Friday Freedom Kicks: Got Some if You Need It

Hi! How are you, good? Well then, let's get right into it, shall we?

Before getting into the big tournament, recaps of Wednesday night's win over Montreal from us, MLS, District Sports Page and UnitedMania. Assistant Coach Chad Ashton looks at the match over on D.C. United.com.

VOTE Perry Kitchen for 2014 MLS All-Star | D.C. United: The team puts out the first (of what appear to be many) inspired efforts to lobby for the Black and Red to play in Portland against Bayern Munich.

James Moreno, son of ex-D.C. United star Jaime Moreno, leads Loudoun County on a run - The Washington Post: Jaime's son and the proud father as the younger Moreno helps his community and specifically their soccer club.

Why This Is the Most Important World Cup Ever for MLS - Pacific Standard: The Science of Society: Colorado Rapids goalkeeper Clint Irwin (a good read and solid twitter follow) discusses the ramifications of the World Cup for MLS.

Miami's MLS expansion bid may be in serious trouble - SBNation.com: Speaking of MLS, guess David Beckham will have to do something for his franchise other than look nice I guess.

Now that that's out of way, let's look at the other soccer stuff going on in the world:

The SB Nation World Cup Glossary - SBNation.com: The mothership with a superb look at the sport for quadrennial fans.

Brazil World Cup 2014 for dummies: How to fake your way through the entire tournament.: For those fans, a cheat sheet from a publication they may frequent more often.

Seth Vertelney: Be nice to the soccer newbies this month - Goal.com: For us devotees, a message of kindness. Drinks usually help. And speaking of which, this will help. For folks that may want to experience a non-Laughing Man atmosphere, the list of DC pubs for various countries is useful.

How World Cup Soccer Puts the Squeeze on Fans | Money.com: For those traveling to the games today, a look at what their wallet will face in group play.

Brazil vs. Croatia: Final score 3-1, Neymar the hero in controversial win - SBNation.com: Speaking of group play, the hosts make their appearance to christen the tournament. It may go without saying, but what occurred before the game was just as, if not more beautiful, than what happened during it.

Finally, Adidas dropped their World Cup ad yesterday. Directed by Fernando Meirelles (of City of God fame), the full ad is below (and if I may, between this and the Beats commercial, kick Nike's right in the naughty parts):

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Eu1BFo0ZqUY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

It's Friday, otherwise known as the dry run for how you'll skip work for the main event Monday. Hydrate accordingly.