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Well folks, it’s Friday, which depending on your work status and your ability to keep some sort of structure to post-Covid-19 life, may or may not matter. I hope you’re all holding up well as we continue having to pretty much avoid every other person. It’s supposed to be clear out this morning, so if you need to get out of the house for a walk, I’d say the best time to do so is between breakfast and lunch.
To the news!
Filibuster interviews Ben Olsen | Black and Red United
Like the headline says, we interviewed D.C. United head coach Ben Olsen on yesterday’s show. Plenty of insights on how you coach a team when you can’t hold training sessions or play games, plus a surprise he had planned for the third game of the season.
D.C. United players, staff share how they fill their days outside of training | Pro Soccer USA
United’s day-to-day right now involves individual workouts, non-soccer business, long walks, and the show New Girl.
Over in the NWSL, signings and trades have been put on hold:
The #NWSL has also stopped all player movement as of right now, per Craig Harrington. So any potential signings, etc. are in limbo as of right now.
— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) March 26, 2020
The Washington Spirit still have one roster spot open, and I’ve heard enough to think they have plans for it whenever the league opens things back up.
Statement from Sacramento Republic FC on confirmation of Covid-19 case | SacRepublicFC.com
We’re probably going to hear things like this more often as numbers continue to spike.
Growing appetite for Premier League season to be abandoned on moral grounds | The Athletic
14 of 20 Premier League clubs have to agree to whatever they end up doing about this season, and it sounds like the dispute is going to go on at length.
Fifa suggests player contracts and transfer windows be changed | The Guardian
In short, we’re talking about contracts being extended (because most teams that play through winter will have postponed games to play after normal contract end dates) and shifting transfer windows worldwide.
How the U.S. beat the best team in the world at the 2009 Confederations Cup | The Athletic
True story: I missed this game. I had to drive way, way out to western Virginia to pick up my aunt and bring her out here to see my dad’s team reach the finish of the Race Across America, so I was driving for about 9-10 hours. Very nearly ran out of gas on 95 just outside of the Beltway (literally rolling down a hill without power into the gas station parking lot).
U.S. Soccer, Again, Is at an Inflection Point; Will it Learn From Past Failings? | Sports Illustrated
As Brian Straus writes here, “U.S. Soccer has hit bottom, then hit it again.” Here’s hoping the most recent changes are the start of true, regular progress rather than simply cosmetic moves.
The History of the Seattle Mariners, Part 1 | SB Nation
Friends, I do not care about baseball even a little bit. And if I did care, I would probably care about the Orioles, and more generally know about teams in the East division, since those would be the teams I’d be seeing if I went to games. The Seattle Mariners may be among the least relevant pro sports teams in my world.
However, I’ve been looking forward to this series for a while, and the first installment made me laugh out loud several times. Times are tough right now, so this sort of diversion is a big plus.
Alright folks, I’m done. Stay healthy, stay appropriately distanced, and enjoy your weekend.