Davis III on USL TOTW, DC Power Remain High in GSL Power Rankings, Heilferty Goes North, the Egyptian King in Turkey, and more: Wednesday Freedom Kicks
Welcome to Wednesday everyone. I’ve decided I’m not ready for Fall to start. It feels like Summer just started and it feels like I missed most of it which is unfortunate. That being said, I reserve the right to change my mind should the thermometer go back above 90 at any point soon. Anyway, on to todays headlines.
Eddy Davis III Named Week 27 Player of the Week Following Hat-Trick Performance (Loudoun United)
Loudoun and the Colorado Switchbacks played a wild one over the weekend that ended in a 5-4 victory for the Switchbacks. Eddy Davis III netted a hat-trick for Loudoun and was named to the Starting 11 for the USL team of the Week. Khori Bennett who had a brace for Colorado which included the 97th minute game winning penalty also made the team.
Sporting JAX Stays Undefeated as DC Power Makes Its Move – Power Rankings (Gainbridge Super League)
DC Power force Sporting Jax to drop points for the first time this season and continue to hold the second spot in the GSP Power Rankings. Up next for DC, Jasmine Hamid and Dallas Trinity.
ROSES WELCOME DEFENDER HEILFERTY (Montreal Roses)
The former Spirit and Falls Church native will be plying her trade in The City of a Hundred Steeples for the Roses. She finished last season with the Tampa Bay Sun in the GSL.
Pochettino: Noahkai Banks still undecided, USMNT ‘cannot consider him for next camp’ (The Athletic)
Banks hasn’t decided between the USMNT and Die Mannschaft, but this could be the last international window where he is a free agent.
MLS’s transfer window and the spending line that keeps going up (The Guardian)
Between cash for intra-league transfers, the use of Garber bucks, and outbound transfer fees MLS is has a ton of money moving around. Buried deep in the article is a chart that compares the 2026 transfer window outlays for MLS teams vs their 2022-2026 average. and DCU has a slight increase.
2026 Ballon d’Or nominees: USWNT, NWSL, and Liga Femenil BBVA represented (AllforXI)
France Football released their lists for awards. On the women’s side there are a lot of familiar names among the nominees. Temwa Chawinga, Barbra Banda, Rose Lavelle, and Lorena are all among the nominees for Ballon d’Or. AKB and Lorena are up for the Best Goalkeepers. Lilly Yohannes is a nominee for Young Talent of the Year. Club America received a nomination for the Team of the Year. Among the European nominees for the same award are Michele Kang’s OL. OL’s coach Jonatan Giráldez is up for Coach of the Year.
Bayern Munich Frauen set new league record as unbeaten run hits 45 games (Yahoo Sports)
FC Bayern Frauen have not lost in Frauen Bundesliga play in 45 games, a period that goes back beyond the beginning last season. They would be my favorites to win the Team of the Year.
Salah has four goals and an assist to start his stay in Turkey. He became the first foreign player to score four goals in three starts for Trabzonspor. This makes me both happy and sad simultaneously. I’m happy he is playing well in his new home, but I still wish he were rocking a Liverpool jersey.
FIFA accused of ‘abusive conduct’ over women’s calendar (ESPN)
Calendar congestion is an issue. Feel like this an instance of UEFA and the European Leagues being the proverbial broken clock that is right twice a day.
No matter who wins, I thank fans who don’t care about gambling lose.
That’s all I got today. What did I miss?
My hot take is that the depth of both NWSL and the USWNT is so incredible that it’s tougher for US players to be head and shoulders above their peers in a noticeable and easily rewardable way.
Balon D’or also reflects a laziness and ignorance of most women’s soccer, let alone whatever’s happening on this side of the Atlantic Ocean, but they’re also like “they’re all good, but is any one of them great?”
Put Trin in a European league and see how she compares going against what are actually pretty low rent defenders, generally
Agreed on the Euro bias. Trin should’ve been nominated but I guess with lack of any international tournaments, she won’t get a nod. Hoping she has a crazy good World Cup next year and becomes impossible to ignore.
DCU introduces an official women’s social club called Her Club: Women United.
https://mls.app.link/r6EgfCQBi6b
https://www.dcunited.com/community/women-united