Spirit to the NWSL Final, USMNT win, and more: Monday Freedom Kicks
Happy Monday! And it’s a happy one because…there’s a NWSL Final on Saturday and our Washington Spirit are in it!!
Confident Washington Spirit shut out Portland Thorns in 2-0 semifinal win (DP)
What a game on Saturday! The Spirit take out Portland to book their second straight trip to the NWSL Final! They will face Gotham FC, who beat Orlando on virtually the last kick of the match in the other semifinal. Who’s going to San Jose for the match?!
USMNT vs Paraguay friendly: Reyna’s return boosts United States to 2-1 win (SSFC)
Gio Reyna returned to the USMNT in a big way with a goal and assist in the 2-1 win over Paraguay.
International Update: How Have D.C. United and Loudoun United Players Done While Away? (DP)
We catch up on the DCU and Loudoun players who have been on international duty!
We cannot lose Trinity because the league can’t get a deal done. We just can’t.
Apple, MLS Deal Will End in 2029 With Revised Payment Structure (Sportico)
The MLS deal with Apple TV will now end in 2029 with the change in league calendar. The payouts will shift slightly as well.
USL Championship Announces 2025 Awards Finalists (USL)
Of note in the end of year awards for the USL Championship, Abdellatif Aboukoura is nominated for Young Player of the Year. And quite frankly, he deserves it.
Nigeria out of World Cup after shootout loss to Congo (ESPN)
What a wild shootout in the CAF Playoff. DR Congo wins it on penalties and advance to the inter-confederation playoff.
Tears of joy as Irish keep World Cup dream alive (BBC)
Ireland! With one of the final touches of the match, Troy Parrott toes a deflected pass past the Hungarian goalkeeper into the net to give Ireland the game-winner in a classic. They leapfrog Hungary in the process to claim second in Group F and advance to the UEFA World Cup Playoff, keeping their hopes alive to make the big tournament.
Finally, there’s one final day to get your DCU/MLS survey feedback in before it locks! Stay tuned the week of MLS Cup for the results!
There was certainly more, but I’m about to hit this flight to Tampa for the USMNT so discuss all of the weekend in the comments!
Not to give in to hyperbole, but it feels like NWSL is at a make or break moment with Trinity. They’re clinging so tight to their profit controls that they’re basically sabotaging the league. This league can’t take one step without stepping in a rake and having it swing up and hit them in the face.
Agreed. I didn’t quite buy the gnashing of teeth about Alyssa Thompson- losing some young players to a different experience is at times healthy- but Trin is a different kettle of fish. She’s already the most recognizable face in the league, and if anything, her profile is ready to be magnified significantly on and off the field.
It would be nuts for the league to lose this icon and cornerstone when it appears she would have stayed with the right deal. Unacceptable.
Yeah, as far as being the most recognizable face of the league, I was at the outlets in Williamsburg, VA last weekend (so, out of the immediate DC area), and the Adidas store there as 2 players displayed in the window of the store as advertising — Messi, and Trinity. Losing that connection is going to be bad for NWSL
In terms of the floor/ceiling analogy used a lot nowadays, NWSL letting Rodman go for financial scarcity reasons is really friggin bad for the league’s ceiling. It’s true we don’t know the numbers involved, but the league should be thinking of growth, and this would be a retraction.
Losing Trin doesn’t just cap the ceiling, it lowers it immediately. And the precedent of her not being valued and retained will mean other players get a negative message.
And that might collapse the ceiling of the league entirely, making it one where talents emerge and are snatched up without resistance.
The commissioner needs to realize this isn’t a financial balancing act. You lose here, you keep on losing.
I think they’ll make a change. It’s not going to be “get rid of the salary cap and maximum salary”, probably something more along the lines of whatever weird stuff MLS has been doing. The most competitive league in the world should be doing something to retain it’s talent…but also not just making it easier for the best player to make a lot of money.
Congrats to the Spirit. Outstanding season that isn’t done yet.
The NWSL leadership is a day late and a dollar (well, in this case several hundred thousand dollars) short. They should have created a “DP”/David Beckham exception 6 months ago. I think it’s good for US players to experience overseas. I think some may have that as a personal goal. But Rodman (as others in this thread have pointed out) is probably the highest profile USWNT player right now in the world. Casual fans could name her before they could the team captain or the top 5 USWNT goal scorers for 2025.
It’s one thing for MLS to be a feeder league for the best leagues in Europe. But NWSL is positioned to be the best league in the world. I get the value of a cap. But there are ways to accommodate the cap and allow yourself to sign a Blanco, Son, Vela, (I won’t name Messi because that involved a lot of cap gyrations and “exceptions”).
BTW, this is one instance (Rodman’s negotiation) where the CBA is a big obstacle. If the owners controlled everything (not saying they should, but “if”) this could be resolved quickly. But because anything salary-wise (like allowing a NWSL version of the DP but then cutting the team cap by a couple of thousand dollars) would require negotiations and then a CBA vote and ratification–I think this makes it a near impossibility. The only real question in my mind is what team Rodman is going to. I would think it would be English (because I don’t think she speaks French and just spend a couple of months living in London for rehab). Sad.
It’s an interesting point about the CBA constrictions. Would be a shame if that’s a major factor in the commissioner’s decisions
I don’t read the CBA as requiring negotiations to increase salary cap. The league is required to consult the PA before raising a cap, but full negotiation and amending the CBA are not required.
That is my understanding as well. However, come of the clubs that average under 10k per year in attendance and don’t have a strong marque star may say “hey now, you’ve just added a ‘DP’ slot that could be worth millions–that’s a huge increase in the annual cap.” What I think would have to make it palatable to most of the teams in the league would be to DECREASE the cap–but provide an exemption for a “DP” slot which would only count a couple hundred thousand on the cap with the owner footing the rest of the bill. And if the league said “we want to cut the cap by $200k per year but add a ‘DP’ exemption (which is off the cap) I think that would clearly require approval by the players.
Haven’t read the CBA, but I would be shocked if it allowed the league even the slightest discretion to LOWER the cap.
On the financial side, you got to figure money from Rodman or Thompson jersey sales make up or exceed the cost of the pay increase. Looking long term, with a World Cup ~18 months out, having a potential star ( accounting for possible injuries and waves at universe) in one of the favorites has got to be good for the league’s coffers. Any failure to get this done is solely a failure of will.
My wife and I came to an odd/funny realization when watching the post-match show for the USA/Paraguay game over the weekend. There was a special segment with Michael Bradley wishing Brad Guzan a happy retirement, and we realized that every USMNT-related player with “Brad” somewhere in their name is bald or has a shaved head: Brad Guzan, Michael and Bob Bradley, and Brad Friedel all come to mind. Gotta imagine Tim Howard’s middle name is secretly Brad now
Brad Davis had a fairly healthy head of hair.
The picture of him on Wikipedia (from 2014) isn’t doing him any favors in the hair department
We need a “Rodman Rule”; NWSL teams can pay up to three players whatever they want. MLS did this successfully and the NWSL can too.
And instead of a “DP” it would be called “RR Slot”!
A general DP could create some pressure for teams to enter into bidding wars. However, it’s disastrous for teams to lose their signature franchise players because of cap rules. It’s bad enough in sports like baseball where some teams are perennially “selling” teams, or just losing their top talent in free agency because they don’t have the financial resources to make competitive offers.
It’s why some leagues have embraced “franchise player” designations. They can take two directions. They can take the form of anti-competitive provisions which allow a team to control the rights to one player they deem indispensable. But, they can also just be permissive exceptions to salary caps — allowing the team to offer a competitive bid in order to entice a beloved asset to stay according to his or her wishes. That’s the path I would recommend to NWSL. If Trinity WANTS to stay in DC, the league should make it possible without forcing her to sign a deal way below her market value.
A ‘retention’ bonus or a ‘retention exception’ to the cap is the way to go here. It avoids having bidding wars for incoming talent, but allows for teams to reinforce their connections to their fan base by retaining the main attraction (or two)
AppleTV…(kill the paywall, good, never should have been there)
Season changes….(fine by me, enjoy the winter games)
Am I the only one seeing this league going into the toilet?
There is a sense of gasping and grasping that I feel. I don’t mind being wrong, but I feel that this league is a ponzi scheme and the last fool on is going to have a butcher’s bill to pay. I definitely sense that the fans don’t matter but for money.
I am sorry to sound sanguine, but this is a snow cone on the Jersey boardwalk in July….
I’m not sure it’s as dire as you articulate but there is a lot to be concerned about. I find myself thinking along the same lines looking at FIFA and the World Cup. Sometimes it feels like those leading this approach this similar to natural resources. Get in, strip and sell as much of it as possible, get out and leave the consequences to others.
On the snow cone, that’s why you always go for the Italian ice on the boardwalk!
I appreciate your kind (and funny!) response. I can’t put my finger on it, but it just seems that something is rotten in Denmark.
Maybe it’s just DCU fatigue syndrome.
I think it all comes down to the next 18-24 months. How MLS and DCU position themselves to ride the World Cup wave will tell a lot about how things will go forward.
Alas, I have a similar rotten feeling. It is just spread across a lot of areas right now.
Yeah, it isn’t 1994……
It just isn’t…..
Joe Willis had his option declined by Nashville. I don’t think he should be our target for a goalkeeper, but if things wound up that way, it would be fun to have Angry Joe back.
Similarly, Coronel is also leaving NYRB and is now a free agent. Wouldn’t be my first choice to pick up, but he’s only 28 and might be one of the younger solid GK free agents available
Of all the MLS goalkeepers that have come available, I’m pretty sure he’s my top choice. The age is a big part of it, but he’s a fine goalkeeper as well, Jersey affiliation notwithstanding. Otherwise, Sogut and Weiler will likely need to go shopping outside of MLS. Sometimes that works out, sometimes it becomes Kim Joon Hong. Coronel knows the league, and doesn’t take up an international slot.
I’d happily endorse signing Coronel.
37 is quite old, even for a goalkeeper. However, I would be curious to know if Willis would even be willing to consider a return to DC as a hypothetical. It’s been my impression that players, once gone, don’t want to rejoin in this era.
Except Asad. Speaking of which, his knee is healthy again, maybe its time he joins the team for a 4th stint lol
Eh, I’m sure he’d sign if we were offering him the best paycheck. Might not be good for either side. Unless Zimmerman came along too. Having some actual history and rapport between defenders would be great.
Very likely, there are better and younger options than him long-term. Coronel seems like the one it would be smartest to go for amongst the crop of FA goalies.
Yeah, I don’t want Willis to actually be contacted, and that would be the only way to know his mind on the subject. I’m just curious.