DC United season ends, Spirit lose, and more: Monday Freedom Kicks
Happy Monday y’all. We get the week started with the end of a season:
DC United drew Atlanta on the road, 1-1. They close out the 2025 season with the worst record in MLS, earning the Wooden Spoon.
Washington Spirit lose fluky final home game of season to Orlando Pride, 3-2 (DP)
It was a wild one at Rowdy Audi, but the Spirit lose on the last home match of the season. After the international break, there’s one more regular season match and then the playoffs.
After the match, Esme Morgan essentially went straight to Wembley to cheer on her Jacksonville Jaguars:
2025 MLS Cup Playoffs set after regular season finales (SSFC)
We have the MLS Cup bracket. Who do you think is in the best position to win? Who are the cinderellas?
Three things we learned from USMNT’s October window (SSFC)
We wrap up the USMNT’s international window by reviewing some of the major takeaways.
Morocco stuns Argentina 2-0 to win first U20 World Cup title (The Athletic)
Morocco are the U-20 World Cup champions, upsetting Argentina in the final. The US loss in the quarters was to a strong team that are deserving champs.
DC Power was at home yesterday, and once again they drew Spokane Zephyr. Gianna Gourley snatched the draw from the jaws of defeat with a 95th minute goal.
Looking in at Concacaf World Cup qualifying (SSFC)
World Cup qualifiers in November are going to be absolutely lit!
Loudoun United lost 2-1 to Indy Eleven over the weekend. They have one more match before they enter their first playoffs.
USMNT remains 16th in October FIFA rankings (SSFC)
The USMNT are still 16th in the world, and they’ll have 2 more tests in November when they face Paraguay and Uruguay in friendlies.
KC Current star Chawinga injured on eve of postseason (PSW)
Temwa Chawinga picked up an injury over the weekend and KC Current are concerned that she could miss some considerable time.
Finally, if you’re free on the 15th, check out the annual Footgolf for Good: #GiveMSTheBoot Tournament!
Enjoy the day, everyone.
So cake or death?
I was just lying in bed last night thinking that the most pressing personnel question is whether to exercise Christian Benteke’s option, and the second most is whether to offer a new deal to Luis Barraza.
My thinking on both is no. Benteke is still a force, and Weiler’s system seems to use him a bit more as a forward distributor. But he’s starting to miss time, he ended the season with just nine goals, and I think the team could conceivably be more dynamic with someone new up top. He’s been identified as a building block going forward, and I believe the reporting was that the team wanted to bring him back (although it might be that Levien wants to bring him back, which… no). He’s one of those rare DPs that thrived in DC, and he’s used to MLS. But still, I’m ready to turn the page. He can go down as one of the most underserved players in DC history.
Speaking of turning the page, I also think that we should say good-bye to Barraza. He was totally fine for us, but he’s out of contract. Any new deal is going to necessitate a raise and multiple years. Sure, it kind of makes some sense to roll with him again and then maybe he can be the backup in 2027 after we’ve said good-bye to Jordan Farr. And maybe Sogut can really show off some GM chops and move Joon on to some other team. But why not turn down the contract and take a swing at an even better GK? Make a big offer for Dayne St. Clair or something.
Oddly, one of the seemingly big personnel decisions – picking up Gabriel Pirani’s option – sort of resolved itself. He’s done fine. He scores 6-7 goals a year. He did seem to get a little bit better this year. He has a green card. As far as U-22 signings do leaguewide, he’s actually doing fine. Pick up his option, and just sign three or more better offensive players to play around him. He’s kind of a luxury player, so as long as he’s not part of our core, he makes a totally fine addition.
In short, yes, I’d love to do some cake or deaths with everybody!
I agree Pirani is a decent accessory player and is welcome to stick around. Christian should flee to play some place really lucrative.
I posted this in the DC subreddit at some point (which is a crappy place to be these days), but my predictions (not necessarily my preferences are as follows:
Benteke (option) – picked up
Herrera (option) – picked up *
Hopkins (2 option years) – picked up ^
Pirani (2 option years) – picked up ^
Clark (2 option years) – picked up ^
Antley (option) – picked up
Leal – declined
Zouhir – declined
Dodson – declined
Barraza – free agent, not renewed
McNaughton – free agent, not renewed
Fletcher (option) – ???
Kijima (2 option years) – ???
Tubbs (option or out of contract?) – not renewed
Enow – sent out on loan or free transfer/contract termination
Stroud – traded
Jun hong- loaned out for the year
Badji – probably has to stick around
Notes:
*I think Herrera is sent packing after we pick up his contract, to the highest bidder. We probably get a 10th round supplemental pick and keep some of his salary.
^i have no idea how the options work since Klich apparently had his triggered before last season, but I’m guessing they work one year at a time.
???: both are wild cards. Kijima seems smart and a hard worker, but hasn’t been preferred by Weiler. Fletcher wasn’t especially glad to be back and then got a serious injury. I think it’s a coin toss for both.
FWIW, Herrera’s contract has already been fully picked up. Jason Anderson, Matt Doyle, and I had a back-and-forth on Bluesky about it, and it seems as though when they picked up his option last year, it triggered for this year as well. Although that was not noted in the Roster Report that came out in May this year. Not saying he can’t be traded or something, but he is fully locked-in contract-wise already.
Ah good! I still think he’s traded unless he has a heart-to-heart with the coaching staff and apologizes to his teammates. Or even then honestly. That aside, it just confirms my confusion about any team-held option.
Dubious head-butt to red card himself out of the season. Only he knows for sure. What I am suggesting is not pleasant for me.
Certainly not pleasant. But I also wouldn’t say you’re off-base.
Yeah, from the initial rosters released in that Box spreadsheet, he was shown as having his contract end in 2025 with an option for 2026. In the midseason update to those spreadsheets, it listed Herrera as being under contract through 2026 with no options. So it sounds like they picked up his option at some point, or perhaps hit some benchmark that automatically triggered the option (this was what happened with Klich). There was no announcement about it, but I think that usually only happens when a new deal is agreed to, or at end of year roster announcements. For instance, we never learned about Klich’s option kicking in after it was triggered after the 2023 season.
It’s possible that Herrera gets traded. Weiler does seem to like Antley as a more defensive right fullback, and Herrera is one of the few players that could bring value. I think we’ll probably start the season with him and then maybe try to move him before June rather than sign him to a new deal.
To me, he plays Herrera more as a wing back. And as a wing back I think we can find better options. But as an overlapping right back or maybe playing in a back-3, I like Herrera a lot.
These do seem like likely outcomes to me. I think that Zouhir and Dodson have a good chance of coming back, just because they’re cheap, unobjectionable, and it means two less spots you have to fill. I think Dodson in particular has some real value as a backup right back.
Fletcher is certainly a question. I think it’s in everyone’s best interest to exercise the option so that he has a chance to regain his form before trying again to move elsewhere. I think Fletcher would like to move, but his injury makes that difficult to convince another team to give him a good deal. The team might think he’s done, and so I wouldn’t be surprised if his option is declined, but I think he’s worth taking a flyer on.
My thoughts about Kijima echo yours. I think he’s a good depth piece, but Weiler really didn’t seem to rate him. It would be kind of funny to have spent $400K to get him, and then say “Peace.”
Enow still has two years and an option to go. So he’s not getting bought out. I would be pretty impressed if Sogut can move him anywhere. I think he’s on the roster in 2026 and 2027.
We can buy out two contracts, and I don’t think there’s any weird fuckery like having to buy out Birnbaum’s deal even though he’s retired. So, if they want to clean house and Levien agrees, they could buy out two players. The likeliest candidates to me are Stroud and Badji. They both are on deals that run through 2026 with a 2027 option. They’re semi-pricey (Badji is making $400,000 and Stroud is making $350,000), and both just were useless this year. Stroud going from 10 assists in 2024 to 0 in 2025 is a good starting point for why we were so bad this year. Everyone else is pricier, or has a longer contract (Joon is signed through 2027 with options through 2029!).
That’s why I feel like the roster isn’t going to look incredibly different next year. We’ll have the opportunity to bring in 2-3 DPs, and we’ll have to hope that they hit, and become force multipliers for players like Peglow, Pirani, and Clark.
Weiler’s talk of bringing in more quality has me thinking we don’t bother with Zouhir or Dodson, at the very least. Cheap yes, but I don’t see how Zouhir gets minutes for any team in the league. Dodson might be able to see some games out, but again I’d rather take a flyer on a new player.
I think Stroud was a superb fit for Lesesne’s system. Outside of a high press, run and run scheme, he’s a bad fit. And while Weiler is very flexible as a coach, adapting schemes to talent available, I think his comments make it clear that he doesn’t see DCU as a team that needs 3 DPs and it will be good. He doesn’t rate the talent. Maybe a lot of the new guys will be from college or academies or USL but I think we’ll see at least 50% of the roster turn over.
Stay tuned! We have a major end of year group activity that will be coming later this week!
Now tied with San Jose for most Wooden Spoons (5)…though also tied for most Supporters Shields, and 2nd in most MLS Cups (and 2nd for appearances). I think one or two seasons we tied for Spoon, but were saved by tie-breakers; likewise a few years we were just one or two above Spoon. As we know though, the Shields / Cups were all 2007 and earlier.
Ok, I thought I checked thoroughly, and noted 2010, 2013, and 2022, and obviously 2025 is in the books, what was the other time?
2002 comes to mind. Forgivable after a stellar run. We rebounded swiftly to win it all in 2004.
It is healthy to have a foggy memory about abject futility. It protects the psyche.
However, to renew season tickets while stand a blazing dumpster is unhealthy, and suggests a sinister form of Stockholm Syndrome.
Have they sent out those renewal emails yet? I’ve checked my inbox and nothing; checked the spam folder and nothing. Did I miss it?
If you missed it, so did I. Nothing in my various boxes/folders/spam filters. In searching, I did find last year’s email. It was sent on 9/10, deadline to actively opt-out was 9/24. In 2023, sent on 9/8, opt out 9/22. In 2022, sent on 8/5, opt out 8/16 – this appears to be the earliest one I received. 2021 was 9/7 – 9/20, etc. Related, I keep too many emails…
Yes, renewal emails were usually always sent in September. So the delay feel suspicious. They are prolonging the inevitable it seems. They should just get it over with.
I don’t know if it applies to you, but I read people complaining about an offer DC had early in the year promising a discount if we missed the playoffs… except it was really an agreement to buy 2026.
Maybe I’d be proactive and contact the representative about cancelling before they try anything shady.
I’m considering the same because the silence is suspicious.
They will be shady. A class action lawsuit against them and MLS will solve the problem.
I will do so if I am left holding some shit bag full of tickets that I do not want and never ordered.
They are furiously working on spin. I don’t buy it. AppleTV is my plan. I will hit up an occasional game if we are mediocre or better.
They have misrepresented and spun to long and too often for this 62 year old 96er to invest money there when I can take serious vacations or, gasp, save for retirement.
I won’t be renewing either. With me is not so much that I’m as disgusted as you are with the organization, I’m super annoyed and all. But personally, my tickets were an indulgence, something I promised I would do once we had our stadium. My gut tells me that I need to cut down on that type of spending for the foreseeable future, I don’t trust where the economy is going, my tickets might by next year feel more like a luxury that I’d irresponsible to spend on. I’m not much of a risk taker. Granted I will do my best to catch a few games a season. They might suck but they are still my team. 🙂
Still mine too, never worry about that.
We tied with the Galaxy in 2017 for the Wooden Spoon. I don’t know what the tiebreaker was that “allowed” the Galaxy to take the trophy, but I it’s officially considered a tie.
When you existed as long as DCU and the Galaxy have, things like this are bound to happen. 🙂 We suck but hey New Jersey has yet to win a Championship and neither has Philly. When DCU has me depressed, I cheer myself by remembering this.
DC had more wins than the Galaxy that year. That was the tiebreaker. We did have a worse goal difference and fewer goals scored.
I had to laugh at Donald using our most funereal Freedom Kicks graphic today. This might be the first time it’s been used?
It’s the death of a season lol
The season has been dead for a long time. We just stuck the fork in now.
Or a spoon!