Washington Spirit, Injuries, and Ben Olsen: Freedom Kicks for 27 May 2021

Good morning! Summer is surely here, with summer thunderstorms crashing through the DMV last night. There is also a lot of soccer going on, so let’s get right to it:

Short-handed Washington Spirit stun Houston Dash for first win of NWSL regular season

Down a player and down a goal? No problem for the Washington Spirit, who come back after losing captain Andi Sullivan to a second yellow to beat the Houston Dash 2-1.

NWSL BIWEEKLY ARTICLE #2 - GOALS ADDED (G+)’S FAVORITE PLAYER

Trinity Rodman was a big part of that win, despite not scoring a goal. She’s basically a force multiplier, taking so many shots and being so dynamic that she allows her teammates opportunities to do the scoring.

D.C. United loses Edison Flores and Drew Skundrich to injuries

After finally getting some good news on the injury front, D.C. United is back to having bad news. Edison Flores was injured during a challenge from a Philadelphia Union player and was subbed off in the third minute, and Drew Skundrich (who had been really impressive recently) has a knee injury that could require surgery.

Moisés Linares is living a dream, chasing another as D.C. United’s Spanish-language TV voice

A great profile on Moises Linares, Spanish language announcer of D.C. United games on TeleXitos.

Ben Olsen finds peace in his art as he plots his next decade: ‘There’s a maturity in my painting’

Pablo Maurer catches up with former D.C. United head coach Ben Olsen, as he starts the process of figuring out what his next act is. It begins with his art.

Landon Donovan is doing some cool stuff down in San Diego, and other people are taking notice and jumping in.

Opening today!

That’s all I have, what’s up?