Welcome to the last day of 2015! I hope it has been a good year for you and yours, and here is to 2016 being even better. Onto the last Freedom Kicks of the year!
Getting word D.C. United had targeted Estudiantes CMF Leonardo Gil, 24, on loan but sides unable to reach deal #dcu #mls
— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) December 31, 2015
So apparently this is the player that D.C. United were targeting to get on loan, but it seems to have fallen through. This is the kind of player they should be going for, so hopefully they have someone else next on the list.
Armchair Analyst: Three Things about ... MLS at the end of 2015 | MLSsoccer.com: Matt Doyle givens his tactical roundup of MLS in 2015.
Sepp Blatter's reign at FIFA - The Econmist: Speaking of year end roundups, the Economist talks about Sepp Blatter's no good, very bad year in 2015 and his ending reign overall.
Imminent Ashley Cole transfer indicative of larger problems within the LA Galaxy - LAG Confidential: Please let this actually happen; apparently LA Galaxy are going to burn through all of their targeted allocation money for this year to sign him.
Soccer Match Fixing Has Infiltrated Canada | VICE Sports: This has been a problem in the lower levels of Canadian soccer for awhile, but Vice has a good breakdown.
Villyan Bijev is still trying to make it in soccer | The 91st Minute | Soccer Blog | Videos | Pop-Culture: Signed to Liverpool with much fanfare (by American fans) in 2011 at age 18, Bijev is now trying to figure out what to do after not sticking with the team. This is how it happens in much of the world, and is in contrast to the American system, which currently often involves college.
Happy New Year's Eve! Let's soccer.