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Well, there's snow on the ground again this morning, which means you've probably slept in to take advantage of the two-hour delay before work/class/your kids' school starts. I don't have anything to add to that other than I'm jealous, and my conference call this morning isn't going anywhere. But I don't begrudge you your good, if cold, fortune. Here are today's morning links:
Is a Chivas USA rebrand in the works? | The Goat Parade
Our friend Alicia Ratterree out in LA found a couple of filings at the US Patent & Trademark Office that could signal a rebrand from Chivas USA to Los Angeles SC (or FC). If this actually goes through, expect a color change, too, from the Goats' red, white & blue to black, gold and red.
Dike tears his Achilles tendon | Waking The Red
It's not all unicorns and lollipops for TFC this year, which sucks for Bright Dike. He is the victim of the inevitable rebalancing of auras (or some such nonsense), tearing his Achilles tendon yesterday. The Nigerian international had a decent chance of joining the Super Eagles at the World Cup this year, but there's no way he'll be recovered in time. He's expected to miss all of the 2014 season.
Passing patterns paint Morales as key-pass king at RSL | RSL Soapbox
Our old friend Matt Montgomery at RSL Soapbox looks at RSL's passing numbers and finds, unsurprisingly, that Javier Morales - he of the 13 assists - is pretty important to their attack. He also finds some less obvious insights.
Top five foreign-raised USMNT players | MLSsoccer.com
Shared by reader Will Nelson in the comments of yesterday's Freedom Kicks, this list includes a couple of DCU names, including #1 on the list.
The benefits and the perils of loan deals | FOX Sports on MSN
Kyle McCarthy is kind of crushing it over at Fox Sports right now. The latest in his MLS 101 series focuses on loan deals that bring players into the league on a shorter time-frame than "permanent." This is how Julio Cesar has made his way to Toronto FC and how Raphael found himself at RFK Stadium for the first part of last year.
VIDEO – Freddy Adu on World Cup chances: "You never know" | ProSoccerTalk
He's back in the news! The latest stop on his lifelong world tour is Blackpool, a city outside of Liverpool near the English border with Wales. Given it's location and climate (in a word, grey), it may surprise you to know that it's best known for its amusement parks. Maybe that whimsy is what got their team nicknamed the Tangerines. What were we talking about again?
Champions League 2014: Round of 16 | SBNation.com
I usually like to focus on this side of the Atlantic, but SBN's Champions League Round of 16 preview is just too good and too pretty not to share here.
The Norwegian curling team pants tracker | SBNation.com
This remains the biggest and greatest story of these Winter Olympics. All the more so because you can buy your own pair of EVERY TYPE OF PANTS NORWAY HAVE WORN. Or skirts, or blazers, or shorts even. Or you can buy it for your favorite D.C. United blogger/curling enthusiast. Just sayin'.
As always, consider this your open thread for the day.
