Thursday Freedom Kicks
Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends. Come inside, come inside. In today’s news we have transactions at DC United and Loudon, NWSL Analytic Power Ranking, NWSL coaches being hired, and fired, and questions about the League Cups relevance. Now on to the show!
DC United made its second move of the transfer window, sending Sparta Praha forward Victor Olatunji’s “Discovery Rights” to Real Salt Lake for 125,000 in Garber Bucks. Both moves show that even with two weeks left in the transfer window, DC United is looking past this season and acquiring assets for next year’s campaign.
There is still no official news on the status of René Weiler’s work visa or when he will officially take over the team, but DC United in case anyone forgot, GM Ally Mackay posted this about the soon to be manager.
Loudoun United Football Club signs forward Arquímides Ordóñez (Loudoun United)
The 22 year old Ordóñez signed a three season deal with Loudoun, with an option for a fourth, after spending time with Zimbru Chișinău in Moldova, Östersunds FK in Sweden, and FC Cincinnati. If Ordóñez doesn’t have a “eureka” inspired goal celebration, then he is missing out.
State of NWSL Analytics: August 2025 (American Soccer Analysis)
The Spirit stand alone among NWSL teams in the Nerd Boss Tier. With a Sporting Director who was the team’s Head of Analytics, a Director of Data Analytics, and a Data Scientist on staff, the Spirit have an embarrassment of riches in analytic resources compared many of the other teams in the league.
Bay FC Announces Lineup of Performers and In-Match Hosts for Aug. 23 Match at Oracle Park (Bay FC)
Bay FC is going all out for their match at Oracle Park versus the Spirit, bringing in hosts and performers for pregame and halftime entertainment. I’m excited for this match. If done right, this game could have some pretty cool sight lines.
Denver Summit FC confirm Nick Cushing as first-ever coach (ESPN)
One of NWSL’s two new teams has its first’s first bench boss. Cushing arrives in Denver after stints with Man City Women and New York FC.
North Carolina Courage fire coach Sean Nahas, no interim coach named (USA Today)
In unexpected news, the North Carolina Courage fired their coach, but did not name a replacement. The Courage provided no details on the rationale behind Nahas’s dismissal, but their press release stated the team remained “focused on the continued development of the team and maintaining a professional, competitive environment for players, staff, and supporters. The Courage will hold a press conference this morning, so hopefully there will be more details then.
Leagues Cup has evolved, but its relevance is as questionable as ever (The Guardian)
I can’t say I disagree with the analysis here. The Leagues Cup has always seemed like a tournament being held for the sake of having a tournament and getting the cash. But then some of that may be my team isn’t playing in the tournament. I’m also not a fan of the way the US Open Cup has been diminished as a result.
NYCFC-Columbus match postponed due to Citi Field grass issues (Hudson River Blue)
When I read this, my first thought was “This is something that would happen to DC United.” The major difference though, a similar incident would be self-inflicted by DCU’s owners trying to cram as many events into Audi Field as possible. In this case, however, it’s mostly the Met’s fault, and a little bit MLS for allowing NYCFC’s (soon to be resolved) stadium issues go on for so long.
Until next week.
I don’t have an issue with the Leagues Cup. If fans like it and it does good business, that’s ok. It’s pro sports. It’s the business of entertaining fans and making money for the players and owners.
Many fans want to treat the Open Cup as a bigger deal than it is but there still aren’t facility standards and improved financial rewards. Major league players should only play in major league facilities for major league compensation.
You are implying that our last Open Cup was won by non-major league players?
(kidding)
I’m really hoping Nahas was fired for something stupid like showing up to work drunk or high, and not what we have been used to seeing from abrupt terminations in the league…
The post about Weiler comes across as a pretty pathetic attempt at engagement. I’m seriously wondering if he’ll coach any games this season given the absolute nothing we’re doing.
Per Jason Anderson, the Courage are doing their best impression of a brick wall in giving out details on Nahas’ firing. They’ve cited “multitude of factors”. Feels like a there is a lawsuit coming, so we’re not saying anything.
https://bsky.app/profile/jasondcsoccer.bsky.social/post/3lvszzkvty22e
This better not turn into Bruce Arena in NE 2.0…
Just gonna leave this here:
https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/45918897 via @ESPN App http://espn.com/app
LA politician asking Son Heung-Min to help the US win the World Cup…..
My goodness
Kimchi for all. It’s like that horrifying moment when some imbecile asked Bastien Schweinsteiger if he would take Chicago to the World Cup win. Watching the always agreeable Bastien process the English into his head was priceless.
The Spanish Women have regained 1st and bumped the USWNT to 2nd.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/45919089/spain-knock-uswnt-no-1-fifa-rankings-england-no-4
Spain are vulnerable in transition, and the US LOVES transition. I like our chances, especially if Hayes settles on the right backline and midfield (which I’m convinced should include Coffey and Hutton)
I do think that Japan’s perfection in technicality and teams like England and Germany with their physicality are the more likely to knock off the US, but the USWNT will be ferocious
They are tapas, we are a five course luxury dinner (with booze)
I saw what you did there with Ordonez. I had to read it twice because I skipped past his first name initially but….I got it.
Cushing in Denver will be…interesting. A high-pressing team playing at altitude? It could work, and also be a formidable advantage against teams who don’t play that style AND play at sea level.
It will be…interesting to see what Carolina says about the replacement for Nahas and who she/he is. Clearly they aren’t performing at the level they expect and Sanchez has (generally) been badly used.
Even though Weiler doesn’t have his work permit, I’d have to think he’s at least being consulted. Maybe the plan is: make no major personnel decisions until he’s on-board? At which point it’s too late for 2025 (too late to bring in anyone). Ugh, what a mess of a year.
That’s nice to see about the Spirit’s analytics team. I wonder how much their “new” coach interacts with that piece of the organization.
Yeah, it’s a possibility Weiler said “don’t you fucking dare bring in anyone useless right now.” Next offseason will be very revealing about how much life juice this club still has under the current ownership.
My last wrestle with renewing just ended. Bye bye to season tickets after 30 years. I got woken up by drunk teammates in Scotland demanding that I come over for games this morning. it will cost less, but will likely trim a year or two of my life.
This team is rancid. IT IS THAT BAD, PEOPLE. I HATE saying it, let alone thinking it. I played for teams with better professionalism in the 80s. This franchise isn’t even qualified for MLS1.0.
Those teams (DCU 90’s) would crush this rabble.
The team has a lot of contracts locked in for 2026, and some of the ones whose contracts are ending in 2025 or have options that could be picked up (Barraza, Benteke, Pirani, Herrera) have been among our better performers. That said, there’s rumors that Pirani is being courted by Malmo, and that Benteke could be going to Poland. I don’t think that anyone is so good (Benteke is, but he’s older and has gotten more injury-prone) that the team shouldn’t say good-bye to them.
Anyway, my point in all this was that the team can have two buyouts per season. Technically they still have one left this year. If Weiler is really serious about wanting to clean out the roster, and (HUGE if) if ownership supports his decisions, we could see some real turnover. Without that though, it’s going to Ally Mackay having to hit on at least two DP signings, and one U22. And that’s about it.
I know he’s been in a bit of a funk after coming back from the Gold Cup, but i do think Herrera is worthwhile holding onto. He’s generally one of the better right backs in the league, and I don’t think we get anyone significantly better without shelling out a load of resources to do so…and that’s not really a position we should be devoting a ton of money to fix
I hate to throw a fellow Hebridean Scot under the bus, but MacKay’s post was laughable. “Plain and simple(?)”
If it was plain and simple, he’d already be here months ago and we’d be top of the table. This is laughable. It’s post to post something, anything. Good gosh, how this mighty club has fallen.
I wish the new coach well, assuming I even see him this season (I won’t). I also cannot wait for Messi to miraculously heal for the Miami game (he won’t).
This may sound heretical, but I’m over Messi in MLS at this point. My stance isn’t really about him as he is everything he was advertised as. It’s the way MLS has its in Miami rules and the way the media discussion about him in MLS leaves little oxygen for other discussions. Will MLS as a league take this opportunity to develop the league to a point where all the new viewers who are here for Messi continue watching after he leaves? I’m skeptical at best.
Yeah, I think it’s backfiring pretty hard, especially with the way the league is handling it. “Messi and Miami must succeed, at all costs” flies directly against all the mechanics the other teams are built on and have to live with. This is the opposite of a meritocracy built on parity, and I hate it.
I’ve put forward the concern in the past that MLS is pushing toward an old NASL model that made the NY Cosmos a centerpiece, neglected the other franchises, and then tanked. It may be the financial foundations are too strong, but seems like this is testing that.
There’s no other Messi, and his successors are many years away from considering MLS. Think on that, MLS douchebags.
And even beyond the league itself, its had a knock-on effect to even the way the league is covered. Hell, half the time anymore the MLS page on the Athletic might as well just be a Messi tabloid. “Messi assists twice, Inter Miami wins dramatic Leagues Cup opener at the death” is one of their recent articles. 2 assists, really? Seattle won a game 7-0, Orlando just won 5-1 over Necaxa last night. Talk about the league, not just one guy. The only reason we’re getting a bit of a reprieve right now is because he’s hurt and we have Mueller and Son to talk about for a few days. I know Jason has had to cover Miami a lot too. Its just being shoved down our throats at this point
I agree with all the above. Part of my abandonment of DC United is due to Garber and MLS. It’s a shite show with clear favorites getting the lion’s share. Maybe they are setting it up for divisional relegation, so be it. I don’t find the product appealing. It’s rigged. Beck’s galaxy, Messi’s Miami, etc (I love both those guys, FWIW). It’s a sleezy, cheating, league. Garber is the Wizard of Oz. I don’t want to pay attention to the man behind the curtain anymore.
Columbus looked great/entertaining/committed the other night. We cannot even attempt to play at that level. Minus Benteke, not a remote chance. Think about miracle wins (bicycle kicks etc); we are a rotted pancake on I-10 Arizona mid summer at high noon.
Fetid.
The Athletic has conscientiously given up on all MLS content that doesn’t revolve around Messi in some way. It’s such a shame, because they used to have really great coverage. It wasn’t of every team, but it was good depth on the ones that it did cover (which included DC). I had let my subscription lapse after they pared back, but then re-subscribed at a discount to support soccer coverage generally. Then they fired Pablo.
I won’t be subscribing again.
I think it’s a dumb post politically by Mackay. It’s great that Weiler is a winner and raises standards, but if standards don’t raise and results don’t improve – which is WELL within the realm of possibility – you just said that it won’t be Weiler’s fault, Ally. That means, the next person to blame is yourself.
Although I guess if the team doesn’t win for a third year in a row with at least two managers that he’s hired, Mackay is probably toast anyway.
Thomas Muller has made it clear that he is coming to Vancouver to win championships.
Unspoken beneath this quote is “And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my reputation. And you will know I am Thomas Muller when I lay my vengeance upon you!”
https://www.si.com/soccer/thomas-muller-sends-warning-vancouver-whitecaps-sign-legend
Mueller, or use an umlaut! ;^)
God, we could so use a pistol like him. Imagine giving Marco lip back in the day…..
Yeah, I know the correct spelling, and sometimes names like that get an autocorrect option. Use your imagination. 😉
The correct spelling has an umlaut. Otherwise, spell it the way you feel.
Yeah, that’s what I meant. I don’t really feel the need for figure out special emphasis on my phone. As I said, use your imagination if the letters are there
I hope everyone realizes that I am joking. Entirely so.
Can you imagine what Mueller or Son could have injected into DCU for a year or two?
I’m a big fan of Leagues Cup.
Apparently Weiler is finally on the job, though there’s still little to no news about when he’ll properly be on the sidelines. This is per reddit comments on the DC United sub.
In the next edition of weird soccer and NASCAR crossovers, it got announced today that the USL Super League is going to be the primary sponsor of one of the Cup cars when they race at Richmond next weekend. Outside of me, kerryhess14, and probably some people in Charlotte, Im not sure the Nascar and women’s soccer fan-bases would overlap all that much, but cool to see them try to get the league out there though, I guess
There are tens of us around the world! TENS!
Between this and the Rajah Caruth in DC’s Youth Summer Program lore we got last week, who knows what will come next