USWNT win, D.C. United vs. Inter Miami, and more: Freedom Kicks for 3/6/2020

I’d better get this story done before I fall asleep at my computer. We’ve got two games to cover tomorrow, plus the USWNT on Sunday. Should be fun!

‘This game is my life’: Federico Higuain, Crew legend, plays on with D.C. United | The Athletic
Great stuff from Pablo Maurer, who had a lengthy interview with Federico Higuain earlier this week.

D.C. United versus Inter Miami preview with SFL Heron TV | Black and Red United
Having watched 100% of Inter Miami’s MLS games of all time, we got into the weeds previewing D.C. United’s next opponent.

D.C. United sign Russell Canouse to a three-year contract extension | DCUnited.com
This is pretty big news for United, as Russell Canouse was the subject of transfer rumors this winter. He could obviously still leave, but now that he’s signed through 2023, we’d be talking about a serious transfer fee.

Soccer legend Ray Hudson to bring colorful commentary to Inter Miami, Figal shines | Miami Herald
Former DCU head coach Ray Hudson will join the Inter Miami broadcasting team, which is pretty much the path that saw him take over the old Miami Fusion, and then get here.

CBS will air NWSL opener between Spirit and Reign as part of women’s pro soccer package | Washington Post
The Washington Spirit will host the first national broadcast for the upcoming NWSL season, and it’ll be on big CBS. There’s also more in here, including the fact that forward Cheyna Matthews is going to be taking the year off from the team.

How Rose Lavelle Found Her Joy | Sports Illustrated
Speaking of the Spirit, Rose Lavelle went through a lot in the past 2 years or so to get to where she is...which is currently with the USWNT, which we’ll get to in a moment.

Loudoun United’s season opener is tomorrow, and they’ve introduced some pretty good kits:

Peru? River Plate? The Washington Diplomats? Indiana University? I’m not sure exactly, but it’s a good look.

Well, alright, I am pretty sure they’re not Hoosiers tribute kits.

Christen Press banger leads the way for USA in 2-0 win over England | Stars and Stripes FC
The USWNT, out of season, brushed big-talking England aside, despite England’s players all being in mid-season form. It was a hell of a statement.

The aforementioned banger of a goal was this glorious curler from Christen Press:

In the other SheBelieves Cup game last night, Spain beat Japan 3-1...but maybe Japan deserves credit for more than one goal thanks to this astounding lob from Mana Iwabuchi:

Ep 21: Paul Riley – Youth Player Development, NWSL Coaching, and National Team Future | Soccer Wire
I haven’t gotten to this yet, but it’s on my list for today. Paul Riley is currently the coach of the North Carolina Courage, the most dominant team in American soccer over the last 5 years, and he’s seen the game from all sorts of angles.

In huge MLS news, an absolute legend is back:

‘Kids in the Hall’ Revived at Amazon | The Hollywood Reporter
New KITH episodes, finally some good news in 2020.

In honor of this outstanding development, here’s one of my favorite Kids in the Hall skits:

Have a good weekend folks!