Johnson in Team of the Match Day, MLS/NWSL Minigames, and more: Tuesday Freedom Kicks
Morning DC Footy Folk!
I hope everyone is excited for the start of the European soccer season. La Liga started this past weekend. Premier League and Serie A start this weekend. Champions League qualifying is underway too. Any bold predictions for the season? My hot take; with the addition of Rodri, Barcelona will be damn near impossible to beat. Madrid will win at least one trophy this season, but don’t be able to wrestle La Liga away from Barcelona. Sound off in the comments!
Anyways, let’s dive into the footy!
Team of the Matchday: Mukhtar, Sullivan spark second-half success (MLS)
Johnson had six saves against Montreal. The last time a DCU player was in the Team of the Match Day was when Baribo scored a hattrick in a wild 4-4 draw against the Red Bulls.
The rise of women’s soccer mini-games (Full Time Podcast)
I’ll go a little longer than usual in this post and I included a podcast today! Definitely worth a listen because it goes over some fun web based soccer minigames that have popped up recently. I think this is a faster and less intensive version of fantasy leagues. Think Wordle but with soccer. Below is my best ever “Road to 75”. I got 77 points but lost in the final. Show off in the comments and let me know if you can beat that!
Sandy McIver is up for Save of the Week in the NWSL!
A USMNT Fan’s Guide to the 2026/27 European Club Season (Men in Blazers)
A solid list of all the Americans who will in Europe this season. DC alum, Kevin Paredes, gets a mention as he completed a transfer to Utrecht earlier in the summer.
Villa close in on Suzuki with Martinez future in doubt (BBC)
An American is about to play keeper for the reigning Europa League Champs! Too bad he’s already declared for Japan…
How a tiny Basque club spawned Premier League’s top managers (ESPN)
I recently read an article detailing how different cultures influence the way they play soccer. It’s just interesting to me how at this moment, the winning coaches of the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, both mens and womens World Cup winning squads are all Spanish (funnily enough, the champions of Spain are coached by a German).
Fifa chief sacked after criticism of Infantino’s World Cup sell-off plan (The Guardian)
Really gives off “dictator trying to wrangle control and prevent a coup” vibes…
Ted Lasso accidentally stumbles into women’s soccer’s biggest coaching problem ($The Athletic)
Finally, Ted Lasso season 4 is starting to get into the meat of the main plot this season and to me it’s a fascinating one. They are really delving into many of the systemic issues that plague the women’s game. Definitely worth a read and a new episode drops tonight!
Anyways, that’s all from me folks! See you in the comments!
(Baribo’s hat trick in a 4-4 draw was against the Red Bulls.)
Fixed! No idea how I got that one wrong
F*** the Red Bulls.
Road to 75 ⚽ MLS · Normal · 4-4-2 · Troy Lesesne
85 pts · Out in the Conference Semifinal
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⚽ Buksa 23
🏅 Record Breakers · Free Scoring · Winning Machine
https://75points.americansocceranalysis.com/
This was my attempt at an MLS road to 75 today. Got 85 points but lost in the semifinals!
3 DCU players have made Team of the Match Day since Baribo against the Red Bulls on 4/23/2026 Team of the Matchday for week 9.
Welp, I should’ve checked closer!
The Athletic is covering the soccer field overlaid baseball field at Yankee Stadium and how it has sucked this year. I still won’t forgive them for ruining Chris Korb when he tore the ACL in his right knee playing their in August of 2015. He as done for the season then missed all of 2016 and wasn’t the same when he played in 2017.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7520148/2026/08/17/yankee-stadium-soccer-pitch-criticism-union/
Barca with Rodri, the midfield will certainly level up massively,
But their backline players won’t believe how much more breathing room they’re gonna have all season and in the Champions League
So he’s going to be great, I’m sure, but he’s arriving injured as far as I know? How long was he supposed to be out?
Not sure how hampered he is, but the good news for him is: La Liga is Batman and Superman beating up on hospital patients.
Once proud Spanish clubs are scrounging around for prospective loan signings for a handful of million here and there, and even that is dicey for their financial situations.
It’s a sad state for the league, but it means Barca can spell him in league anytime they feel like it.
Kanas City has a new DP in Brazilian Andre Luiz for a club record $18 million + add-ons.
https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/sporting-kansas-city-acquire-andre-luiz-in-club-record-deal
$18 million is a lot of money for MLS, and quite a lot for a winger who hasn’t been especially productive, except for last season in Portugal, and 5 years ago with a U20 side in Brasil. But, if that’s the new market, DCU have some catching up to do with their next DP.
Tom Bogert is reporting that Philly is signing their own former homegrown defender Mark McKenzie as a DP starting next season. Obviously, bringing our homegrown players back on inflated salaries is nothing new for DC, but Philly will be committing two of its DPs to its back line. McKenzie made the World Cup squad, but… I don’t think I’d be wildly enamored of the move if I was a Philly fan, but most of the immediate reaction seems pretty positive.
I don’t believe there’s ever been this much uncertainty going into an EPL season about team trajectories.
I think there’s going to be some crazy narratives.
I think my Everton do much better than many anticipate, and I think Newcastle are the institution that winds up trying to survive
Irraiola at Liverpool, I do wonder if he can get his methods going in time to not get fired. They might not be able to afford missing a Champions League spot, and that’s a real possibility with a poor start
Chelsea with Alonso, just crazy anticipation and curiosity
I really enjoy the chaos of the Prem (What do you mean Spurs finish just above relegation two seasons in a row?!). I could see Man U mounting a decent title challenge. Maybe Rashford actually stays and does well. Certainly it is is the hardest of the top leagues to predict.
Carrick is great
Very well balanced, robust, smart buildup, know what out of possession is.
They should do well.
I think he needs a few more fine tune role signings, but he’ll have a clearer picture for the big moves next year
If he gets Champions League money next season and a reestablishment of momentum, watch out
If, however, Man U are ahead of schedule with their form, gotta say:
Arteta has a phenomenal squad, and Guimares is a devastating signing for the competition,
But Arteta doesn’t reward his players’ efforts and churn with his game plan particularly well. Carrick absolutely does, with less grind.
Seeing how hard Arsenal worked last season and during the World Cup, that could be decisive.
Seems almost every team is basically new to the EPL, or with a new manager, except Arsenal, Aston Villa, Leeds and Everton, and I guess Brighton. Other than that group, no team has been in the EPL with their current manager more than a year — and there’s so much turnover on so many of the rosters, too. But, not having Pep Guardiola (and no Mo Salah) makes for a very strange league.
It’s this kind of turmoil that makes me wonder if Brentford and Brighton, whoever can get the most going in the attack, might really ascend.
Brentford is a team that is going to murder any team that doesn’t know what they’re about, and leaves themselves exposed. The Bees have established quality, and a lot of teams will have morale drains against them
Brentford or Brighton are a good shout for surprise teams to do well this season. I might even toss in Everton.
This is only the third window Everton have been able to spend virtually anything after several seasons of being financially neutered. Every coach coming in knew their job was to keep them up till things changed.
Second summer transfer window, and they’re looking back.
Road to 75 ⚽ Daily 2026-08-18 · NWSL · 4-3-3
69 pts · Out in the Semifinal
🎯 74% of the best squad · top 1%
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⚽ Wilson 15
🏅 Record Breakers · Goal Machine · NWSL Shield
https://75points.americansocceranalysis.com/
I consider 69 points in the Daily Challenge to be pretty good.
Oh yeah going in blind for the Daily Challenge is tough!
Jamal Musiala of Bayern had a another on field collapse today. He revealed the recent diagnosis of absence seizures, which is treatable with medication (typically ethosuxamide, but there also other options). Although this is unfortunate, it beats a cardiac diagnosis. This can resolve spontaneously.
Availability report for tomorrows games is out. DC will be without Farr (shoulder), Rowles (thigh), Peglow (thigh), and Segal (lower leg). Bartlett returns from his suspension
Looks like Peglow has fallen off the disciplinary report, but Hefti is one yellow card away from a 1 game suspension for accumulation.