USWNT EOY friendlies announced, Champions League returns, and more: Tuesday Freedom Kicks
Good morning on this cloudy DMV day! I have a slightly swollen ankle from my indoor soccer league last night (we lost…). Anyways, here are your Tuesday Freedom Kicks!
USWNT to close out 2025 with Florida friendlies against Italy (SSFC)
After the October friendlies, the USWNT will play two matches against the Euro 2025 semifinalists in the Sunshine state. Expect to see Cantore strut her stuff versus her club teammates Rodman and co.
Champions League storylines: Will Arsenal finally win? (ESPN)
The Champions League returns today! I particularly enjoyed the section in this preview about the potential ‘dark horses’. I always love a good dark horse story (eg. Ajax back in 2018, Dortmund in 2024). The article highlights Monaco as a potential team to cause an upset. Can Paul Pogba, formerly linked with DCU, take Monaco all the way? Who are your potential dark horses? Sound off in the comments!
MLS Power Rankings: Did Müller, Vancouver just leapfrog No. 1?
DCU finally lift themselves off the floor of the power rankings and jump from lowly 30th to the loft heights of 28th…
This article about Abiodun was actually posted before the KC Current game, but she proved the author right with another solid display this weekend.
Speaking of the Spirit, our “Hey Spirits!” hosts breakdown everything from the KC Current game! #JusticeForHal!
Astroturfing for the Balon D’Or? In my opinion, Dembele already has the award, but I guess his crew just wants to make sure he gets it. Still gives me the ick, though his camp denies they approached the journalist mentioned in the article.
Miami’s Mascherano: No lingering tension with Sounders after brawl (ESPN)
It feels like the dust is only just starting to settle from the fallout of the Leagues Cup Final brawl between the two teams and they’re already set play again tonight! Mascherano trying to cool down the situation before the game even starts.
That’s all I got for you all today! Make sure to take an extra long lunch break today to watch the first Champions League of the season 😉
Jackson Hopkins gets an honorable mention in the Young Players of the Match Day on the league site: https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/young-players-who-stepped-up-in-matchday-33-2025
Ally Mackay sacked. Which at least suggests recognition that the status quo is not sustainable.
Sure seems like Jason Levien is not very good at hiring GMs. Wonder who will be hiring Mackay’s replacement? …dammit.
Ah just barely missed this one!
They rather sandbagged you with the late-morning decision, lol.
This is what you get for Monday night soccer!
:^)
Yeah, given the report that I saw saying Mackay was not at the recent STM event and Levien kept noting that “it was Rene’s team” Im not terribly surprised to see this. Would imagine Weiler is really the frontrunner to just become a coach/GM combo. Which might be fine, until he eventually leaves and everything has to be upended again
He will leave.
I’m a little surprised, not that I should be. The roster started off needing a lot of work, which sort of got done (big contracts were allowed to expire, Durkin was swapped for cheaper and at the time productive players). The actual build failed pretty badly, and he definitely had a hand in a number of questionable moves.
That makes 4 (full-time) coaches and 3 GMs (counting Kasper) gone since 2020.
The Klich decision really seemed to be the biggest thing. Just a total bungle, but then holding open a DP slot (and not adding the $2 million in GAM) to either pursue Pogba or some other summer signing, and then just not getting anyone is also a huge whiff. Some of that is certainly on Mackay, but there’s a not insignificant amount of blame on Levien for those things either.
Mackay lost me when (as you say) bungled Klich move, made the team worse in the offseason, and said which asked why DCU was playing small ball, “I believe in youth.”
They seem to have a winner in Renet Weiler so they can build on that if they give him the resources.
Believing in youth is fine, but they didn’t even pay lip service to that idea. Certainly, not to their own youth development program. I suppose they had a decent amount of under-26 players from around the world, but they weren’t great signings either. Most MLS teams do better in BOTH respects.
MacKay inherited a shit show, but barely moved the needle vis a vis the Academy. No evidence of progress towards and MLS Next Pro team. They moved Akinmboni, and tried to move Fletcher.
My take is that MacKay and Weiler didn’t see eye-to-eye on things. Maybe initial reports were wrong and it was MacKay who pushed signing Clark (and Weiler doesn’t value him)? In any case, Weiler’s last role indicates he’s comfortable being more than the coach. It could end up in a situation somewhat similar to Rooney’s (where Wayne was effectively the GM, making all personnel decisions).
I don’t know whose decision it was not to find another DP this season, but DCU has an opportunity to make a big splash in the off season. Based on Brendan’s older post about contracts, they could move on from a lot of players and do a decent rebuild with a new coach. Was that a GM decision? I don’t know. Did they rebuild with a competitive roster in the past year? I can argue, probably not. Anyway, this is a surprise. Hopefully Weiler and Levien can make good decisions in the off season. I hope they find a good CSO or Coach, if Weiler eventually becomes the new CSO.
My splash as a 96er is to not renew. My cash cannot fuel the dumpster fire. I’ll hit a few games, and will do Apple TV. I am just spent on this chronic mismanagement.
I’m also an original fan from the very first game at RFK and although I don’t enjoy “losing” I also understand is part of the game… we all know we need changes to improve and go back to the winning ways, but I would never turn my back on my team so yeah… gotta stay put and hope for better days and enjoy what we have now… not much, but DC will always be my team
I need to correct this. Maybe Weiler and MacKay didn’t have a meeting of the minds. But evidently MacKay and Levien had a major falling out. Goff writes that he expected MacKay to be gone but in the off-season, not now.
Man, the comments are damning on bluesky.
DCU now at #28? I feel dizzy–moving up so high and so quickly. I’ll need to sit down and take some deep breaths.
It’s the MacKay bump…..
Dave Kasper survives, presumably in the vents. At least that’s where the giggling is coming from.
Apparently his knowledge of the byzantine rules of MLS rosters is considered to valuable…or does he just know where all the skeletons are?
He is the Keeper of the Racoons
Don’t speak ill of the raccoons. 😀
I truly think he’s just got a contract to ride out and Levien just likes him. Maybe gives him a vibe check on things but I don’t think he wants the stress of actually handling stuff in the organization. Anything I’ve seen written about him by commenters indicates he’s not a vindictive person either.
One thing we can say about Jason Levien is that he does NOT mind terminating a contract before it is finished.
Looks like they have a replacement in mind. Quoted from the DC United website,
“As part of a comprehensive review of the club’s soccer operations, D.C. United has decided to move forward with a new approach. A new leader of the soccer operations department will be announced in the future and will work alongside Head Coach and Manager René Weiler, President of Business Operations Danita Johnson, and the rest of the club’s leadership team.”
Hmmm Head Coach and Manager…
Bogert mentions two possible candidate: Erkut Sogut (former agent for Mesut Ozil and involved in the coaching search that produced Weiler–so this means Levien already has some kind of connection with him) and Santiago San Roman, formerly with Necaxa, now Toluca).
Came here to post this as well. San Roman is interesting, especially given that Toluca are actually…good? My only worry with either of these two (or even Weiler) is not having any MLS-specific experience.
Soccer Operations Department? Pray tell, what else is this team doing exactly? Parking? Supporter group relations?
Managing/recruiting vendors, ticket sales, advertising, sponsorships, managing Audi Field, events inside and out of Audi Field, real estate matters, human resources, and countless other things I haven’t thought to list.
You are listing front office stuff. Soccer operations is fields, players, recruiting, equipment, travel, data analytics, uniforms, etc.
He probably still has to pay a fair amount (if not all of it). But that’s if he likes you.
Where the skeletons are … how about Jimmy Hoffa? I don’t buy the announced reason for no subsurface excavation at Buzzard Point. I’m
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/46283084/fifa-pay-clubs-release-players-26-wc-qualifiers
Splash that Aaron Herrera, Kye Rowles cash
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/46280940/espn-expand-nwsl-coverage-broadcast-36-games-2026
Goff is reporting that barring any last minute changes it’s going to be Erkut Sogut as the new COS.
So the guy who helped find the new coach is able to use that search to get hired as the new COS….
Easy kickoff starter for tomorrow’s free kicks: the unedited 15 minute interview with Levien and Kaplan that got (mistakenly?) posted by Fox 5. Not that we needed any further encouragement to view our ownership group with disdain.
(edit: didn’t see when I posted this that the District Press had also interviewed the owners today, so probably best to reference both at once.)