Let Freedom ring again » The second iteration of Washington Freedom got underway officially on Tuesday, with the Women’s Professional Soccer franchise introducing its ownership group, logo, renovation plans for the Maryland SoccerPlex, and one of its first three allocated U.S. national team players, defender Cat Whitehill.
Whitehill, 26, will fit in perfectly in the Washington sports scene, with her noted devotion to college football — she defied Southeastern Conference logic growing up in Birmingham, Ala., by rooting for Georgia and Florida. She put down her own roots in the Atlantic Coast Conference, starring for North Carolina.
“I’m a sports fan. Anytime there’s a sporting event on TV, I’m going to choose that over most things,” said Whitehill. “I’ve always kept an eye on D.C. United when John Harkes was around.”
Mystic Voyage » One noted attendee at the Freedom event was Washington Mystics part-owner and president Sheila Johnson, one day removed from firing her general manager, Linda Hargrove.
“Everything is on the table,” said Johnson of the Mystics’ pursuit of both a new GM and head coach.
She also said she was “excited as you know what” for another women’s pro team in Washington.
“I’m going to see what we can do to work together. I just think we have got to collaborate,” said Johnson. “I would like to see my basketball players come in and try to work on this side and learn sports operations because I worry about what’s going to happen after their careers are over.”
