The Season Begins

Saturday, September 6! Details here !

Loudoun Soccer x Arsenal Camp - An Insider Look

Men's 25/26 Season Preview With the pre-season in the books and the Premier League set to kick off this weekend, it’s time to take a deep dive into what to expect from Arsenal in the upcoming season. We’ll start with a brief recap of last season before tackling summer changes, and what to look forward to in the early stages of this campaign. KICK OFF THE ARSENAL MEN’S 25/26 SEASON WITH US AT OUR MEN'S OPENER WATCH PARTY THIS SUNDAY! Join us at 11 am at Anchor Bar for lunch, drink specials, games, and prizes! (We’ll have Match Attax EPL trading cards for sale! If your pack includes an Arsenal player, celebrate with a drink of the house!) RSVP here ! 2024-25 In Review Arsenal entered the 2024-25 season expecting to once again challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title. With City’s Ballon D’or winner Rodri lost for the season due to injury, Jurgen Klopp departing Liverpool after an illustrious run as manager, and Chelsea, Spurs, and Manchester United being in various states of chaos, it was thought that Arsenal were the front-runners for the title. Most of the above turned out to be correct. City fell off in the absence of their midfield talisman.Chelsea, Spurs, and Manchester United continued to struggle to varying degrees with none mounting anything close to a title challenge. Two things didn’t go to expectations on the path to a potential Arsenal title. At Anfield, Arne Slot replaced Klopp and not only didn’t he skip a beat but he improved on the German’s final season with the Reds. Despite the change of manager and aging key players in Virgil Van Dijk and Mo Salah, Liverpool were consistently excellent from start to finish. The other significant hurdle faced by the Gunners were some unfortunate injuries that pointed out some areas of the squad where the club was light on depth. Ideally, a club will get 34-36 starts out of 38 Premier League matches from their key players. Of their key attacking players, Arsenal received significantly fewer than that from Bukayo Saka (20 starts), Martin Odegaard (26), Kai Havertz (23), and Gabriel Jesus (8). Beyond the absences, it seemed clear that Odegaard especially was less than 100% even after returning from his injury. Finishing second in an incredibly competitive league while also getting to the semi-finals of the Champions League is hardly something to apologize for. But given the turmoil among the usual suspects and big spenders, finishing second did feel like an opportunity missed. If there was a silver lining to the club’s injury issues, it was the emergence of some young talent from the club’s Hale End Academy. A pair of 18-year-olds, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly, took the opportunity presented by the absences of Saka, Odegaard, and Calafiori and showed that, despite their youth, they are capable of competing at the highest level. Nwaneri scored four goals and assisted on a further three in Premier League play across 11 starts and 15 substitute appearances between Odegaard’s attacking midfield role and Saka’s wide attacking role. In addition to the statistics, he impressed with his fearlessness, control in tight spaces, and willingness to take on defenders. A left back capable of moving into midfield when the club is in possession, Lewis-Skelly didn’t produce significant counting statistics but did demonstrate his ability to both attack and defend while tasked with marking players like Mo Salah in the Premier League and Rodrygo of Real Madrid in the Champions League. Summer Activity I wrote an extensive post about Arsenal’s summer and invite you to check it out here if you want all of the details. To keep this post to a manageable length (too late, I know), I’ll just do a quick summary. The goals for the club in the summer transfer window were as follows: Secure a star-level center forward capable of scoring 20+ goals/season Replacing departing holding midfielders Tomas Partey and Jorginho with someone capable of shielding the back four and initiating the attack from deep. Building depth in key positions to ensure one or two key injuries couldn’t derail the season as the injuries to Odegaard and Saka did last season. Clearly, we will need to see how it plays out on the pitch but, on paper, the club accomplished all of these goals with approximately three weeks still to go in the summer transfer window. Here’s how each of the above items were addressed: In late July, Arsenal purchased Viktor Gorkeyes from Sporting Lisbon. Gyokeres scored at more than a goal per match across two title-winning seasons in the Portuguese first division. He also showed well in the Champions League. The step up to the Premier League is significant but there is ample reason to expect he will be a significant upgrade at center forward. To replace their two departing holding midfielders, Arsenal acquired Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad and Christian Norgaard from Brentford. Zubimendi has been an exceptional player in La Liga and should be an improvement over the aging Jorginho and frequently-injured Partey. He won’t light up the stat sheet but he should contribute to a tight defense and facilitate the transition to attack. Norgaard, until recently Brentford’s captain, will back up the Spaniard and provide steady play and veteran leadership. Beyond potential starters in Gyokeres and Zubimendi, Arsenal added depth at center back, wide attacker, and in goal with the additions of Cristhian Mosquera, Noni Madueke, and Kepa Arrizabalaga. Mosquera is a Spain youth international who will deputize for William Saliba and, hopefully, grow into an exceptional starter in his own right. The versatile 23-year-old Madueke, an England international, comes over from Chelsea where he enjoyed a strong season and will have an opportunity to compete with Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard for a starting job on the left wing while also backing up Bukayo Saka on the right. Arrizabalaga joins Madueke coming to North London from West London. It didn’t work out at Chelsea for Kepa after arriving at Stamford Bridge as the most expensive goalkeeper in history but he represents a way-above-average reserve goalkeeping option behind David Raya. While the acquisitions from other clubs are likely to be the most impactful this season and into the near future, perhaps the most exciting development of the summer has been the arrival in the first team of 15-year-old Max Dowman. The Hale End product has been putting up crazy numbers in Arsenal’s youth set-up despite playing with far older players the past couple of seasons. Finally allowed to play with the first team after turning 15, Dowman has tantalized in pre-season including drawing two penalties and showing his ability to create from the right wing. It isn’t clear how much time the youngster is likely to see in the Premier League but he is certainly one to watch whenever he gets on the field. The Season Ahead As the 2025-26 season approaches, Arsenal are as talented and as deep as they have been since the title-winning days of the early 2000s. In defending champions Liverpool and newly healthy and reinforced Manchester City, they will face two significant rivals for the title with Chelsea potentially a wild card in the race after a strong summer showing at the Club World Cup and continued spending on their squad. As Arsenal kick off against Manchester United at Old Trafford on September 17th, the expected starting line-up will be as follows: GK: David Raya - The Spanish international is the reigning Golden Glove winner for most clean sheets in the 2024-25 season RB: Jurian Timber - The young Dutchman has been excellent when healthy but has struggled with injuries in pre-season so former England international Ben White may start the opener. CB: William Saliba - among the top few center backs in the world, the young Frenchman continues to ascend as the rock upon which Arsenal’s defense is built. CB: Gabriel - the Brazilian is a menace in the air winning defensive headers and contributing to Arsenal’s league-best record for scoring from corner kicks and set pieces. He and Saliba form arguably the best center back pairing in the Premier League. LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly - The 18-year-old will look to build on his exceptional breakout season last campaign. CDM: Martin Zubimendi - As noted above, the Spaniard won’t turn heads with his statistics but he has proven himself as one of the best all-around holding midfielders in the world in both La Liga and international play. RM: Bukayo Saka - Arsenal’s homegrown star, Saka is among the best young attackers in the world. If he can start 34 or more Premier League matches this campaign, the Gunners will be well-positioned to challenge for the title. CM: Declan Rice - The England captain has moved up the pitch from a holding midfield spot to a box-to-box role that will allow him more license to create, score, and work higher up the pitch in Arsenal’s high press. CM: Martin Odegaard - At his best, the Norwegian is the creative force the gives life to the Arsenal attack. His vision, range of passing, and ability to fit the ball into seemingly impossible spaces for his teammates to score was diminished after his injury last season but he should be back to his best after a summer with no commitments for club or country. LM: Gabriel Martinelli - The talented Brazilian has flashed moments of brilliance for Arsenal since his introduction into the squad as an 18-year-old in 2019. Now 24, he must add consistency to his game or face the possibility of losing his spot to Madueke or a new arrival. CF: Viktor Gyokeres - The towering Swedish international scored a load of goals in Portugal and will be counted on to translate that form to the Premier League. Arsenal’s title chances may well ride on his ability to be this generation’s Robin Van Persie. These players and key reserves like Kepa, Jakob Kiwior, Ricardo Calafiori, Norgaard, Moreno, Nwaneri, Madueke, and Havertz will face a tough start to the season with trips to Manchester United and Liverpool (1st in the Premier League last season) and visits from Nottingham Forest (7th), Manchester City (3rd), and Newcastle United (5th) before the end of September. It isn’t ideal for a team with a bunch of new players to integrate to face such a tough run right away but if they can survive the first two months, everything will be in place for a great run at the title. All in all, it’s going to be another exciting season for Arsenal fans! Hope you will join us this Sunday to watch the season kick off vs. Man United!

Join us Monday, September 29 at Lansdowne Resort!

If you read my first post , you’ll know that I was planning a leisurely summer of introducing you to Arsenal and preparing to watch the upcoming men’s and women’s seasons. That’s still the plan, but the events of this past weekend are too important to Arsenal to maintain a slavish devotion to an editorial schedule of my own making. As I mentioned in my second post , many of the Arsenal women made their mark in the Women’s European Championships in Switzerland. While it was a fun tournament overall, the semi-finals and finals, with key performances from Arsenal players, were notable enough to elevate the tournament into an emergency column. (As an added bonus, I’ll throw in a few notes about the men’s pre-season results from their first two matches in Singapore.) Women’s Euro Headliners The setup for Sunday’s final had its roots in two matches: Spain’s Women’s World Cup win over England two summers ago, and Arsenal’s Champions League victory over Barcelona in May. Spain’s World Cup victory launched a potential dynasty on the international side, supplanting England’s Euro championship in 2022 as the most significant development in European women’s football. Spain’s World Cup winners were fueled by a core of players from Barcelona’s Champions League winners from 2022-23 and 2023-24. Arsenal, with a core of players from the England squad, faced an uphill battle in the Champions League final and never looked like the better team despite ultimately winning the match. The feel for the Euro Final was very much the same. Could England, with their Arsenal core, contain Spain with their Barcelona core? The match played out very much the same way as the Euro Final. Spain maintained most of the possession and looked like the better side, while England kept the ball out of the net and reduced Spain’s advantage to an academic one. Goals Straight from North London While Arsenal features six England players, their member on the Spanish side, Mariona Caldentey, was first on the scoreboard on Sunday. The former Barcelona forward’s tally came from a thundering header in the 25th minute. On the other side of halftime, it was Caldentey’s Arsenal teammates who crafted the equalizer. Chloe Kelly crossed for Alessia Russo, who went for placement rather than power with her header and found the back of the net behind Spanish keeper Cata Coll. The balance of the 90 minutes and both periods of extra time went by without another goal, setting up a penalty shootout for the title. Arsenal forwards Beth Mead and Caldentey both had penalty attempts saved along with Gunners defender Leah Williamson and two-time Balon D’Or winner Aitana Bonmati. After Salma Paraluello missed her kick wide it set up Gunner Chloe Kelly for the winner, which she dispatched with aplomb. Between the honors earned by Spain and Barcelona, there is no denying their quality, but the England side, powered by a core of Arsenal players, are now two-time defending European Champions to go along with the Gunners' Champions League title. The Arsenal women have consistently displayed the mentality necessary to prevail on the biggest stage against incredibly talented opponents. Notes from Singapore While the Women’s Euros were playing out in Switzerland, the men traveled to Asia to start their pre-season schedule. Pre-season matches, by their nature, are disjointed and don’t make for the best entertainment because coaches are getting players into shape, trying combinations and tactics, and rotating 22+ players into a 90-minute match that usually only accommodates 13 or 14 players. Despite those realities, there were some positive takeaways worth passing along: Everyone Stayed Healthy. Job one in pre-season is to get everyone to the first match of the season in good health. The Arsenal men’s team has come through the first two matches in good shape. We’re still waiting to see a few players for the first time, with Gabriel and Jurian Timber still recovering from injuries late last season, and new arrivals Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres not yet with the team. Otherwise, everyone is training and playing in the pre-season. Zubimendi Impresses. Martin Zubimendi is the rare case of a high-level international player whose move was completed early in the transfer window, and who didn’t have any summer obligations for his country. As a result, he was available to participate in Arsenal’s entire pre-season program. On early evidence, he is going to be a great addition. He isn’t going to show up in many highlight packages, but he is assured on the ball, and kept the attack moving in the half he played against each of AC Milan and Newcastle. One for the Future. Arsenal’s academy has been producing talent at a high level recently, with Bukayo Saka, Myles Lewis-Skelly, and Ethan Nwaneri the highest profile graduates currently starring with the first team. The next in line may well be Max Dowman. Participating in his first pre-season with the first team, the 15-year-old has very much looked the part against high level opposition. His first appearance against Milan showed some flashes without any end product, but his second appearance against Newcastle saw the precocious teen draw a penalty and force a strong save from the Magpies’ goalkeeper. It is probably too much to expect a significant role in Premier League and Champions League action for Dowman this season, but he’ll be one of the main reasons I tune in to watch their early round League Cup and FA Cup matches. He looks like he might be another special player coming off the Colney assembly line. Next up for the men will be the first North London Derby played outside of the UK, as Arsenal face off against Tottenham from Hong Kong on Thursday, July 31 at 7:30 AM Eastern Time.

There's a Lot Going On in the Offseason While summer is technically the "offseason" for Premier League and Women’s Super League teams, that doesn’t mean that nothing is happening. For club teams, the summer is about a few things for both the men’s and women’s sides: International tournaments Player movement Kit releases Pre-season tours This week, we’ll look at each of the above from an Arsenal perspective for both the men and the women. International Tournaments Because Arsenal did not qualify for the new version of the Club World Cup, there wasn’t a great deal happening on the pitch for the men this summer. Mikel Merino and new signing Martin Zubimendi featured for Spain in the UEFA Nations League final in early June. Gabriel Martinelli played for Brazil at about the same time in the CONMEBOL version. Beyond those couple of matches, the summer was a rare time to rest and recover between the end of one Premier League season and the start of the next. The summer has been more active for many of the Arsenal women. The Women’s Euros are being held this month in Switzerland and Arsenal are well represented, with twelve players being called up to represent their countries. Here are the Arsenal players competing and which country they are representing: England: Michelle Agyemang, Chloe Kelly, Beth Mead, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Alessia Russo, Leah Williamson Netherlands: Victoria Pelova, Daphne van Domselaar Norway: Frida Maanum Spain: Mariona Caldentey Sweden: Stina Blackstenius Switzerland: Lia Walti For those interested in watching, Women’s Euro matches are being televised in the US by Fox (mostly on FS1). Player Movement With the men’s and women’s sides having finished last season second in the Premier League and Women’s Super League respectively, this is an important summer for both when it comes to strengthening their squads as they look to move up a spot in the standings in 2025-26. Player movement in club soccer is a little different from American sports. There are no drafts, and there are rarely trades. Players are typically acquired in cash, or as free agents when their contracts expire. Players can be bought and sold during the so-called “transfer window” from July 1st through August 31st, as well as the “January window” which offers a mid-season opportunity to adjust rosters. Despite the summer window being less than half way through, both the Arsenal men and women have been busy with both headline-grabbing moves, as well as smaller ones to build depth. Here’s a rundown for each side: Men’s Transfers Mikel Arteta’s side entered the transfer window knowing that it was going to lose Jorginho and Tomas Partey at the base of midfield, Neto as a second choice goalkeeper, and Takehiro Tomiyasu as a utility defender. They also had a big gap at the center forward position where Gabriel Jesus has struggled with injuries and Kai Havertz and Mikel Merino were more makeshift solutions rather than first choice. Beyond those clear needs, there was a desire to improve depth across a squad that showed cracks when injuries hit key starters like Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, William Saliba, and Gabriel last season. New Sporting Director Andrea Berta has come in and gotten to work quickly to address his “to-do” list. Here’s a quick summary of confirmed arrivals for the 2025-26 season: Martin Zubimendi: This one has been percolating for over a year with Mikel Arteta looking to bring in his countryman to control the base of midfield for the Gunners. Zubimendi is not going to be a flashy presence but has a reputation for being in the right place at the right time to snuff out trouble and then making the right passes to get the ball out of danger and where it needs to be to start an attack. His presence should allow Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice to play further up the pitch without worrying about leaving gaps behind them. Victor Gyökeres: Since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left the club in 2022, Arsenal have been looking for a top-level center forward. In Victor Gyökeres they may have finally gotten their man. A late bloomer, Gyökeres broke out as a 23-year-old in the Championship scoring 17 and 21 goals for Coventry City which earned him a move to Sporting Lisbon where he absolutely exploded with 68 goals in 66 Premeira Liga matches over the past two seasons. The move from the Portuguese first division to the Premier League is not to be dismissed but Gyökeres has also been prolific for Sweden in international play (10 goals in six matches) and in the Champions League for Sporting (6 goals and 2 assists in eight matches). Both fast and powerful, Gyökeres will be counted on to lead Arsenal’s attack for the foreseeable future. Noni Madueke: The good news is that Bukayo Saka is one of the biggest young stars in world football. The bad news is that while he seems super-human at times, he can go down to injury as he did for a significant chunk of the second half of last season. Enter Noni Madueke. The 23-year-old winger can play on either wing but, as a left-footer like Saka, is likely to play on the right more frequently as Saka does. That he is being brought in as depth shouldn’t cast shade on the player so much as highlight Arsenal’s desire to have depth in top level talent. Madueke scored seven goals and added three assists across 32 matches in the Premier League last season and has represented England at every age level, including seven appearances for the senior national team. Christian Norgaard: The 31-year-old Danish holding midfielder arrives from Brentford as an experienced Premier League campaigner who can play a role when called on, provide leadership in the locker room, and be counted on not to understand that Zubimendi and Rice are ahead of him in the pecking order for minutes in midfield. This isn’t the type of transfer that makes headlines but is one that can save a match or even a season if the injury bug strikes. Kepa Arrizabalaga: Arsenal’s new second choice goalkeeper holds the distinction of being the most expensive goalkeeper in football history when he made his move from Athletic Bilbao to Chelsea in 2018. While that move didn’t move out as Chelsea had hoped, Kepa is more than qualified as a back-up for David Raya and comes much cheaper this time around. Still only 30, Arrizabalaga has been selected for the Spanish national team 13 times and has won the Champions League twice, the Europa League, La Liga, and the UEFA Nations League among other titles. Cristhian Mosquera: Nominated for 2024 Golden Boy award given to the best young player in Europe, Mosquera represents depth at center back immediately and a potential replacement for William Saliba should the Frenchman decide to leave the club at some point. In addition to the six players above arriving, there is plenty of talk about further activity as Arsenal continue to look to strengthen the squad as they look to close the gap between themselves and 2024-25 title-winner Liverpool. Women’s Transfers Not to be outdone by their male counterparts, the Arsenal women have been busy acquiring talent in an effort to build on their second place finish in the Super League, as well as defending their Champions League crown. Their initial forays into the market were of the lower profile variety, but the third week of July saw them break the women’s transfer record to bring in 20-year-old Canadian national team forward Olivia Smith from Liverpool. Here’s a look at the new players that have been confirmed so far this summer: Olivia Smith: At age 20 and already the veteran of three seasons as a professional, Olivia Smith was Liverpool’s top scorer in her lone season on Merseyside and was voted the Reds Players Player of the Season last term. The youngest player ever to play for Canada at 15 years and 94 days, she has scored 4 times in 18 matches for her country after a prolific 22 goals in 22 appearances at the U20 level. Taylor Hinds: England-born Jamaican international Hinds played at Arsenal as a youth player and is returning to the club after two seasons at Everton and five at Liverpool. The left back was a vice captain at Liverpool for multiple seasons and has captained the club on occasion. Hinds arrives on a free transfer after her contract at Anfield expired and will likely start her second stint at Arsenal as a reserve. Chloe Kelly: Another Arsenal youth product who left the club only to rejoin, Kelly actually returned to Arsenal ahead of last season on loan from Manchester City. She started eight matches in the Super League, scoring twice, and started five times in the Champions League, including the final. With the expiration of her contract at Manchester City at the end of her loan period, Kelly has elected to rejoin Arsenal on a free transfer. Kelly and fellow returnee Taylor Hinds came through the youth ranks at Arsenal together and were teammates at Everton. Anneke Borbe: Despite being relatively young for a goalkeeper at 24, Borbe has been playing professionally in Germany for eight years. Borbe has been up and down between Germany’s top two leagues with Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg, and has featured 87 times between the two clubs in her eight seasons. Her 2024-25 Wolfsburg side made it as far as the quarter finals of the Champions League. She has also been selected for Germany at multiple youth levels. One for the future, Borbe arrives on a free transfer and will likely start her Arsenal career as a reserve. As with the men, there is certainly time for more new players to arrive. The fact that three of the four new arrivals so far have been free agents means that there may be some budget left for another higher profile arrival or two. Kit Releases It used to be that soccer clubs, like most American sports, changed their kits infrequently and, when they did, only made minor alterations. Those days are long gone, yielding to a cycle where clubs release three kits - home, away, and a third - each year along with a training range or two and a variety of other options for the supporter who wants to show their allegiance. As an Arsenal supporter of many years, I have my favorites and some that I am not as fond of but this year is off to a solid start. Here is right back Jurrian Timber unboxing Arsenal’s new home kit . The home kit rarely strays too far from Arsenal’s traditional red torso with white sleeves and this season is no exception. The differences from year-to-year tend to be in the details when it comes to the home kit. The away kit tends to provide more flexibility for designers as Arsenal have used a variety of secondary colors as the basis for the away kit. Blue has figured heavily into the away kit from the earliest days of the club having multiple kits and this season adds heavy graphical elements. Here is a video of a number of players unboxing the new away kit . The third kit will be announced later in the summer, and from what I’ve seen via unofficial leaks on the interwebs is correct, it is going to be gorgeous. Pre-Season Tour Finally, to wrap up our guide to all things Arsenal over the summer, we arrive at the club’s pre-season tour. Global soccer clubs, recognizing a chance to expand their fan bases outside of their home countries, have turned their pre-season into a combination of training and goodwill-building tours, with the US, Asia, and Australia being popular destinations. Over the past two summers, DC’s Audi Field has hosted both the men—facing off against the MLS All-Stars in the summer of 2023, and the women—who played Chelsea’s side in a doubleheader that also featured the Washington Spirit and Kansas City Current. This season sees the Arsenal Men traveling to Singapore and Hong Kong where they will play AC Milan (July 23rd), Newcastle United (July 27th), and rival Tottenham Hotspur (July 31st). The Arsenal Women, at least those not participating in the Euros, have just returned to training outside of London and have yet to announce any pre-season friendlies or tour plans.

We are pleased to introduce the "LoCo Gunners Blog," a weekly(-ish) rumination on all things Arsenal in Loudoun County. Each installment by long-time fan and Loudoun Soccer Board Member Neal Thurman provides families and fans with his perspective on all things Arsenal, at home and abroad.

Check them out HERE ! Thanks to our Uniform Sponsors: Michael & Son , Patient First , and NSMI !