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Washington Spirit catastrophe and more: Freedom Kicks for 12 August 2021

Yesterday was a whirlwind of news, most of it bad, about the local soccer concerns. Let’s just go ahead and jump right into it.

‘He made me hate soccer’: Players say they left NWSL’s Spirit over coach’s verbal abuse

At least four former Washington Spirit players, including Kaiya McCullough, talked to the Washington Post about the verbal abuse they suffered at the hands of former coach Richie Burke, who resigned this week claiming “health reasons.” That explanation looks laughable now. Burke subjected members of his team to verbal, emotional, and racial abuse, driving four players to quit soccer altogether.