Loudoun United keep signing players, “warnings” over Ronaldo’s protest, and more: Friday Freedom Kicks
Happy Friday! The big sports news today is of course the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, which I have been looking forward to. Will they be as bonkers as France’s in 2024? Probably not, but I am hoping for something entertaining. The games overall are already providing a wealth of topics to discuss (Finnish hockey norovirus! Cleaning bug blood off the curling ice! Suspected cheating via genital injections!)
Loudoun United FC Acquire Goalkeeper Adam Beaudry on Loan through 2026 (Loudoun United)
Still rolling out a rebuilt roster, Loudoun United have added Adam Beaudry, on loan from Colorado Rapids. (Those crazy kids are also teasing some more news this morning.)
Scouts on Oblemenco: Wuhan Three Towns and DC United are following two footballers in Craiova – Oțelul! (Digisport)
Is another international signing headed to DC… or do we need to be more cautious about rumors from Romanian clubs?
Pompey Women Sign Charlie Estcourt (Portsmouth FC)
After leaving DC Power FC, Welsh National Team player Charlie Estcourt has found a new team closer to home.
The Spirit posted a tribute to The Washington Post sports section yesterday. I know we at The DP have already spent two days covering the layoffs, so I won’t add on too much. It’s sad. It’s illogical. It robs us of moments like these (and equally important investigations into wrongdoing).
To celebrate ex-USWNT Crystal Dunn’s career is to also acknowledge how others failed her (The Athletic $)
Tamerra Griffin reflects on the double-edged nature of versatility, particularly for Black athletes. For Dunn, it often meant being asked to fill gaps in rosters rather than shining in her best position.
Three Questions Ahead of Week 18 in the Gainbridge Super League (GSL)
The Gainbridge Super League is back from winter break! DC Power FC made a lot of moves in the break, and the question now is whether it will be enough. They’re currently in 8th place (of 9) and 13 points behind the leaders.
Cristiano Ronaldo warned by Saudi Pro League over transfer protest (ESPN)
Seems like a pretty toothless warning to me.
For some Friday fun, this guessing game of bald soccer managers was too funny not to share, though I do not have an answer key for you:
Games are back!! Here’s your schedule for this weekend:
| Teams | When | Where | Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| DC Power FC vs. Sporting JAX | Sat., Feb. 7 at 5 p.m. ET | Jacksonville, FL | Peacock |
That Olympic doping story was wild.
It’s really interesting to contrast Ronaldo and Messi off the pitch. As much as I complain about the hype around Messi overwhelming everything and MLS bending over backwards for Inter Miami, I’m not sure I have ever heard a complaint about Messi the man. I’m not sure I’ve really even heard him complain about anything.
Ronaldo on the other hand seems to swing a bit mercurial. He doesn’t seem happy anywhere for very long and seems to lack self awareness. He’s living in a country that carved out an exception to its laws just so his family could live there. He just seems to see that as normal. Then there are the legal issues that remain in Vegas.
Messi certainly has an ego, but I think a lot of his frustrations and moments of churlishness, such as they are, are often due to the fact that he’s basically a one man financial system. He covers a lot of things and interests, maintaining his largess affects circumstances and interests well outside his own personal gratification and family fortune. Overall, he’s a bit corrupt, but if anything seems pretty resistant to it as a person. Ronaldo has always been a more self centered and self involved figure. He’s clearly taking his decreased effectiveness in a truly radioactive and unforgivable way.
That said, Messi is the one in the Panama Papers- whether he ok’d his accountants to do all that is opaque, perhaps, but still deeply disappointing.
If the MLS website is to be believed (big grain of salt there), the DC/Portland pre-season game tomorrow might actually get streamed on Youtube. We might actually get to watch a pre-season game for the first time in like…5 years
https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-preseason-friendlies/2026/matches/porvsdc-02-07-2026/
That would be neat
Can’t find a link anywhere, and can;t find the match on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/live/4JnrNPNbTPQ?si=Tnr7m_CfYx7FXM8M
Thank you for the reminder to go rewatch that Gojira performance.
I would happily watch the whole thing again. What a delight it was!
I’m just happy to see some United transfer rumors. We do need depth at left back! Do we need to be using a transfer fee and international roster spot to get it? Maybe! Who knows? Although having another Brazilian to pair with Peglow on the left, and having somebody who maybe speaks Romanian to keep Louis Munteanu company seem like some fun intangibles.
Anyway, we still need left back depth, defensive midfield depth, general soccer quality, and chance creation. And we have like two open roster spots. Yay!
Yeah, the writers are a bit cautious about this one. It’s not Cluj, but we did just get taken by a coordinated ride about a different player in that league.
Yep, 3 senior roster spots are left by my math (maybe 2 if Segal got promoted to the senior roster when he signed), along with 1 more international spot assuming no one (cough Peltola cough) is getting a Green Card. This would certainly be a lot of resources committed to our wingbacks on both sides, and would seem to indicate that that’s the direction we’re going with things instead of having outright wingers
Are they all not pictures of Pep “Bald Fraud” Guardiola?
I honestly don’t know!
While we’re talking about how others failed Crystal Dunn, how about the Washington Spirit for not acknowledging her retirement?
Their only league MVP!
DC vs POR lineup, per DC on Twitter:
Johnson, Bartlett, Peltola, Kurokawa, Peglow, Baribo, Louis, Antley, Rowles, Servania, Hopkins
That’s the order they put it in. Trying to figure out what the formation actually is with this
Game ends 0-0. Some decent chances on both ends. Baribo hit one off the cross-bar, and Munteanu had a nice shot to the far corner that got saved. Weiler used subs like a normal game, at least until the very end. Farr, Kijima, Clark, Murrel, Markovic, and Turner made sub appearances
Wonder why no Pirani? Injured?
Someone mentioned on Bluesky that he was in street clothes. Could be an injury.