Alexandria to host Croatia National Team, NWSL schedule release, and more: Friday Freedom Kicks
Happy Friday! This week has felt crazy long to me, and I’m happy to be heading into a three-day weekend. Unfortunately, we’re still in a bit of a soccer drought, though I will be getting my sports fix by going to the PWHL game at Capital One Arena on Sunday. Should I root for New York Sirens or Montréal Victoire?
Morocco vs Senegal in the AFCON Final: TV channel, kick-off time, live stream, referee, injury and team news (ESPN)
We’re not totally without soccer matches to watch, at least if you have beIN Sports. The AFCON final is set, with Morocco and Senegal playing for the title on Sunday afternoon. The third place match between Egypt and Nigeria is tomorrow.
Washington Spirit Releases 2026 Regular Season Schedule (Washington Spirit)
The Spirit schedule is finally out! Which means I got to spend a portion of my day planning and entering events into my calendar, some of my favorite activities. I’d like to go to an away game this year; I’m thinking Denver’s inaugural home game.
I also published a breakdown of the home schedule, and Donald caught the fact that Washington’s season opener was scheduled for the same evening as a DC Power FC home match. Not a great look for whoever is coordinating things at Audi Field. It sounds like Power will be the ones to switch, though.
Loudoun United FC Sign Midfielder James Murphy through 2027 (Loudoun United)
Loudoun United are re-building their roster to go along with their new coaching hire. Yesterday’s signing was James Murphy, a midfielder who most recently played for Indy Eleven. They’re also teasing an announcement for later this morning.
Charlotte FC Acquires Austrian Left Back David Schnegg Via Waivers (Charlotte FC)
David Schnegg wasn’t on the waiver list long. He’ll be joining Charlotte FC for at least the next season.
Alexandria to host Croatia during the FIFA World Cup 2026 (HNS)
The Croatian Football Federation has announced they will be training at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA in preparation of this summer’s World Cup. Unfortunately, the location will only be anything close to convenient for one of their group stage matches. They play in Philadelphia, Toronto, and Arlington, TX.
Washington Commanders and HKS unveil initial renderings of new world-class stadium (Washington Commanders)
Now, for some soccer-adjacent news. I’m not sure how concrete these plans are, but I don’t think the stadium renderings look that bad. I’m not a huge fan of the bland buildings positioned all around it, though (turn that space into a training facility for the Spirit, you cowards!).
Josh Sargent’s Norwich transfer saga: What we’re hearing about the wantaway USMNT striker (The Athletic $)
What a mess! I do have to wonder about Sargent’s apparent World Cup motivations. Even if he transferred to MLS before the season, would he have enough time to impress Poch before the roster is named?
Have a good weekend!
As someone with no hockey allegiances (other than generally enjoying when the Caps do well), I say cheer for Montreal. It seems like that town deserves some hockey success and just hasn’t had any in a loooooooooooong time.
Poutine. There is no choice.
I have been thinking about taking a trip to Montreal this year, while New York also hosts my sworn enemies, Gotham FC, so this works.
Taking a trip- with most of your possessions, and a bag full of cash. Smart.
Honestly, I think the only reason you’d return is cuz you’re excited to see the Spirit at Audi this season 🤣
If Gabriel Pirani plays 18 games this year for DC, he’ll tie Fred for most games for United by a Brazilian player. That would have been unthinkable to me in 2024.
If he does play those 18 games, and manages to score 7 goals in them, he’ll have also matched the amount of games played for United by Paul Arriola, and have scored more goals than Paul to boot.
There was a part of me hoping that we’d bring Paul back this offseason. I know we probably more so need a new DP caliber winger, but man, I miss having Paul here.
Paul was a core DCU player. No question.
Heck, I was feeling a trifle jealous that SKC signed Calvin Harris, so yeah, Paul would have been nice to have back.
Paul was essentially a wingback for DC, so I don’t devalue his importance based on goal numbers. Having Lucho meant that we needed defensive numbers so he could just do jazz with Rooney. Paul’s job was to be able to get into the attack while also locking the right wing down. He did that ruthlessly.
Pirani started to jolt to life last season, seems to know how to shoot now. But he’s not a deceptive or savvy ball carrier. He does his best work when people forget about him, and that’s not good enough.
Miss you, Paul.
I’ve said for awhile that if Pirani is your fourth best offensive option, you’re doing pretty well. He does good work off the bench, and has a great shot from 15-19 yards out. He’s kind of like a really low-rent Baribo, in that he can score goals and not do all that much else well.
I don’t know that Pirani has a role in the starting lineup the way things seem to be shaking out, and that’s okay. But I think he’s also still our third best offensive option, so we need to get that third DP sorted.
Wow a Fred mention?! Haven’t thought about him in damn near a decade haha
If Pepi has remotely played again and can play in camp heading into the World Cup, Sargent’s out.
He’s just been a total nerf ball every chance he’s had this cycle to show something up front. Granted, one decent finish was somewhat cruelly ruled off on VAR, but that’s atrocious production, without even dynamism or particularly strong interplay.
I’m not even confident if he gets his Toronto DP move that he’ll be a real force in the league. I think he’ll be decent, but I don’t expect a lot of “put the team on my back” performances. If the game is kept close, he can be decisive, but he’s well off any expectations people had for him.
He is delusional.
Sorry, but it’s just not in the cards.
I think he’d be very good for Toronto – not an MVP candidate or anything, but he’d definitely score with a good enough supporting cast. But it doesn’t seem like a good move for him, even putting aside the last-minute despair to make the USMNT roster. He’s missing game time and letting his cold streak get to his head. He *should* be keeping himself in a good state because injuries can happen at any point and he’s still somewhere down the depth chart, this probably isn’t the way to get himself on a hot streak though.
Could be he’s in fact an excellent striker when healthy, but Sargent has been frail in the past in that department, and seems to take a bit to ramp back up when he returns.
Anyway, your assessment is likely pretty accurate, I just think it’s still a question whether he’s more than ok.
Denver away day sounds fun! Make a weekend out of it and catch a concert at Red Rocks.
Personally I’ve been wanting to go to KC but I don’t even know if I’d be able to get tickets. My plan would be KC game and KC bbq baby!
Anyone else have fun ideas for away games?
Denver is gorgeous. If nothing is happening at Red Rocks (great suggestion), consider going to Oskar Blues (Lyons) brewery on your way to Atkins Park (The Shining Hotel) and do proceed to the Rocky Mountain State Park, breathtaking. Do it, you will not regret it.
If you want to get your golf on, nothing beats Arrowhead state park golf course, which is on the same geographic line as Red Rocks. Insane rock formations.
I’ve been able to go to a few games while I’ve been in town for conferences (San Jose, Denver). Sadly, there weren’t any games happening when I was in Portland, but I walked around the outside of their stadium. That seems like a really fun one. I did the same at Cincinnati. I got to stay right next to the St. Louis stadium, but it was still under construction at the time.
I also have a personal spreadsheet listing which states, capital cities, and biggest cities in the state I’ve visited, and which ones I still need to go to. Seeing games against Minnesota United, Sporting Kansas City, Nashville, Charlotte, and/or Austin would help me tick off some needs on that spreadsheet, as well as be new MLS stadium visits for me.
On the MLS side of things, we’re been hoping to get to a Charlotte game at some point. We tried to go to one the last time we were there for a Nascar race, but the timing didn’t work out. Hoping to catch a DC game there at some point, but Charlotte has also sort of become my second team, so will probably try to go see them regardless at some point.
Right next to Dick’s Park is Rocky Mountain Arsenal State Park–bison, ground hogs, coyotes–pretty cool. The DAM (Denver Art Museum is a cool building).
Matt Doyle started the process of trying to figure out how much GAM each team has currently. I went back and dug through old press releases to try to figure out what DC has. Based on what he has and what I was able to find, I think our baseline GAM amount is somewhere between $3,623,569 and $3,773,569.
Acquiring MacNaughton came with a $50k 2026 GAM performance incentive, so Im unsure if he met that or not. Barraza’s acquisition also listed $100k in conditional GAM, but did not list if that was 2025 or 2026 GAM, so its included in that range just in case.
Also of note, this does not include the annual “You Suck!” GAM allocation for missing the playoffs, which Doyle says “is not a lot, but it is there.”
The amount could also go up if we decide we’re doing the 2/4/2 model and not the 3/3 model, which would be an additional $2M GAM max.
TLDR: DC probably has ~3.7M GAM + the “You Suck!” GAM allotment for missing the playoffs.
Ryan Keefer just dug up an article that reports that DCU legend Nigel Robertha has been arrested in Belgium for a drug deal
Quite a few characters we had in that era…Taxi and racial slurs, Morrison being hated by everyone except seemingly Rooney, now Robertha being in the drug business?
Ravel getting nabbed for using a purchased handicapped tag to park his car closer to the entrance/almost always have a spot is unfathomably evil for a person who gets payed to move his limbs.
Somehow I missed this event! Dude is a certified head case.
I believe this was upon his return to England, hence less coverage in the US
This was post DCU
Woah!
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6976975/2026/01/16/josh-sargent-norwich-transfer-saga-u21-reserves-clement-toronto/
Sargent has been sent down to train with the U-21s at Norwich for an undetermined amount of time.
Yeah, I think he fucked up pretty bad.
A transfer to Toronto, whatever he thinks it will get him, is not worth this behavior, reputational damage, or karma he would carry to that venture.
And if this is desperation to play in the World Cup, I think he’s throwing away all he’s earned for something that’s vanishingly likely to happen.
It’s the end of him in England and probably the rest of Europe unless he just pulls the plug and begs for his spot back (and starts scoring again). If it’s really about his family and his desire to return to North America, sure, but what does it say that he wants to come “home” *now*?
I sorta think, unless you’re getting yourself out of a really toxic situation, particularly one where the paychecks are becoming iffy, this behavior is not good or smart.
Going to a new club always requires some adjustment and retooling, you want to have some grace for that period and minimal distraction. If he makes it to Toronto, not only is he gonna be thoroughly howled at by Norwich fans for the foreseeable future, he’s gonna feel extra pressure to perform and put it all behind him right away, and especially as a goal scorer, that can go bad.
Isak is living this precise nightmare, and he’s one of the most gifted in the game.