Sometimes, work gets in the way of this project. Other times, life and it’s various milestones does; last week, both were the case. Amidst a double game week of MLS games, I was also celebrating my 26th birthday! In between writing a dense amount of analysis and adjusting to a new work system, I was also making dinner plans, contemplating watching the new Superman movie, and taking time away from social media. I am back in full swing now with yet another dense newsletter. I don’t want these biweekly editions to be the norm but, thankfully, this past midweek was the last dense block of midweek games this season meaning these should come back at a reasonable time every Tuesday.
With all that being said, what did we miss over the last two weeks?
Topics:
- 🏔️USMNT@DSGP
- đź‘‹Merci, au suivant
- 🎨NWSL Denver Movement
- 🎓Collegiate Soccer Season
- đź“·Pic of the Week
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USMNT to play at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
The US Men’s National Team is set to play an international friendly against the Socceroos of Australia on October 14th. The last time the USMNT played in Colorado? A thrilling 3-2 Nations League Final back in June 2021. The last time the USMNT played at Dick’s? A 2-0 win against Trinidad and Tobago back in June 2017.
Unlike Emma Hayes, whose first match in Colorado was her managerial debut with the Women’s National Team, this is not Mauricio Pochettino’s first Mile High rodeo. Poch returns to DSGP having previously managed Tottenham Hotspur in their 2-1 loss to the MLS All Stars back in 2015.
It’s not clear what kind of roster will be called up. Regardless, 8 years is a long time without seeing the National Team at our beloved DSGP. Maybe it gives the broader Colorado soccer fan another look at the decrepit state of the stadium. Either way, Dick’s is an amazing atmosphere when it’s filled and the USMNT undoubtedly will bring the heat.
Merci, Au Suivant (thank u, next)
Kevin Cabral was waived by the Colorado Rapids. It’s not yet known whether or not he waved back but what is true is the Rapids now have an open Designated Player Spot. Earlier this season, Major League Soccer introduced the Designated Player and U22 Player Model Designations. Once you locked in your designation, you’d have to wait until the summer to shift and pivot. The Rapids were under the DP Designation which allowed them to have three DP’s (Djordje Mihailovic, Rafael Navarro, & Kevin Cabral) and three U22’s (Josh Atencio, Theodore Ku-DiPietro, & Cole Bassett). With Cabral’s waiving, the Rapids can shift from the DP Model to the U22 model which allows them to have an additional U22 spot (AND up to an additional $2mil in GAM) at the cost of a Designated Player Spot.
For a team that hasn’t had much success in signing Designated Players, the U22 model makes sense. With recent rumors surrounding a potential transfer target, the shift to the U22 model may be necessary. The front office are targeting Colombian winger Alexis Manyoma:
Whether or not the deal comes to fruition, one thing is for sure: the Rapids needed to do something about Cabral. Kevin Cabral had been left off the squad in his last two matches and before then was a mere bench player. That is simply a complete waste of resources and for as expensive as he was, the club biting the bullet now points to greater ambitions for the roster build. While I still have heavy criticisms for some of the other sore spots on the wage bill, this is a big step in the right direction.
NWSL Denver Movement
The NWSL Denver project has had some big news recently. Their branding is set to be revealed at McGregor Square on July 26th at 2PM. First impressions matter and to have this first one hosted in downtown Denver speaks to the legitimacy of the project and it’s aims of relevancy within the wider Denver populace. Quite a strong and accessible location for their unveil. Now, we await to see if this is more of a home run or a disastrous swing and a miss like BOS Nation FC failed first impression.
The team is also reportedly close to hiring their first head coach. Nick Cushing, formerly of New York City FC and Manchester City Women, is the front runner for the job. The 40-year-old English manager has a preferred 4-3-3 setup. He’s a coach who developed within City Football Group ascending the various ranks of the company’s multi-club ownership model. If hired, this will be his first foray outside the City Football Group ecosystem and whether he thrives outside of those allotted resources is to be seen.
Collegiate Soccer Season
College soccer is just around the corner! NCAA Division 1 teams across Colorado from Colorado Springs to Northern Colorado have announced their schedules and are preparing for another Box State collegiate season of ball.
Denver University’ schedule includes a total of eight home games at CIBER Field. DU kicks off their men’s soccer season on August 21st against Washington. They will close out their opening week of games on the road against Stanford on August 24th.
DU’s Women’s side kicks off a bit sooner. They start their season with two free exhibitions matches on August 7th against Texas Tech and August 10th against Northern Colorado. After these two exhibition matches, the team opens their season on the road against the Air Force Women’s team on August 14th (Air Force’s first game of their season).
Speaking of Air Force, both the Men’s and Women’s team schedules were also announced. The Men’s team are set to open their season on the road with back to back games in Illinois against the University of Illinois Chicago on August 21st and then against Northwestern on the 24th.
Some other schedules that haven’t been announced but have been posted on their websites include the University of Colorado Women’s Team who start their season at home against Michigan State on August 14th. The University of Northern Colorado Women’s Team start their season with that previously mentioned match against DU before heading to Omaha on August 14th. Colorado State University have yet to update their schedule page on their website.
A big exhibition game to look out for is a Colorado College Clasico between Denver University and Air Force Academy. They will kick off at 7 PM on August 9th at DU’s CIBER Field.
Pic of the Week
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