Inaugural DMV Derby, Consistent Spirits, Richie Aman, FIFA Drama, and more: Thursday Freedom Kicks
Happy Thursday Everyone. I’m back on my normal day. We’re in the time of the year where like half of my extended family have a birthday. Because so many of them were born in the 90’s I’ve been on a real 90’s music kick. In fact, I’ve been rocking out to a 90’s R&B playlist while I work on this. It was quite delightful Now, let’s ride.
DC United defeat Loudoun United in inaugural DMV Derby (DP)
Young D.C. United holds off Loudoun United in 3-2 DMV Derby win: Match report (Green Line Soccer)
While other MLS teams are busy with the Leagues Cup, DC United and Loudoun United played the first ever DMV Derby. In a match that featured a lot of subs and gave minutes to some of the Black and Red’s young players, DC United managed a 3-2 victory. Donald and Jason recap the match for those of us who were not there.
Episode 7: You’ve got to commit to the bit, Skeletor (Data Center Soccer)
From the Loudoun side of things, Ryan talks to Richie Aman about the College Cup, the draft, and the uniqueness of facing DCU while on loan with Loudoun.
We’ve got a brand new Hey Spirits! episode and it features the return of the mack! Ella is back with Annie and André for this episode. Check it out.
Continuity, chaos and Rodman: how Washington Spirit are thriving in NWSL (The Guardian)
In a league famous for teams bouncing up and down the table, The Guardian looks at the remarkable consistency of the Spirit. The Spirit’s international scouting department gets some particular attention, which is definitely deserved with the bevy of international stars the team is able to call on during any game.
First off, discriminatory comments are unacceptable. DC United heads to Montreal this weekend and Tai Baribo has already been the target of similar comments at least once already this season. This is worrisome.
USMNT announces friendlies for September-October window (SSFC)
The march to the next World Cup will start in September. FIFA’s new combined September-October international window will feature four matches for the first time. The USMNT will face Peru, Chile, El Tri, and most exciting for me, Canada here in St. Paul.
Gianni Infantino’s FIFA continues to be a mess. The other day, the head of the Jordanian federation released a statement accusing Infantino of leveraging aid for support. Yesterday. the Moroccan Federation claimed Infantino offered them the 2030 World Cup final in exchange for supporting his reelection bid. FIFA denies this occurred, however.
Infantino sorry for ‘errors’ but gets FIFA board’s ‘full support’ (ESPN)
UEFA is clearly out to bring down Infantino after his plan to create a FIFA version of SUM with himself as its head crashed upon take off. On Wednesday, FIFA’s senior members came out in support of FIFA’s president. Has Infantino’s tenure reached the end of the road? We will have to wait and see.
Former Spokane Zephyr players say club ‘cut corners,’ undercounted hours (Range Media)
Spokane had a bit of a rough draw being team located in the Pacific Northwest in a league where teams are predominately located on the East Coast. They folded following the end of the GSL season. Decisions made in during the season by ownership and team management are having significant impact on former players ability to file unemployment claims. The facts, at least as presented here, are damming and utterly reprehensible.
Zambia eliminated from WAFCON group stage, ending 2027 World Cup hopes (Yahoo Sports)
Yesterday, WAFCON’s toughest group finished group play. Nigeria, Malawi, and Zambia finished with identical records. Based on tie breakers, Zambia head home while Nigeria (Deb and Gift!) and Malawi head to the knockout rounds.
NWSL released details on ticket sales for the NWSL title game at Buzzard Point.
What did I miss?
I like the idea of DCU vs. LU as a regular event. It’s especially good this year with so many big gaps in the schedule for DCU–gotta try and establish some kind of rhythm!
I know some people have pushed back on the friendlies against Peru and Chile. I actually think those are a good idea. For starters, it’s an opportunity to bring in some people who weren’t on the WC team. And how many matches has Poochettino (or the USMNT for that matter) played outside the US in the past 2 years–huh? Pooch helped to create a culture and game approach of playing on the front foot, massive counter pressing, compact defense once the other team beats the initial counterpleas, and overloads offensively. As the match against Belgium showed, it’s not ingrained yet. I’m not saying we need to play “softies” or should avoid tough matches. But Peru and Chile are good for this purpose. And Canada and Mexico? Mexico brings in a lot of revenue. Canada has a tight budget so will like to stay “local” and they’ll play a tough match. And many Euro teams might have held off scheduling those late 2026 matches for another month or so to see if there was someone else that became available. This way, Poochetino and his staff know the rest of the year, can look at a masterplan for who to call up, approach some dual nationals with a specific date in mind that works for them.
Now, when we get to 2027, yes, I want to see more high profile matches in Europe. Just as teams spent 2024 and 2025 traveling to the US (to see US stadiums, test training locations, get acclimated), I expect the US to play every friendly we can in one of the WC locations (Spain, Morocco, Portugal plus a friendly or two in Brasil, Paraguay, and Uruguay).
I gotta ask, is Poochettino a bit?
Well this is depressing.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/aug/06/top-uganda-footballer-killed-robbery-kampala
David Owori, who played in the Uganda Premier League and for the Uganda National Team, was beaten to death with paving stones after resisting an attempt to rob him of his cell phone and other belongings. This follows the death of a Ugandan Rugby National team player in June who was killed by a mob who mistook him for a thief.
For those of you that were at the game last night, how did Richie Aman look in the first half? It seems like he’s been doing decently well for Loudoun, but did he look like he’d be able to cut it for DC?
Two members of Iran’s women’s national team have been granted Aussie citizenship. They were naturalized yesterday in Brisbane after 5 months of humanitarian asylum.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7496792/2026/08/06/iran-women-football-australia-citizenship/