USMNT win, Spirit win, and more: Monday Freedom Kicks
Happy Monday everyone, and welcome to June! It’s Pride Month, and let’s all take the time to celebrate and lift up the LGBTQIA+ community here in America. Looking forward to the month, which is a busy month for all of us soccer watchers!
I’m driving back from Charlotte, where we begin with a win by the World Cup-bound USMNT:
United States beats Senegal as Pulisic nets 1st goal of ’26 (ESPN)
It was a wild game in Charlotte, but the USMNT hold on to win 3-2 over Senegal in their first ever contest against each other. Sergiño Dest, Christian Pulisic, and Folarin Balogun had the goals for the USMNT, while Sadio Mané had a brace for Senegal. Also of note: Tim Ream will be the team captain for the World Cup.
Washington Spirit defeat Seattle Reign 2-1 in final game before break (DP)
Yay Spirit! They get a 2-1 win over Seattle to enter the World Cup break on a high. Here’s more from Green Line Soccer as well.
CommBank Socceroos squad named for FIFA World Cup 2026 (Football Australia)
Kye Rowles is a surprise omission from Australia’s World Cup roster that was officially named yesterday. Really feel for him because I thought he was going to make it.
2026 World Cup: Group A Preview (SSFC)
Our World Cup previews have begun over at Stars & Stripes FC. Of course, Group A was the first, featuring Mexico. We’ve also dropped the previews for Group B (featuring Canada) and Group C, with Group D (the USMNT’s group) going live this morning.
Liverpool to open formal talks with Iraola (BBC)
After parting ways with Arne Slot on Saturday, Liverpool are likely set to hire Andoni Iraola as their next head coach.
Marcelo Bielsa omits Luis Suarez from Uruguay World Cup squad (ESPN)
The Uruguay World Cup roster will not include Luis Suarez, as Marcelo Bielsa left him off the list.
USA Soccercast, Episode 189: What USMNT matchday is really like for fans (SSFC)
Wanna know what a matchday is like for the USMNT? What should we expect from the team at the World Cup? I went on a pod with my friend from Sydney to answer a lot of those questions and more for the Aussie audience. It’s a long conversation, but a good one if you have the time!
Alright, time to hit the road.
Before this last game, I would have said the irreplaceable players are Pulisic, Adams, and Richards, and Jedi. We can find role support from the pool otherwise.
But I sorta think our current tactical idea is more reliant and buttressed by someone who needs to be lauded and acknowledged.
Alex Freeman. He’s athletic, robust, good at tackling and staying with the opposition, ball carries well for a CB and is not prone to making foolish distributions. And, perhaps most importantly, his presence in that RCB position allows Dest to be the restless attacking force he wants to be at his core. Most will say Dest was incredible, but things like ending up as the CF on the goal are far more costly if it doesn’t pan out without proper cover.
Freeman is very good on his own, but what he provides Dest is priceless.
Side notes: Pulisic may have played possum for a few months with AC Milan in order to preserve his efforts and focus to be sharp as hell this summer. So far, working.
A lot rests on the decisions the staff makes with Antonee Robinson, cuz he is so exhausted that it manifests as disorientation. His turnover from the pass decision that let Senegal back into the game, he’ll view that today and just be baffled, it simply had no point or possible upside as a play.
Malik Tillman and Balogun are setting it up and knocking it down. Pepi and Folarin are striker quality the program simply has never possessed.
Spot on. There are a number of different approaches (Jedi and Dest as wingbacks, having one outside defender slide up when we have the ball) but any scheme that allows Robinson and Dest to push forward is good. Thus, playing with 3 in the back (Richards, Ream, and Freeman) probably maximizes the advantages of Robinson and Dest plus allowing the US to have numbers in midfield.
To be fair to McKenzie, he was very good defensively, and only made one pass that was a bit outside his scope, but it made deep enough into midfield that the resulting play was relatively straightforward to manage.
He has the humility to lay it off to Ream when he can to distribute for him, and sometimes knowing you’re not equipped and able at something and acting like it is acceptable as an alternative to having that proficiency.
Ream, McKenzie, and Freeman were very good, and would have closed out the half with a goose egg in their own end if not for Jedi’s mental blue screen of death moment.
So, that’s reassuring, and allows the staff to be less myopic about Chris Richards’ treatment and recovery plan.
On Saturday, Old Glory almost upset the undefeated Chicago Hounds in a tightly contested 33-32 game. Old Glory led most of the way and had a chance in bonus time to steal the win, but lost the ball just 10 meters out from the try line. Still this is the closest game Chicago has had all season, the closest they’ve come to losing, and their lowest point total all season.
With just one game to go in the regular season, the defending 3x champions New England Free Jacks and Old Glory sit tied on pts at 17 a piece. But New England is in the 4th and final playoff spot on point differential with a -59 to Old Glory’s -66. With the last playoff spot up for grabs Old Glory hosts Anthem Rugby Carolina on Saturday June 6th at 4PM and New England hosts the Chicago Hounds on Sunday June 7th at 2 PM. Old Glory must win on Saturday and score at least 4 tries and increase their point differential. That’s very likely as Anthem are 2-7-0 and have a -124 point differential. Old Glory beat Anthem 31-14 earlier this season. Depending on the result will tell us what New England needs to secure the last playoff spot. The best outcome is that Chicago completes an undefeated regular season and beats the Free Jacks.