Morning folks. Touchline has the weekend off, so I'm filling in for him with this fresh Friday edition of Freedom Kicks. We got some great soccer coming on today, from the gold and bronze medal matches in Olympic women's soccer to Premier League action under the lights to Major League Soccer Viernes de Fútbol. But first, let's link you up with the goodness...
Germany and Sweden to meet in gold medal match | NBC Olympics
It's not the gold medal match most expected, but Germany and Sweden will battle for gold medal in women's soccer at the Maracanã.
Brazil and Canada set to battle for bronze | NBC Olympics
The hosts will have to settle for playing for bronze against Canada at the Arena Corinthians in São Paulo.
Hope Solo's USWNT teammates reject goalkeeper's comments after Olympic exit | Fox Soccer
Add Megan Rapinoe to the list of players who took issue with Hope Solo's comments after the United States lost in the Olympic quarterfinals to Sweden on penalties. Unfortunately, as Sweden plays for a gold medal, this story isn't going away.
Friday night football: a new dawn that has left fans feeling Sky's the limit | The Guardian
The EPL enters a new world of Friday Night Football with ten league matches to take place on Friday nights this season, beginning with today's match between Manchester United and Southampton. But, what effect will that have on traveling fans? Maybe they should ask supporters here in MLS how that's going.
Rated! La Liga's big transfer winners and losers of the summer | FourFourTwo
La Liga kicks off this weekend, and I'm incredibly excited for it to begin. The big teams have been fairly quiet this summer on the transfer market, but FourFourTwo rates their transfer season and how the teams did.
Olympic gold would offer Brazil some redemption and some hope | ESPNFC
On the men's side, the hosts are in the game they wanted against the team they wanted. A nation will be on edge tomorrow as their men's team hopes to win its first ever Olympic gold medal in front of a sold out Maracanã.
Crystal Palace agree £32m transfer fee for Christian Benteke | Sky Sports
Say goodbye to Liverpool and hello to Palace. Christian Benteke is on the move to South London.
Premier League kits 2016/17 season | ESPNFC
The season is a week old, but here's a nice graphic article about each EPL team's home and away jerseys for 2016-17. This way, when you turn on your TV this weekend, you'll know which teams are playing.
And there you have it. It's 7:00am, and it's finally the end of the week. Get your minds right, get your coffee cups filled and hit that comments section...just gotta make it to 5:00pm. Good Friday (to you all), I hope you have a nice weekend!