Friday Freedom Kicks: DCU coaching search, MLS changes to points-per-game, and more

Jill Ellis is still very much in the mix, while Clarence Seedorf may be the next big name linked to United’s head coaching position

Good morning! I meant to watch a movie last night, but I lost my way and despite combing through multiple lists of movies, I ended up eating ice cream while leaving a movie on in the background that I’d already seen before. Good times!

Let’s do that soccer:

Jill Ellis speaks with D.C. United in informal interview about head coaching job | Washington Post
There are a dozen names in Steve Goff’s latest on D.C. United’s coaching search. Jill Ellis has apparently already had a chat with the club, while the rest of the group includes experienced (but if we’re being honest, not exciting) MLS coaches, multiple former United players, Michael Nsien, multiple MLS assistant coaches that have never been head coaches at professional clubs, longtime USMNT right back Steve Cherundolo, and Dutch national team legend Clarence Seedorf.

That last name is extremely wild to me. In high school, I was all about the Dutch team of that era, and Seedorf was my favorite player on the team. His track record as a coach is mixed — he did well enough at AC Milan, but suffered relegation with Deportivo La Coruña and fell short of expectations with Cameroon — but aside from being a huge name, winning the Champions League as a player, and speaking at least 5 languages (Dutch, English, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese) fluently, let’s throw this in for good measure:

Never, ever gets old.

Speaking of coaches, Chad Ashton was recognized as MLS’s Coach of the Week, while Julian Gressel is on Team of the Week after scoring his first Audi Field goal:

Tom Wilson and TJ Oshie were very excited that their cardboard cutouts attended the DC United game | Russian Machine Never Breaks
TJ Oshie, Tom Wilson, and Alex Ovechkin are among the D.C. athletes in the stands (in cardboard form), right up there with Washington Spirit captain Andi Sullivan.

Eight NWSL Players Available on the Re-Entry Wire | NWSLsoccer.com
We’ll have more on the Spirit’s moves as the NWSL finishes its end-of-season business ahead of the upcoming expansion draft either later today or tomorrow. But the brief version here is that the club has waived Cheyna Matthews, who didn’t play this season while pregnant. The Spirit had previously committed to give her flexibility to play elsewhere in the league if it would help her family.

MLS to use points per game to determine final 2020 regular season standings | MLSsoccer.com
This is going to get complicated, and it may well impact the Supporters’ Shield race. Unless an Eastern Conference game gets cancelled between now and the end of the season, this won’t impact United, because the East will have every team play 23 games. We’ll have more for you on United’s playoff hopes tomorrow.

The writing was on the wall for Guillermo Barros Schelotto at LA Galaxy | LAG Confidential
The LA Galaxy — sitting in 25th place in a 26-team league, with one win in their last ten games, and fresh off of being stomped by Portland — gave Guillermo Barros Schelotto the boot yesterday. Can’t say it’s a surprise.

USL League One Final Cancelled, Greenville Named 2020 Title-Winners | USLLeagueOne.com
A wild finish to the USL League One season saw Union Omaha qualify for the league final on the final day of the regular season, but a really unfortunate rash of positive Covid-19 tests has caused the league to opt out of holding a final. That means John Harkes and the Greenville Triumph have been named the league champions.

And that’s all I’ve got. Have a good weekend!

Just kidding. Did you think I forgot Monster Mash? Friends, I will never forget Monster Mash! But I will stop posting them in Freedom Kicks, because October is going to end over the weekend.