Pochettino Commits to USMNT, There’s a New Commish in Town, and more: Tuesday Freedom Kicks
Morning DC Footy Folk!
I hope everyone had a good, soccer filled weekend! I attended the Salvadoran Heritage Night at Audi Field this past weekend! This was my first in person DCU game in probably a year or so. The vibes are definitely much better now. Personally, I loved seeing all of the El Salvador kits at the stadium. It’s great to see the team reconnect with one of the biggest and most supportive fan groups in the area. The fans got what they deserved with a rousing comeback from 2-0 down.
Anyways let’s jump into the news!
Mauricio Pochettino signs new deal to continue as USMNT head coach (SSFC)
I’ll be honest, had you asked me if Poch would stay on post-World Cup, I would’ve been shocked. But here we are with Poch signed on as coach until 2030. What is the most pressing issue he needs to solve? Sound off in the comments!
Sources: MLS owners select Larry Berg as next commissioner (SBJ)
Garber guided MLS since 1999. He ushered in MLS 2.0 (Beckham era) and 3.0 (rapid expansion). With the league now at 30 teams, Berg will have to find a new source of revenue that is not expansion fees. How should he best tackle that conundrum? Sound off in the comments!
D.C. United’s Quiet Revival is a Welcome Sight in MLS (Howler) You have to give them your email but it’s free
A good read about how the vibes are slowly but surely changing at Buzzard Point.
Infantino opponents threaten ‘non co-operation’ with Fifa (BBC)
The knives are coming out for Gianni. Is there any chance he stays on as the head of FIFA? Does anyone even want him to?
Game changers: How EA Sports made a video game the epicenter of soccer culture (ESPN)
How many of you are (or at least at some point was) addicted to the FIFA video game series? An interesting read behind the company that helped to propel soccer into the mainstream American conscious (at least those of us who played video games).
That’s all from me folks! See you all in the comments!
World Cup host cities are apparently going after FIFA for $1 million “legacy contribution” that they did for each of the 11 Club World cup Host Cities in 2025.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7491195/2026/08/04/world-cup-host-cities-payment-fifa/
Poch’s first opponents of the his second cycle with the USMNT are Peru and Chile in September then Mexico and Canada in October.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7463451/2026/08/04/usmnt-friendlies-mexico-canada-september-october-window/
Dang, that’s not a ton of time from now
Wonder it Noahkai Banks gets involved
We definitely aren’t doing better than Pochettino, so great that he signed a new deal. Even if he leaves in a year or two, someone else can be identified in that time.
His biggest challenges? Number 1, figuring out the defensive spine. There are GK options, but even though I like Freese, after that last game (probably his worst professional moment), how can you not be looking? Our younger options aren’t playing at a high enough level to challenge him, and Turner will be old enough come next WC (even as a GK) that he’s not a lock to stop goals we need him to stop. CBs aside from Richards are questionable. Freeman being an option as a LCB in a back three is a welcome revelation though. DM beyond Adams (who we should expect to have injuries) is something Poch wasn’t even sure enough about to bring a true like-for-like backup in.
Number 2 is moving on from Pulisic as the main attacking outlet. To a degree, he did that. Balogun can get the job done and won’t have a questionable decree from FIFA ruining the team preparations. Pulisic is too often injured and goes cold for too long to expect him to be available. I hope someone pushes to be the new creative, dynamic option.
Yeah definitely agree with figuring out the keeper situation. It’s weird that the US doesn’t have a clear standout now for several years but hopefully we can nail someone down early for the next WC cycle.
There is a rumor/report that one of DC’s academy players could be on the move to Nashville. The player is Mikel Akinmboni, Mattai’s younger brother. Roche provides some good analysis of this on BlueSky, but the gist of what he said was:
The lack of a DC MLNP team is the driving force behind this kind of move, signing a third 16 year old isn’t really feasible on the first team right now
He also notes that he thinks DC has already signed their 2 best 2010 born players. Notes Mikel has some promise to him, but he’s not the second coming of Matai and still has a long way to go to reach his ceiling, if he ever does.
In the end, this seems like the best move for everyone involved.
Yet another reason for ownership to get off their butts and get the NextPro operating even if a long term stadium situation isn’t set up yet….but this is the DC area and DC area sports team owners opening their pockets seems to be a big ask.
Indeed. DC area owners treat this like a small market, but it’s the 7th largest ‘metro statistical area.’ It only looks like a small market when the teams stink. They end up with a lot of empty seats. And at Audi Field, the food vendors don’t even bother coming. But, put out a decent team and the crowds grow. Show some ambition, convince the fans you’re trying to win and they will show up. 3 straight sell-outs for DCU. And the food vendors run out of product to sell.
Developing the young players does require some investment, but it pays off. Look at RSL and Gozo. Ultimately, it’s also a cheap way to fill out a competitive roster.
The sell outs are also likely influenced by BOGO offers from the team. But, hey, they had to do something.
This definitely helped convince me and my cousin’s to go to the game on Saturday (plus it was Salvadoran Heritage Night). We did the $20.26 ticket deal and got seats in the 7th row of our section by the corner. I think it was a good way to reengage with DCU and I’ll likely be back to a game sooner rather than later.
Apparently, RSL’s Zavier Gozo maybe on his way to Crystal Palace for around $15 million.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7492147/2026/08/04/crystal-palace-zavier-gozo-real-salt-lake/
Very exciting. Kid has talent. Making the jump to an EPL side is crazy, but let’s hope he can pull it off.
Crazy? Have you watched this kid play? He’s a real winner and one to watch closely going forward for USA fans.
My immediate thought whenever seeing an MLS kid make the jump to an EPL team is “Well, he’s killing his career.” Maybe with Crystal Palace it’ll be different, but I feel like its backfired too many times to get the benefit of the doubt at this point.
How do we think the Open Cup will work with the calendar flip? Since the early rounds will be at the end of the season with the semifinal and finals at the beginning of the season?
I’ve had this same though, especially since players get cap-tied to certain teams. Any movement in the summer could really impact any games that would be in the fall