Update: Giving thanks and recapping a win?
In this economy, go figure!
First things first, thank you to those who have subscribed, signal boosted, or basically expressed some optimism at whatever this gestures randomly will bring. It means a lot, and I hope to shake your hand and buy you a drink at some point in the future.
A couple of quick, fairly informal things on Loudoun, as they play Wednesday night so who knows if it goes to pot:
Loudoun United won their first home game of 2026, and it took until June 6, in a USL Cup game, against a team lower than them in the USL pyramid, for it, beating Richmond 2-0. I mused last week guys who were just coming back could get minutes against solid teams and sure enough, Christian Torres and Abdellatif Aboukoura saw their first 2026 starts on both sides of the field and they looked good in different ways:
Business didn’t pick up for Loudoun until the 2nd half when Richie Aman came on, assisted on one Thor Ulfarsson goal and had arguably a hockey assist on the other, Jack Panyotou was credited with an assist and three created chances, so he quietly got a little boost of confidence that is parlayable into something. Once Aboukoura gets closer to an hour, if Panayotou keeps his end up (Aman has quietly held up his part in this), this could be a scary defense.
Defensively things remain encouraging, and Noah Adnan quietly has done super work this year for Loudoun:
Jacob Erlandson came in for 15 more minutes, but more than that he doesn’t have to rush (nor should he, given what he’s had to deal with over the last year), having Adnan on the right, Sal Mazzaferro on the left and Axel Essengue centrally is doing OK recently; the newly loaned down Jordan Farr is a known product by Alen Marcina, and having him work with the kids in front of him smells like a lot of potential.
Lastly, I’ve kind of found myself in a Michael Mann area recently; I’m slowly reading Heat 2 along with a myriad of other books, and it’s OK I guess? Unsure what the casting will actually look like from a ‘who’s playing who’ perspective, but I imagine if you haven’t bought Austin Butler stock after Elvis, you may be priced out of the market. But I digress.
Along with that, Tuesday’s news that Manhunter would be getting a new 4K treatment with picture and sound, sources quoted me as saying “it’s about goddamn time”. I’ve also found myself watching old Miami Vice episodes in the evening when the house gets quiet. Look, the show’s sets and wardrobes are of the era, and the soundtrack remains an excellent listen, but some of the episodes are top notch because the casting is incredible! If you haven’t seen the two minute guest star reel, you should. Along with the Bruce Willis one, “Evan” (with Boy Meets World Dad William Russ) is excellent, as is “Out Where the Buses Don’t Run,” with Bruce McGill as a retired but kind of crazy detective. I remember McGill as D-Day from Animal House before this, but he’s been in the Mann Stock Company of Actors since, for good reason. They were so good at casting Miami Vice they used athletes like Alexis Arguello, Bernard King and Bill Russell in meaty roles, and some worked! Then they made Harvey Weinstein and Michael Richards into faux scary baddies, and well, less said the better.
Anyway, I think that’s what I have for now. I’ll chat more on audio after Loudoun plays Greenville, and if my fledgling editing skills work, hope to have an interview to go with it, Thursday or Friday. Thanks again for your time and attention, and if there’s anything you’d like to see me expand on, or talk to people with, please don’t hesitate to ask, this is an open playground for everyone.