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Happy Thursday! It's time for another installment of your morning Freedom Kicks, this time with a heavy dose of MLS expansion news. And while it is annoying to lose your own players, I still kind of like all of the drama that accompanies expansion drafts. What say you?
DC United's Ben Olsen asserts Atlantic Cup remains relevant: "I still respect the rivalry in a big way" | MLSsoccer.com: While now overshadowed by the Cascadia business, Ben Olsen takes to the internet to defend the league's oldest rivalry.
MLS expansion update: Atlanta closes in, Minneapolis a ‘frontrunner,’ realignment, more | Planet Futbol - SI.com: Are we close to having the 24 teams locked up? With NYCFC and Orlando City set to start next year, that leaves only three spots left until we reach Don Garber's 24 by 2020 goal. Miami, Atlanta, and Minneapolis gets us there.
Report: Beckham's proposed soccer stadium runs into hurdle: Speaking of Becks, he's also coming to the realization that building a downtown stadium in a major city isn't as easy as he thought.
If you need your UEFA Champions League fix, the good folks here at SB Nation have you covered whether you're a Bayern fan, an Atletico Madrid fan, or if you enjoy reveling in the disappointment of Manchester United or Barcelona.
SoccerAmerica - MLS viewers on NBCSN up 94 percent through Week 5 04/09/2014: And why is the league moving to Fox again?
HIGH ASPIRATIONS NASL tweaks playoff format, eyes berth in CONCACAF Champions League: And for your daily dose of crazy, please read why the NASL commissioner thinks that his league should have an automatic berth into the Concacaf Champions League.
Finally, despite any thoughts on the cheer itself, this World Cup promo video from ESPN is pretty awesome.
As always, this is your open thread for the rest of the day.