Friday Freedom Kicks: DC United preseason game, Audi Field improvements, and more
Just preseason things
After a busy Wednesday, yesterday was a little slow in terms of soccer news. I took the opportunity to go outside and enjoy the unseasonably warm weather but still have a few FKs for you all.
D.C. United wound down their time at the Coachella Valley Invitational with two friendlies against the San Jose Earthquakes yesterday. As reported by Steven Goff, United tried out two different line-ups for the matches.
D.C. United will play 2 90-min friendlies vs San Jose.
— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) February 9, 2023
1st lineup: Bono; Ruan, Akinmboni, Birnbaum, Jeahze; Pedro Santos, Palsson, Canouse, Klich; Fountas, Benteke.
2nd: Miller; Najar, Sargis, Pines, Samake; Hopkins, Durkin, Morrison, Rodriguez; Ku-DiPietro, Berry.#dcu #mls
D.C. lost the first match 2-1, with Taxi Fountas scoring the lone goal off a penalty kick, while the second resulted in a 0-0 draw. San Jose posted some video of the first game, giving us a chance to speculate wildly about how D.C. United might look in formation this year.
Controlling the tempo. pic.twitter.com/QBYjY4k18W
— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) February 9, 2023
Also on the preseason grind, the Washington Spirit have a preseason game today against Racing Louisville FC.
Loudoun United FC have hired a new goalkeeping coach, Omar Badran. A native of Saudi Arabia, Badran played professionally in England, Norway, Italy and Saudi Arabia before transitioning to coaching.
Audi Field has undergone a few updates in the offseason, including new roofing and D.C. soccer murals. Here’s a little update on that from Charles Boehm:
D.C. Defenders prepared for their opening game on February 19 at Audi Field by unveiling their shield. With the Pentagon outline and some of their other branding, they’re definitely leaning into a military theme.
#SHIELDSUP
— D.C. Defenders (@XFLDefenders) February 9, 2023
Now incapsulated in a pentagon shape, the design pays homage to the Pentagon, defense industry and the DC flag #XFL2023 | #DefendDC | @XFL2023 pic.twitter.com/rlk3stlN99
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