Friday Freedom Kicks: Taxiarchis Fountas to D.C. United, USMNT roster for March qualifiers, and more – Black And Red United

Good morning! Tomorrow D.C. United plays a day game in Toronto, your NWSL champions the Washington Spirit are in Orlando for their Challenge Cup opener, and Loudoun United have a bizarre 1pm kickoff up in New Jersey. Were in the deep end at B&RU! Hope you like to read articles online about soccer.

Speaking of...

D.C. United strikes deal to acquire Taxiarchis Fountas earlier than expected | Washington PostSteven Goff is reporting that United has agreed to a deal with Rapid Wien to bring Taxi Fountas to the District sooner than originally planned, with roughly $400,000 going to the Austrian side to buy out the remaining few months of Fountas contract. Its no secret that United has been pushing for this, and reports in Austria have pointed towards Fountas wanting to make the move happen ASAP as well, so if it costs a little money...I think the Black-and-Red will be able to live with it.

Fountas will need time to get his visa, so dont expect him to make a dramatic, WWE baw gawd thats Taxis music!!! entrance tomorrow at BMO Field, but itll still be a boon to a team that needs sharper movement and more creativity in the attack.

Speaking of Uniteds attack, Michael Estrada has been officially called up by Ecuador:

We already heard that Estrada is out for this weekend for family reasons and would stay in Ecuador to join up with the national team, so this is just crossing a T and dotting an I.

Spirit Coach Kris Ward Uses a Player-First Philosophy In Search of a Second NWSL Title | Washington City PaperNot only is this a good read about Kris Ward and his path to becoming the Spirits head coach, but it contains some news about the teams acting GM (its a familiar name!) and that the club will soon hire Angela Salem who retired after an NWSL Best XI season in 2021, and who played for the Spirit in 2015 as an assistant coach.

Ward spoke to media yesterday, breaking some news, praising Ashley Sanchezs growth (if you like Sanchez, we have more about her coming up in an hour, or in the past if you didnt read this post right when it went live), and alluding to adjustments in style of play. Heres the thread of press conference quotes:

Washington Spirit Sign Defender Amber Brooks | WashingtonSpirit.comWashington also added NWSL veteran Amber Brooks to its squad yesterday, a move that seemed expected once her preseason trial carried on through the Florida leg of training camp. Brooks will battle against Karina Rodrguez and Alia Martin for the job of being the go-do center back option when Emily Sonnett and/or Sam Staab are unavailable, but with international call-ups, Brooks and Martin will both get chances to play alongside Staab (unless Vlatko calls Staab up too, which...look Im just a blogger but I feel like that should have happened months ago).

What Im saying is that the Spirit are deep.

Interview with Andi Sullivan | RFK RefugeesAndi Sullivan stopped by RFK Refugees to talk about whats to come for the Spirit, her USWNT play, and of course the mystery of the cherry blossom kits.

Ill throw in that there is a new Plex Weather coming out in literally hours.

NWSL Challenge Cup: Taking stock of every team as the games begin | Just Womens SportsWant to know whats going on with the rest of the league? Claire Watkins has a preview covering the basics for all 12 NWSL teams, including a note that the Spirit are right up there among the favorites.

USMNT roster named for March World Cup qualifying window | Stars and Stripes FCGregg Berhalter announced his 27-man USMNT squad, but it sounds like theyre probably going to have to make a quick change based on what happened just a couple of hours before the announcement:

Not ideal!

Its like trying to hold water in your fist: Searching for the truth behind the Quertaro stadium violence | The AthleticThis is a long read, but some tremendous on-the-ground reporting from Pablo Maurer and Felipe Cardenas on how things are in Quertaro in the aftermath of the horrible fighting seen at a match between los Gallos Blancos and Atlas.

Alright, thats it for me for now, but theres plenty more to come today and tomorrow. Enjoy your Friday, and go Terps!

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Friday Freedom Kicks: Taxiarchis Fountas to D.C. United, USMNT roster for March qualifiers, and more - Black And Red United