Spirit Win, Loudoun Recruits Locally, DC Power Extend Almendariz, Vancouver Fans Call for Aid, and more: Thursday Freedom Kicks
Happy Thursday everyone. Yesterday was a really busy day and there is a ton of interesting soccer news locally, nationally, and internationally. Let’s get to it,.
Washington Spirit shut down Racing Louisville in 1-0 win: Match report (Green Line Soccer)
The Washington Spirit seem to have found their form. Whether it is the result of the team starting to gel after a disjointed preseason or the impact of a coyote named Jose, who’s to say? Jason breaks down the Spirit’s win on dream, drizzly night in the nation’s capital.
From Spirit Score-Fest to São Diego, South American Players Shine in NWSL (NWSL)
South American players have a great impact in NWSL. When discussing that impact, NWSL can’t help but highlight the Spirit’s history making pair of Leicy Santos and Claudia Martinez. Against Kansas City, Leicy bagged the first brace by a Colombian player, while Claudinha scored the first goal by a Paraguayan player in league history.
Ranking the top 20 best women’s club managers in the world (ESPN)
NWSL is well represented on the list, with at least half the list currently or previously managing a squad in the US top flight. Current manager Adrian Gonzalez and former skipper Jonatan Giráldez represent the Spirit on the list. Where do they fall on the list? Check it out and see.
NWSL chooses to maintain current schedule for next few years (The Equalizer)
Given the fan reaction to the potential schedule change news, this was an easy decision and the right decision. NWSL will revisit the decision after the 2031 World Cup.
DC Power has been working to extend players on their current roster past the end of this season. Yesterday, Paige Almendariz also agreed to extend her time in DC.
Loudoun United signed four players with DMV, including DC United’s academy, ties to their roster ahead of the start of the USL 2 season. Weng came up through the DCU academy before heading to Florida Gulf Coast University and then University of Portland. The 18 year old Barrus currently plays for VA Revolution. Saul finished his collegiate career playing for Old Dominion University. Aggrey also was part of DCU’s academy before playing collegiately for Canisius College.
Loudoun United looked locally for recruits ahead of their inaugural USL W season. Virginia natives Lizzie Rubino and Brooke Oswald both just finished their sophomore seasons. Aranda Hurge played in Bethesda Soccer Club’s ECNL program before going to the University of Arizona. Baxter is a Washington State commit.
D.C. United Announces Inaugural RDS Summer Select Program for Summer 2026 (DC United)
DCU announced the DS Summer Select Program which will provide “high-level training, team formation, and competitive summer play” for boys born between 2014 and 2018. Tryouts will occur in May with training to start in June.
USA Soccercast, Episode 185: USWNT’s Women’s World Cup road runs through Texas (SSFC)
Donald and company discuss November’s Concacaf W Championship in Texas and discuss the purpose of the USWNT’s upcoming friendlies in Brazil.
Fox Sports reveals broadcast pairings for 2026 FIFA World Cup (Awful Announcing)
Fox announced the teams that will provide the English language commentary this summer. The broadcast team is rightfully catching flack on the internet for its striking lack of diversity. I will add in a lesser complaint of my own. I am a big fan of Ian Darke and think he deserves a better partner than Donovan. I think Darke could provide excellent commentary on anything.(See for example the ESPN commercial advertising the 2014 World Cup where he covers a blind date, which happens to be one of my top 5 commercials for the World Wide Leader in Sports).
USA’s World Cup Group D rivals Turkey and Paraguay are battling injury worries (The Athletic $)
While the World Cup is still 42 days from starting, Turkey and Paraguay are monitoring injuries to key players which could impact who makes it to the knockout rounds and who goes home.
Really interesting look at just how much Inter Miami has become Messi FC and the impact his influence is having on media coverage of the team.
I’ll end with this.
The Whitecaps saga is bleak. Their fans are not taking the situation lying down and are calling for fans from across the league to help replicate the effort that kept the Crew in Columbus.
What did I miss?
Greg Roche posted a new episode of Pitch Pass in which he talks with Dax McCarty about the start of DC’s season. With Lloyd Sam seemingly no longer with Apple, Dax is probably the best analyst left there, and he has some interesting outside perspectives on DC. Its worth a listen
Dax is solid at the microphone. I am impressed.
Yup. I think he’s provided some really good insight on his calls, and did so in his conversation with Greg Roche as well. There have been plenty of former players to serve as analysts, but he brought up some things “in the locker room” from that chat that I’d never heard before.
He also indirectly called folks like me out. After Dax was traded to the Red Bulls, he went kind of all in on that team, and that made him something of a “villain” in my mind. To this day, I still make a mental note when someone passes the “Dax threshold” of 13 games played for the club. I was prepared to not like him as a broadcaster because of that, but as you say, he’s actually good and interesting. And he mentioned that in his Pitch Pass conversation, that he hoped people would give him a chance no matter what team he used to play for (Timbers legend!).
It’s certainly unfair of me to hold his embracing of Red Bulls against him. He quite likely would have done the same with DC if he’d stuck around longer. Even in his brief time here, he served me a half smoke at Ben Olsen’s Chili Bowl, and in the season opener, he handed the penalty kick to Charlie Davies for Charlie’s first goal since returning from his injuries. Sure, he didn’t do too much else in his time here, and his departure gave us the Dwayne De Rosario Experience, but he still showed some great character in his time with us.
Also, the absence of Lloyd Sam is noted.
Dax audibly wants DC to lose when he’s on the call for a broadcast. So, not a huge fan of him being involved, as human as his antipathy is.
He’s not perfect, but given the other options, I’d rather have Dax call more games than having to listen to Devon Kerr ridicule everything DC does on and off the field
Seeing as the other option is probably soon not Apple TV and its lazy ass team, as MLS and the company get coyote ugly next morning regret, I’m fine with other options.
Yeah, Devon Kerr is currently Hater #1 in my book. Go back and watch Peltola score against Chicago, and the first thing he says is, “Poor decision by DC United.” To score.
Calen Carr and Lori Lindsey are generally fine (though I think we have Lori a disproportionately high amount of times). But man, Kerr is always terrible. And has he even ever played in the league or anything? I feel like there’s next to nothing about him online
With how overly NY-centric the Apple broadcast crew is, I also had the immediate thought of “oh great, ANOTHER Red Bull guy” when I saw he was calling that game. But credit to him, he really did well with it and kept things largely neutral. I’m happy to see him call more of our games if Lloyd Sam doesn’t get to come back (he seems to call games for FOX now)
Dax is really good at this. He’ll get poached someday.
I’d like to add on regarding Dax’s humanity. He ponied up $$ when we were fundraising for Jaime Moreno’s eye injury back in the pandemic. We gave each other a shout out from C5 to bench. He’s class, and an excellent troller.
Re: Vancouver
MLS is a stinking pile. Exhibit A is Miami (bratty princess gets what she wants, on a plate). Exhibit B is this vile Vancouver debacle. Exhibit C is Precourt. I am sure there are many more exhibits to enjoy. DC United, any takers?
I know there’s a sizable portion of the DCU fanbase that wants new owners, but the debacles with Precourt and now Vancouver always make me hesitant about any and all sales within MLS.
Well said
So uh, do we want Jared Stroud starting over Aaron Herrera in right midfield? I think… I think I’m getting there.
No.
Herrera will come good in his understanding of how to work with Hefti, Stroud is just more than a tier below MLS quality at this point in his trajectory.
Stroud was much closer to his 2024 self last game. Defensively I’m not so sure yet…I think Tory had him playing higher up and with less responsibility to track back, and that could be who he is. Herrera probably gets the start again, with another healthy dose of minutes from Stroud should things get stale. It’s a spot we hopefully make a move to upgrade in the summer.
Yes, it’s a spot to upgrade. It’s the spot that I wanted to upgrade this offseason with another DP. But it’s also a big indictment of Caden Clark that he hasn’t been able to nail that spot down this year. And the times that he’s gotten on the field, it’s hard to blame Weiler for that (although maybe we blame Weiler for bringing him in in the first place). As I said, even Jared Stroud has looked preferable to Clark.
I don’t think it’s set in stone yet that Clark doesn’t rise to the level of it being his. There are moments where he’s been unlucky for his actions not to count. It all needs to be more effective and consistent, but he can make that jump.
He’s got the tools, if he can figure out the mental side of it (which is the thing a soccer player can most improve on as they gain pro experience), he’s capable of being an MLS starter that delivers at a 7.5 out of 10 level for years to come.
It’s still quite possible.
Clark is making more than lunch money to sit
Ahead of our game against them this weekend, NYCFC played the Red Bulls in the Open Cup. I was hoping for extra time, but the Pigeons did pick up the win in 90, helpfully destroying a chance at a trophy for New Jersey. Maxi Moralez had three assists. Hopefully he’ll be feeling a little leggy.
Also, in their game against Montreal, Tayvon Gray picked up a red card, so he’ll be out when we play them.
Last year, we picked up a win in New York courtesy of two goals by… Gabriel Pirani. That seems unlikely to be repeated.
A couple more things about that NYCFC game last year. It was Rene Weiler’s first win with the team (and only win in 2025). And this will be the second year in a row that we’re starting a former NYCFC goalkeeper against their former club. Luis Barraza last year, Sean Johnson this year. Thanks, Cody Mizell!
I don’t know about the “leggy” bit. Morales’ 3 assists came on 3 consecutive corner kicks. It was pretty effing amazing. Michael Bradley has some work to do to shore up NYRB, but also Morales’ served up some tasty balls for his mates to finish.
So we’re screwed…since we seem at times to struggle on corners see the Austin game.
Columbus handled One Knoxville much better than we did. They scored in the 10′ then Knoxville tied it in the 12′. Then Columbus took the lead with Hugo Picard netting the 2nd goal of his brace in the 23′. After that Columbus never looked back really. The game finished Columbus 4 – Knoxville 1.
MLS Next Pro is getting a capital infusion from global investment firm KKR.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7242594/2026/04/30/mls-next-pro-kkr-investment-new-markets/