Hefti makes Team of the Matchday, NWSL Skills Challenge tickets on sale, and more: Friday Freedom Kicks
Happy Friday! It’s a pretty gloomy morning, and I’m getting nervous for a very touch match for Washington Spirit tomorrow afternoon, but at least it is the weekend!
The NWSL has announced details and started ticket sales for the 2026 Skills Challenge, which I am very excited about! I do wish it were being held inside DC proper, but I will be making my way there regardless. And, while I hope the Spirit’s representative is too busy prepping for finals to participate, it is a fun participants list:
Team of the Matchday: Son Heung-Min, Denis Bouanga spark LAFC bounceback (MLS)
Silvan Hefti made Team of the Matchday for his game-winning header against RBNY.
DC Power Football Club Acquire Lexington SC Midfielder Tati Fung on Loan Through 2026 (DC Power FC)
DC Power are adding a proving goal-creator to their squad for the remainder of the season.
USWNT squad ladder: Ranking Emma Hayes’ players from 30 to 1 ahead of World Cup qualification (The Athletic $)
We are entering the home stretch of World Cup 2027 preparations, and The Athletic is getting the hype started by ranking the top 30 players in Emma Hayes’s pool. I’m giving a bit of side-eye to Trinity Rodman’s placement on the list.
El Salvador coach threatens to remove players from squad, strips perks a month before facing USWNT (CBS Sports)
Meanwhile, things for their opponent in next month’s qualifier are not going well. The coach seems like a real jerk, for one!
Exclusive: US Soccer launches new club competition featuring NWSL sides (The Cutback)
Finally, an inter-league competition for U.S. women! I’d really like to see some of the lower divisions participating in this (give me my Spirit-Annapolis Blues match-up!), but it’s a start.
Gianni Infantino apologizes to FIFA Council, avoids key issues (ESPN)
A classic apology where the apologizer makes clear the only thing they got wrong were the tactics.
FIFA Peace Prize could be scrapped a year on from Donald Trump win (The Athletic $)
You don’t say!
For some Friday… fun?, I present perhaps the most infuriating stutter step PK I’ve ever seen:
Finally, here’s your match schedule for the weekend. Seems like a while since all four teams have had a match in one weekend.
| Teams | When | Where | Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| DC Power vs. Carolina Ascent | Fri., Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m. | Charlotte, NC | Peacock |
| Washington Spirit vs. Gotham FC | Sat., Oct. 17 at 12:30 p.m. | Washington, DC | CBS |
| D.C. United vs. Orlando City | Sat., Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m. | Orlando, FL | Apple TV |
| Loudoun United vs. Birmingham Legion | Sun., Oct. 18 at 5 p.m. | Chelsea, AL | ESPN+ |
There was a CBS Golazo segment asking if Trin is in jeopardy of losing her starting spot, and I’m like, you all need to realize your age range isn’t considering Heaps the problem because your brains are bad
I didn’t include this because I didn’t want to overload with USWNT takes, but I thought this summary had a good defense of Rodman in this camp: https://secondball.medium.com/on-the-uswnts-2-2-draw-with-spain-225269b9efae. She had a bigger defensive responsibility in this window, both times matching one of the CBs for defensive contributions, which limited her role in the attack, and at least some of her “bad body language” can be chalked up to being tired! Also, Trin having attitude on the field is kind of just how she is; get over it, McCall.
She’s always been a track back player for the good of the team and at the expense of her own offensive numbers popping. The vast majority of attacking players at the top of the food chain do nothing of the sort, especially, Especially in the men’s game.
I feel like The Spirit have done her a disservice in terms of how laborious it is for her most games without the appropriate reward, and I sadly feel that, until Emma decides that the midfield can live without the completely purposeless Lindsey Heaps and finds real combinations the gel, it will be same for the national team.
If anything, she’s papering over some growing cracks.