Freedom Kicks: D.C. United and USMNT links for Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014

Yesterday was April Fools Day, which made this maybe not the most fun Freedom Kicks ever since everyone on the internet was linking things and almost all of it was a joke. Now that I'm done complaining, we have a wide range of links today. United, USMNT, Mexico, Champions League, and also not soccer, which is my second favorite subject (behind soccer).

How D.C. mayoral primary will impact United’s stadium outlook at Buzzard Point | Soccer Insider
Steve Goff of the Washington Post points out that the Democratic primary in the District is not actually going to determine whether D.C. United gets a stadium at Buzzard Point.

D.C. United news and notes | Soccer Insider
Goff making my life easy with notes from the training field. The news on Luis Silva might not be as bad as feared, and Chris Korb is back in training (still has a lot of fitness to catch up on, but still). As much as I think Christian shouldn't be judged a failure after three games, hopefully having competition for his spot will sharpen his game.

RSL FINALLY BREAKS TROPHY CURSE AS SABORIO IS TRADED TO DC | RSL Soapbox
Skeptical about EJ? Problem solved! April 1st is the best day to make a huge deal, right?

Sporting KC signs midfielder Victor Munoz | SportingKC.com
Rabble rabble rabble.

As my fellow B&RU scribe Bald Pollack pointed out, the real issue here is that United traded up to get Munoz only to end up with a player that wasn't good enough - in the club's eyes, anyway - to make the roster. You don't trade up unless you're reasonably sure you're going to make use of the player you draft. If Munoz were an American, we'd be able to loan him to the Kickers (who are maxed out for foreign players if I'm not mistaken).

TSG’s Official USA v. Mexico Preview: Weekends With Berti | The Shin Guardian
TSG covers the Vasquez demotion/Vogts hiring, and then goes in-depth on what to expect out of Mexico and offers a compelling argument about how Clint Dempsey should actually be used.

Herrera announces Mexico XI | @mexicoworldcup
Tom Marshall is as good as it gets if you want English-language coverage of Mexican soccer. Of course, his job is a bit easier these days since El Tri boss Miguel Herrera has taken to publicly announcing his lineup.

"Saint" Graham Zusi gets tequila gift from Mexican reporter ahead of USMNT-Mexico | MLSsoccer.com
This may be a heated rivalry, but Mexican fans still remember how they stayed alive in World Cup qualifying. For the second time, Graham Zusi was given a gift during time allotted to the press for scoring that goal in Panama.

What Jurgen Klinsmann can learn from Steve Sampson & USMNT's 1998 World Cup disaster | MLSsoccer.com
Greg Lalas talks to Steve Sampson about the things that went wrong during France '98. Interestingly, Sampson makes no mention of the 361.

Barcelona vs. Atlético Madrid, 2014 UEFA Champions League: Atleti grab away goal at Camp Nou | SBNation.com/soccer
After both teams lost key players to injury (Gerard Pique and Diego Costa), (other) Diego's golazo gave Atletico the lead, but Neymar's golazo - or rather, Neymar's goal from Andres Iniesta's assistazo - leveled things. Atletico will have a slight advantage heading into the second leg at the Vicente Calderon.

Manchester United vs. Bayern Munich, 2014 UEFA Champions League: Tie still in the balance after 1-1 draw | SBNation.com/soccer
David Moyes finally got the sort of game he wanted: One in which his side was clearly a huge underdog, and could thus emerge with a respectable result by defending in numbers and running a lot. Nemanja Vidic gave United the lead, only for king of names Bastian Schweinsteiger to equalize. Schweinsteiger later got a second yellow card on what looked like a dive from Wayne Rooney. Wait, English players don't dive, so surely that's incorrect.

United We Fall | Slate
Speaking of Man U, this is a pretty good piece on David Moyes and the situation at Manchester United. The opening section in particular illustrates the root of problem.

Keeping something in reserve? | ESPNFC.com
Up until a week ago, one of the requirements to be licensed as a professional club in Germany was to maintain an under-23 team, but a large majority of clubs voted to allow clubs the option of simply not having one. It sounds regressive on its face, but the actual issue might just be that Bundesliga clubs are too good at nurturing young talent.

The Northwestern Decision: An Explainer | Grantland
I don't always read Grantland, but when I do, I prefer Brian Phillips. Here, he makes clear just how little sense the idea of the "student-athlete" makes when you strip away the years of it just being the state of things:

...ask yourself whether you would like to spend the next few years working 50-hour weeks for room and board and the chance to sit in on some French classes while your boss made millions off your efforts. If not, you are against amateurism. It’s that simple.

French isn't even in my top three languages to learn, so I think he's got a point.

Atlas Brew Works Debuts Washington Nationals Beer | Washington City Paper
I am no Nationals fan, or even a baseball fan, but I do like beer. I'm not so sure about the name - 1500 South Cap Lager is not exactly creative - but it sounds like a good beer for drinking in the summer sun, assuming winter ends (note: I do not believe winter will end, even though today's weather is supposed to be lovely).

NBA Y2K: The Sixers' quest for an 0-82 season | SBNation.com
What happens in NBA 2k14 when you make the very worst team the game will allow? Hilarity, that's what.

Alright, I'm done. Have at it, kids.