Spirit Appoint New CFO, Ashley Sanchez Has a Case for USWNT Callup, Celtic Collapse in Austria, and More: Wednesday Freedom Kicks
Hello, readers. The news for local teams, there’s a smattering, but I did enjoy this collection, and really, that’s what being a volunteer sports blog contributor is all about.
On to the news!
Washington Spirit owner, Michelle Kang, has made a new front office hiring in the form of new CFO, Ruba Minhas. Because the salary cap battle this offseason really will be that hairy.
The Spirit are hosting a watch party September 6th that includes a DJ set, for those who are intrigued.
Amanda Vandervort, President of the Gainbridge Super League, steps down– The Athletic
We don’t know why the president of the league that DC Power FC (amongst others) inhabits is stepping down, and The Athletic isn’t sure, either. Newsworthy development, if opaque.
Olivia Moultrie’s injury leaves the USWNT with a thinning midfield pool ahead of the World Cup– The Guardian
USWNT and Gotham FC Midfielder Rose Lavelle suffers head injury– Goal.com
For Courage midfielder Ashley Sanchez, another USWNT call-up should be a matter of ‘when, not if’– The Athletic
These pieces all are of one general thrust- both through her incredibly impactful and dominant play for The Courage in NWSL, and because two of the top playmakers on the depth chart are recovering from troubling injuries, the next international window will likely see the callup of Ashley Sanchez to the national team. Croix Bethune has also had a strong run of form, and Jaedyn Shaw has consistently gotten the nod from Emma Hayes, but chances are that Sanchez’s hard work will see her return to the pantheon this fall.
USMNT’s Ricardo Pepi, Sergino Dest score in PSV 5-1 rout- ESPN
The Americans are firing at PSV, and Gronigen is apparently no real competition for the Champions League regulars. Two things can be true.
Celtic throw away four-goal aggregate lead to crash out of Champions League against Lask– The Guardian
This is a wild one. Celtic were involved in a home and away playoff tie to officially qualify for The UEFA Champions League, and had already defeated their opponents, an Austrian club named Lask, 3-0 in Glasgow. When they went up 1-0 away in Austria, it seemed over. However, much like you should not bet on sports, Celtic should not have taken that for granted.
What followed was this:
Three Americans featured prominently on the night, but, unfortunately, two of them were Celtic CBs. The other was the Lask striker with an exceptional brace, who also managed to avoid a hattrick after his extra time penalty was saved. If you’re wondering if MLS should take a look, wikipedia will tell you that the league already did. Regardless, crazy match and one for the history books of “Huh?!”
The Chicago Stars still haven’t resolved a more permanent solution, so they will return to Northwestern University’s venue in 2027.
UEFA poised to lift boycott threat after FIFA promises no World Cup sale repeat– The Guardian
While Infantino’s tenure may not be entirely secure, it seems FIFA’s greatest threat has been appeased. Long term, we’re all the worse for it.
San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York pleads no contest after arrest at Ohio trailer park– The Guardian
Just extremely classy stuff, especially the mug shot.
‘There’s a baby on the field’: Toddler invades pitch during Minnesota’s MLS win over San Jose– The Guardian
And finally, a pairing of Father Time’s inevitable march and the metaphorical New Year’s emergence. Gotta say, one of those babies is pretty big.
That’s all I’ve got! One-up me in the comments, and have a great sporting day!
Sporting Kansas City acquired Owen Wolff from Austin FC as a U-22 player. This is a similar move to DC’s acquisition of Nathan Ordaz (with SKC spending more money), but also something that I’d like to see DC doing. I’m of the opinion that they need to fill their last U22 slot, and shopping within MLS has seemed to be a fashionable way to do that. I think it can be effective, but DC hasn’t really shown that they can be effective with any of their U22 signings, whether within the league or from abroad.
Still, talent is talent, and United should be adding as much talent as it can, ideally around a philosophical framework on how to approach play (which also doesn’t seem to be much in evidence yet).
To your last point, that’s just not happening any time soon, unfortunately. The owners are willing to throw millions of dollars away to *not* field a reserve team where the young players can grow. Weiler doesn’t seem to be terribly nurturing of the young talent he has on the roster, even if he’s improved our discipline and professionalism on some level. And, as has been the case since Ben Olsen started coaching DC, it’s not really his job either – there needs to be infrastructure in place for the guys before we let them ride the bench on the senior side.
Kind of to clarify – we’re not going to have a clear philosophy of play without the entire organization taking steps to foster it. Sogut and Weiler seem to have part of it down, but just acquiring skilled/hardworking players won’t get us to have a real style.
DCU certainly needs to bolster a lot both within the squad and the organization infrastructure as a whole.
That said, if the FO had made this move for Owen Wolff with the same expenditure of capital and investment of limited roster resources, I would say “what are you doing” like my barber just took a straight razor to the top of my head
Not because some players within MLS wouldn’t be worth this sort of move, but because Wolff specifically I’m confident is absolutely not
Sort of to that point, Matt Doyle just put a tier list of U22s with a ton of players on there. Not a single one played for DC United.
I will say, I’m more excited for Ordaz’s upside than Wolff’s equilibrium, which I believe we’ve seen, despite his record being hampered by injuries.
Even at his best, my reaction is more “damn, that MLS player did a thing with the others” than “dang, that’s a talent we need”