USWNT Draw Spain, World Cup and Olympic Qualifying, Eddy Davis III, Wunderkind Old and New, and more: Wednesday Freedom Kicks
Welcome to Wednesday and Happy Atlantic Cup Day to all those who celebrate. I know the league and many fans may not care, but the Atlantic Cup still means something to me. A win against RBNY just makes things better. Let’s get to the headlines
USWNT battles back from two down in thrilling 2-2 draw with Spain: Match report (Green Line Soccer)
The location was different, but the story was awfully familiar at first. The USWNT went into the locker rooms in Chester facing a 2-0 deficit, just as they had at Audi over the weekend. The tale diverged however in the second half as Ashley Sanchez and Mal Swanson back even with the world’s top ranked team. Jason’s got all the details.
If anyone was worried about Swanson’s return to form, they most likely aren’t anymore after her high degree of difficulty tying goal, where she one timed a self volley across her body toward the back post.
There were plenty of Spirit and DC Power players in action in UEFA World Cup qualifying, CAF Olympic qualifying, and friendlies.
‘Unplayable’ Stanway a free-scoring warrior for Lionesses (BBC Sport)
Esme Morgan didn’t feature for the Lionesses in the second leg of their tilt with Greece. England cruised to a 5-0 win over Greece and won the tie on an 8-1 aggregate. England will face Ukraine in the final round of UEFA World Cup qualifying.
Scotland Beat Czechs to Set Up World Cup Playoff With Sweden (BBC Sport)
Sandy MacIver and Scotland didn’t have as easy a day against the Czechs as their southern neighbors did against Greece. Scotland won 3-2 over Czechia despite trailing twice. They advance on a 5-2 aggregate to face Sweden in the next round.
Bonansea scores, Belarus draw but Italy through: Finland next for World Cup spot (Gazzetta.it)
After sitting out the previous leg versus Belarus, Sofia Cantore and Lucia Di Guglielmo both were in the starting 11 for Le Azzurre yesterday in Firenze. Di Gulielmo played the full 90 minutes, while Cantore subbed off after 75 in what finished as a 1-1 draw. Italy advance on a 3-1 aggregate and will face Finland in the next round.
I can’t find good articles on the matches, but I wanted to make sure to note that CAF Olympic qualifying is ongoing. Rose Kouassi and Ivory Coast knocked of DR Congo 3-0 and won their matchup on a 7-1 aggregate. Loza Abera and Ethiopia advanced past Rwanda on a 2-1 aggregate. Ivory Coast will face Cameroon in the next round. Ethiopia’s next opponent is a familiar one, Tanzania. Last year during WAFCON qualifying, the Twiga Stars eliminated Ethiopia in the second round.
Leticia McKenna at the double as Matildas’ next generation help trounce Haiti 7-1 (The Guardian)
Its been a rough International Window for Claire Constant and Haiti. They’ve gone up against top opponents in Japan and Australia in preparation for next months Concacaf W Championship. Yesterday, the Matildas put up seven goals on Haiti. On top of that, Haiti had to suffer the indignity of having the pitch sprinklers turn on in the middle of the match. Constant did play the full match for Les Grenadiers.
Brazil and Argentina draw 2-2 at the Arena de Pernambuco (Yahoo Sports)
Brazil faced of against Argentina and the two finished with a 2-2 draw. Tamara Bolt earned her second cap for Brazil when she entered in the 63rd minute.
Nicholas Murray outs this list out every week and Loudoun’s Eddy Davis III has become a frequent fixture on it. This week he appears after bagging a brace against Miami FC. Joining him is defender Luca Piras.
USL Championship Team of the Week – Week 32 (USL Championship)
In addition to the shoutout above, both Davis III and Piras were selected to the USL Team of the Week. Davis III was selected as a started while Piras is on the bench.
Regulator: English football must address finances ‘before it is too late’ (ESPN)
The Premier League may be the most popular league in the world, but its truly built on a shaky pyramid. The chair of the Independent Football Regulator reported 94% of teams in the top 5 divisions are losing money. Based on the reporting, I wouldn’t be surprised if in the medium future the Premier League looked more like an American league than it does now if this trend isn’t reversed.
Nielsen: Post–World Cup Soccer Audiences Surge Among Young Viewers (Front Office Sports)
Cities may not have seen an economic boom from the World Cup, but broadcasters have. That’s a good thing… right??..maybe??
MLS won’t investigate NYCFC after Manchester City guilty decision, says commissioner (The Athletic)
Today in questions I’m not sure anyone was actually asking.
Christian Pulisic is no longer a focal point for the US or Milan – and that’s OK (The Guardian)
In general, I agree with this thesis. I’m not ready to discard him yet. Let’s see how he adjusts to the new situation. Maybe, the lack of spotlight will be good for him.
USMNT legend Landon Donovan urges caution over Cavan Sullivan: ‘I’ve seen this story’ (Yahoo Sports)
I tend to get frustrated with Donovan sometimes. I sense a bit of bitterness in hist takes about how 2014 went down. In this instance, I think he is 100% accurate. Give the kid some space and lets just see what he can do.
Here’s your game schedule for today.
| Teams | When | Where | Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| D.C. United vs Red Bull New York | Wed, Oct 14, @ 7:30 PM EST | Audi Field, Washington, D.C. | Apple TV |
What did I miss?
Glad the US Women came back for a draw. Even “gladder” that Ashley Suarez created (and finished) a lovely chance for the first goal. But the first half still has me shaking my head.
As for Pulisic, I think a lot of the prognosticators and fans have this wrong. Pulisic is a great talent, capable of being a major force on the field. He bleeds for the US. He also gets hurts a lot. He is not a player to build your team around, to make him the center of the attack. If we develop enough attacking talent so he’s just one of the spears in a Phalanx, I’m going to be very, very, very happy. Because in 6-8 games in a World Cup, you’re lucky if he’s available for 3-4 of them. So people just need to chill. Let him try to stay healthy. Let him do Pulisic-type things.
It should be a relief to have less of a burden on himself, and the fans should be thrilled how many pieces are coming in, as well as the evident floor raising of savviness and skill of the generation emerging now.
But he also has to do some work with his own mentality. It might not have been fair to say he had to be “the guy” all these years, but ego deflation and a new equilibrium are necessary for him now.
I’d be happy if that was doable for him, but I suspect it’s going to be a painful adjustment that he won’t enjoy, and might refuse altogether.
US Soccer is launching the Arthur M. Blank Crest Cup that will be the equivalent of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for women’s soccer. The actual start date of the inaugural edition of the Crest Cup is yet to be determined.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7688544/2026/10/14/us-soccer-launches-arthur-blank-crest-cup-soccer/
For tonight’s game, Louis and Kijima are both listed as out
We knew about Louis, which is its own bummer, but that’s also a bummer about Kijima. Kijima has started to earn trust and has rewarded that trust with some of his best play of the season in the last couple games. I think the team can go with Hefti at RB and Nono at RM and still do well, but a bummer nonetheless.
The RFK Refugee guys were talking about how ownership should be looking at a third DP for next year that is clearly better than Baribo and Louis, and will likely have to break their own transfer record again. I agree, and look at how Kansas City was able to bring in somebody like Andre Luiz who has been an amazing goalscoring threat since coming in, despite a large transfer outlay. A winger like that would do well for United, and if SKC can do it, then no reason DC couldn’t.
*cough* Ownership *cough* who seem to only view DCU as a realty investment to get Buzzards Point (still should totally be the name of the stadium).
Yeah…
The whole “not starting an MLS Next Pro team until Baltimore pays for it” is incredibly off-putting as well.
Weibe in his weekly Instant Replay session, that used to be Simon Borg back in the day, says the foul on Kijima when were down 2-0 in the 1st half should’ve been a PK.
Oh man, I haven’t thought about Simon Borg in a minute. His voice immediately popped into my head when I read that though lol