Good morning! I was hoping for a snow day today but it doesn't look like that's happening. Here is what is happening in the soccer world.
D.C. United wrap up first leg of preseason with win over J-Södra - Black And Red United
B&RU writer Steven Streff was at D.C. United's preseason win over Swedish side Jonkopings Sodra IF. In case you couldn't get the IMG stream to work, here is a recap of the game.
Ellis Names 25 Players to Training Camp Roster Prior to 2017 SheBelieves Cup - U.S. Soccer
Don't bother looking for a Spirit player. The USWNT will be coming to RFK though and they'll face France in the final leg of the SheBelieves Cup. England will also face Germany at RFK and both should be excellent games.
Hope Solo calls out Jill Ellis - Stars and Stripes FC
Hope Solo drama and criticism of Jill Ellis' tactics and coaching ability. Shocker!
MLS roster rules: How do teams sign players? Follow this flowchart - SI.com
And another predictable soccer thing: MLS roster rules are wack. This flowchart attempts to explain them.
A Liverpool fan has got the most outrageous Adam Lallana tattoo you could imagine - The Empire of The Kop
My favorite image I've seen this week. Adam Lallana. Adam Lallama. Permanently inked onto someone's body.
Time and a Relentless Clock Weigh on Hamburg Soccer Team- New York Times
On a more serious note, this is the kind of article I love. Andrew Keh takes one thing (the clock in Hamburg's stadium) and uses it to explain the history of Hamburger SV and the team's current predicament.
Washington Spirit partner with Reston Soccer for Virginia Development Academy - Black And Red United
And to finish things up, the Spirit partnered with Reston Soccer for their Virginia Development Academy. The Spirit recently lost three of its planned partner clubs for the Virginia program so this partnership is needed and beneficial to both sides.
That's all I've got! Let me know in the comments what you're reading and thinking.