Washington Spirit signs Monique Ngock, more DC Power signings, and more: Friday Freedom Kicks
It’s Friday! This week felt extra long after the holiday, but we are finally to the end of it, and there’s plenty of World Cup, Washington Spirit, and Loudoun United to watch this weekend. Hooray.
Washington Spirit Signs Cameroonian Standout Monique Ngock (Washington Spirit)
The first of three promised Washington Spirit signings has been announced! I do have some thoughts on what this means for the players whose contracts are set to expire, AND what kind of signing I’m still hoping to see, but you’ll have to listen to the next Hey Spirits episode for that.
DC Power Football Club Sign Forward Kayla Colbert (DC Power)
Getting ready for their mini-season this Fall (before the switch to a Spring-Fall calendar), the Power are making a lot of new signings.
DC Power FC Extend Midfielder Ellie Gilbert and Goalkeeper Makenna Gottschalk Through 2026/27 (DC Power)
And extending current players?? See Spirit, it is possible.
D.C. United Acquires Up to $1 Million in General Allocation Money from San Diego FC in Exchange for Midfielder Gabriel Pirani (D.C. United)
The details of Pirani’s trade to San Diego FC have been confirmed. They’re pretty much as reported.
Mbappé stunner ends Morocco resistance to send France into World Cup semi-finals (The Guardian)
Was there really any doubt? France have looked unstoppable in this tournament.
Remembering the NWSL’s viral tiny baseball field fiasco (and why it won’t happen again) (ESPN)
Ah, history. If you haven’t see the pictures of this game played entirely on an outfield, it’s worth the click.
Should Mauricio Pochettino Continue as USMNT Head Coach for 2030? (SSFC)
Spoiler: Donald thinks Poch should stick around.
Steve Cherundolo named U.S. men’s Olympic head coach (SSFC)
For the youth, though, Steve Cherundolo will be taking over for the 2028 Olympics.
For some Friday fun, more footage of the Washington Spirit players (mostly Trin and Tara) mixing drinks at Bluejacket during their Bar Crawl event:
Finally, here’s your schedule of events for the weekend. Now that we’re down to the quarterfinals, I’ll include all of the World Cup matches alongside our local teams.
| Teams | When | Where | Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain vs. Belgium | Fri., July 10 at 3 p.m. | Los Angeles, CA | Fox |
| Norway vs. England | Sat., July 11 at 5 p.m. | Miami, FL | Fox |
| Washington Spirit vs. NC Courage | Sat., July 11 at 6:30 p.m. | Cary, NC | ION |
| Loudoun United vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds | Sat., July 11 at 7 p.m. | Pittsburgh, PA | ESPN+ |
| Argentina vs. Switzerland | Sat., July 11 at 9 p.m. | Kansas City, MO | Fox |
Enjoy!
The Spirit always seem to get it, don’t they?
If you read Andre’s piece on the Spirit signing that dropped today, there’s some promising play analysis, but it also details the French league talents from mid table teams that Kang has made depth and development pieces.
Which means Kang is not only doing smart roster building, but sapping Lyon competition in a really effective way
Interesting take!
I want to know who Spirit are getting rid of for roster space.
Some seem to think the cap is hurting them
Hal Hershfelt will soon be a free agent, and she can’t live on a rookie contract anymore. Which is why Kang wanted the salary cap to get fixed, but it could be one of the owners who hasn’t spent to it (and sucks) can pick her up if we can’t.
Definitely moves in the works, all around.
For those interested in catching USA Eagles XV action this weekend.
Also on the USA Eagles XVs front, the U-20 men have been playing in the U-20 World Championship. The US got drawn into Pool/Group C with Argentina, England, and Ireland. They lost all 3 pool matches and will face Japan’s U-20s in the 13th place match. It was a brutal outing for the U-20s as they lost 78-14 to Argentina, 68-40 to England, and 73-22 to Ireland. Their 13th place match will stream live on Paramount+ at 10:00 AM on Sunday.
https://eagles.rugby/news/usa-mens-u20s-move-on-from-pool-play-to-take-on-japan-in-final-stages-of-junior-world-championship-202679
FIFA is apparently selling parts of the field from the World Cup final. They will be encased in resin to preserve the grass. There are 4 tier pricings $450, $900, $1,200, and $3,000. There will be 2,026 pieces at each tier.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7434855/2026/07/10/fifa-world-cup-final-pitch-collectibles/
Dear effin goodness
This from someone who tried to get people to think through their relationship over time with an overpriced, cheap, plastic seat removed from RFK as a moment
Like, I can imagine some people being into an RFK chair, but it’s probably gonna be sad clutter in many a purchaser’s garage, cuz indoor aesthetics would be tough to achieve with it. I’d bet a number of people who made that purchase have already junked them for space, and lack of real value
THIS is infinitely more stupid
Per Tom Bogert, the leading MLS team in the pursuit of Mo Salah is Kansas City. Notes that its still very much a long shot that he comes to MLS at all, but apparently KC is the leading candidate if he does
Well, they’ve got some roster spots, for sure
(They went into the opening game with 19 senior roster players)