The Spirit and Audi Field, MLS Awards, International Call Ups, More on Poch, NWSL fashion, and more: Wednesday Freedom Kicks
Welcome to Wednesday. It’s Veteran’s Day. Thank you to the veteran’s in the DP community and veteran’s everywhere for your service. With that, I’ll jump straight into the headlines.
The Spirit’s fight for a fair shake at Audi Field (Axios)
Audi Field is at its best when the Spirit rather than DC United are on the pitch. Its Rowdy Audi. Unfortunately, being a tenant rather than partner comes with certain hazards. It was readily apparent in the near debacle with the semi-final. Behind the scenes, it manifests in issues like the lack of a locker room and the infrastructure necessary to support a women’s team. Hopefully DCU maintains the ability and desire it showed to work with its arguably more popular tenant to keep them at Buzzard Point long term and prevent them from pulling their own version of a Gotham departure.
We’re getting closer to this weekend’s semifinal. Before turning the page fully on the Spirit’s demolition of the Thorns and looking ahead to Utah, Annie, André, and Ella recap the match.
If you prefer, you can check out the Youtube version here.
Scotland have announced their roster for next months World Cup playoff matches against Sweden and Sandy MacIver will feature. MacIver has been a mainstay in goal for Scotland this year and had an absolute monster year. Scotland are undefeated with her in goal this year, going 6-2-0 so far. She has four clean sheets and conceded five goals in that span.
How tunnel fits help NWSL players showcase their off-the-field personalities (ESPN)
The fashion show that is player arrivals in NWSL is one of the unique aspects of the league compared to its overseas compatriots. It gives the league a flair and personality all its own. Among those providing their perspective is the Spirit’s Gabby Carle.
2026 MLS Awards: Who should win? Who makes Best XI? (DP)
Its MLS Award season and for the first time ever the District Press has a vote! (Super cool!!!) Who did Donald vote for and why? I won’t spoil it.
Loudoun’s Noah Adnan received his first call up to Indonesia’s National Team and will join the team for training camp in Bali.
Ultimate 1-50: the male footballers best associated with each squad number (The Guardian)
A really interesting breakdown by The Guardian of the best male players to wear the numbers 1 through 50. Interestingly, a former DC United player makes the list. Not going to say who. I’m curious if anyone guesses who it is before reading. I sure didn’t.
Manchester United finalising deal for Mauricio Pochettino if Michael Carrick departs (The Athletic)
It’s increasingly looking like Poch’s departure is imminent. I’m ok with that. This always seemed to me more of a marriage of convenience over fit. Poch needed a place to wait until his next big team coaching gig landed and the US needed a big name to get through the World Cup. I’m just tired of the will he or won’t he aspect of it.
Fifty-plus! Bayern Munich Frauen turning the Bundesliga upside down (Yahoo Sports)
In the Frauen Bundesliga, Bayern Munich are on an absolute tear going unbeaten in over 50 league matches. That is just insane.
I’ll end with this.
One of my absolute favorite stories from this past World Cup was the love affair that developed between the Algerian National Team and the people of Lawrence, Kansas (and the greater area.) I saw this first hand when I went to the Austria/Algeria match in Kansas City. There were so many people in Rock Chalk Algeria shirts. It was really cool to see. It really warmed my heart to see that relationship continuing with a delegation from Lawrence traveling to Algeria as followup.
What did I miss?
For the list, I was thinking maybe Hamid with 28. That seemed like a weird enough number. But, yeah, agreed, would have never thought of who actually made it.
Didn’t Ravel Morrison wear like 47 or something? Without checking anything, that’s my guess!
Now having gone through the list… does Carlos Tevez being linked to DC once also count?
I thought maybe it would be Moreno with the 99. But article only goes up to 50.
Any chance Kang can “buy into” Audi? Or maybe is the long term solution to go to move to the new Commanders Stadium that will be where RFK used to be? Although it will feel cavernous if the Spirit can’t fill the 70k seater…
Have her build the roof……
Tom Bogert reporting that DC is looking at Oscar Pareja as a “top candidate” if we move on from Weiler. Weiler is not officially gone yet, but it seems likely he will be. Pareja is not the only option, but seems to be the leading option
Oddly enough, I actually thought about the possibility of hiring him yesterday. Interesting to see him pop up this quickly
One of Pareja’s calling cards is his ability to develop youth. That’s something we’ve needed forever, but he basically also needs to demand that we field an MLS Next Pro team before he signs.
Actually, every coach should be demanding that.
Weiler has gone full Kubrick, Pareja is more than acceptable enough to get rid of him.
If Oscar is down, get him in, and have him assure Peltola the nightmare is over.
DCU emulating the successful managerial recruitment strategies of ManU, well done…*to clarify, playing the whole “me might fire you at any moment” game like ManU is doing to Carrick.
Pareja is a fool if he takes this job for anything less than a stake in ownership. It would be by far the most challenging one of his career, after realizing he’d reached the end of his rope at a much better-equipped organization in Orlando. He’s been a great coach throughout his time in MLS, and it would be a good hire, were it not for our much great need to establish a developmental team.
When Ben was taking the MLS coaching certificate coach, Pareja was in it as well. I remember Benny praising Pareja, saying he was really smart and provided a lot of insights and counter-intuitive thinking in responses to a range of tactical challenges.
Poch has always been vain and unctuous with the media, and I think he’s an idiot if he goes to Manchester United.
A senior Glazer (the family that owns Man U) apparently repeated the sentiment within the last week that their marketing ventures surrounding the brand are disconnected from the team performance. That mirrors a shockingly similar quote from a few years into their takeover when the person they hired to run operations told investors the same thing.
They also brought in Jim Ratcliffe as a supposed savior, but he just did the vulture capitalist thing of cutting staff and spending and acting like he fixed something.
The squad has a few good EPL players, but the changeover in managers
and the narrative focused recruitment strategy means it’s not aligned, cohesive to any particular style, and honestly pretty iffy on the median quality.
Off the field, the club is falling apart while teams like Brighton, Bournemouth, and Brentford are building better teams on carefully laid organizational foundations. They’re the ones ready to be heard.
Poch is enchanted by the idea of making them the Man U of old, but you don’t buy a used vehicle without popping the hood, regardless of the make.
He was a good fit at this point for the US squad, his tactical understanding, South American and European experience paired well with the increasingly dynamic squad.
But, he’s following his ego. Inevitable failure downloading.