Thursday Freedom Kicks: USWNT SheBelieves Cup roster released, Hakim Ziyech loan move collapses, and more

Feb 2, 2023 - 12:30 PM

Happy Thursday, everyone. Thank you to everyone who has already filled out our survey to help us as we figure out the next chapter of soccer coverage in the greatest soccer city in America. If you haven’t filled it out yet, we still want to hear from you! Here’s what we got from yesterday:

Vlatko Andonovski announces USWNT SheBelieves Cup roster - SSFC

We have 4 Washington Spirit players on the latest USWNT roster: Ashley Sanchez, Ashley Hatch, Andi Sullivan, and Trinity Rodman. They will compete in the SheBelieves Cup later this month.

Hakim Ziyech loan move from Chelsea to PSG collapses due to late registration - ESPN

Hakim Ziyech will remain with Chelsea FC after his loan move to PSG crashes and burns due to Chelsea submitting the paperwork too late.

In another instance of paperwork being filed too late, LA Galaxy’s Julian Araujo will not be going to FC Barcelona as a result.

Black History Month: Sophia shines bright - SSFC

Yesterday marked the start of Black History Month, and over at Stars & Stripes FC, I routinely do an annual series of stories that focus on famous moments and players in Black soccer history. We kicked off the month with the story of Sophia Smith, and this year will also be about re-telling some of the stories I’ve already done over the past 5 years. Check out all the stories on SSFC’s Black History Month hub.

Club World Cup: Seattle Sounders to face Egypt’s Al Ahly in Round Two - MLS

The Seattle Sounders are set to compete in the FIFA Club World Cup starting this weekend, and they have their first opponent. They will take on Al Ahly on Saturday, with the winner moving on to face Real Madrid in the semifinals.

Coach John Herdman commits to Canada men’s national team: ‘We still have a job to do’ - The Athletic

John Herdman reportedly had a change of heart after originally deciding to take the New Zealand men’s national team job. He will now remain with Canada in his current job.

Women’s World Cup 2023: Co-hosts Australia and New Zealand write to Fifa over Saudi sponsor - BBC

Visit Saudi has become a 2023 Women’s World Cup official sponsor, and Australia and New Zealand understandably are not happy about it. They have written to FIFA to express their displeasure.

Finally, our very own BlasianSays was featured in an interview with the Halfie Project, which is a channel on YouTube that focuses on half-Korean people and issues. Take some time to watch, cuz that’s our mans!!

Enjoy the day, everyone.