D.C. United wins, USMNT hex roster and more: Monday Freedom Kicks

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: a team named the Caps throws a crapton of shots on a team wearing black, only to get shutout? I know, I kill me:

Recaps of D.C. United’s win over the Vancouver Whitecaps by us (with the only reactions onsite by us here), MLS and WaPo. Eighty Six Forever has the Canadian side of things.

USMNT roster for Mexico, T&T World Cup qualifiers released (Stars and Stripes FC): Bill Hamid and Steve Birnbaum were left out of the United States lineup for Bruce Arena’s squad/trip to the Azteca, though it should hardly be surprising at the moment. Gold Cup is around the corner also.

Spirit comeback falls short in 3-2 loss (us): Mallory Pugh’s first start proved to be interesting but couldn’t lift the Spirit from a slow start and loss to FC Kansas City, leaving them last in the NWSL standings.

Dash’s Rachel Daly collapses on the pitch during closing seconds of match (SB Nation): Staying in WoSo for a second, the Houston Dash’s Rachel Daly had a scary moment in the midst of the 90 degree Texas heat. She is being observed and evaluated for any further treatment.

Tangled Up in Drew: Remembering RFK, from the Phillies to Fatboy Slim - Washington Business Journal: Area reporter realizes RFK is going away, get used to things like these.

Kamara Nets Hat Trick as the Kickers Fall in Ottawa (Kickers): Down in the USL, DCU loanee Alhaji Kamara scored a hat trick in 25 minutes over the first and second half. Before the cries of starting him are made, goals one, two and three are linked accordingly. I’d imagine Kamara might make the trip Wednesday, particularly if Patrick Neagle is held out, but I’m just a dumb blogger.

Departing on a high (Serpents of Madonnina): In partner club news, Inter Milan goes out on a high note with a 5-2 win over Udinese. Combined with Fiorentina’s draw, Inter finish 7th on the year, a point behind AC Milan. The search for a coach begins now.

Roma Wins Wild Match in Totti’s Farewell (Chiesa de Totti): Staying in Italy for a second, Roma left things until the end in order to beat Genoa and send Francesco Totti, of a quarter century of club appearances off to retirement at 40. His exceptional letter to the Romanisti is here.

64-Player Roster Announced for U.S. Soccer Futures Camp at NTC - U.S. Soccer
Some U-12 and U-13 Black-and-Red love.

Come to the Black and Red United tailgate on June 3!: This shouldn’t require much setup, other than come and tell us how wrong we are about stuff. But please, bring a dish to share at least.

Finally, a quick ramble: Steven and I we met up in Seattle Friday with the folks from Sounder at Heart (the Seattle Sounders blog) and Stumptown Footy (the Portland Timbers one) and others. The Sounders were more than accommodating, allowing viewing of a practice session, including an 11v11 matchup. The Sounders do this with the local press 3 times a week. By comparison, D.C. United allows viewing of one open practice a week, with 15 minutes available to view from the others, depending on any travel. There was a roundtable Q&A with ownership as well.

I guess what I’m trying to say (along with lots of thanks to those outlets for their work and shenanigans) is Steven and I went up for the Whitecaps were went up for the Whitecaps game, and were the only local press in the box for quotes, video, etc. So feel free to check out all of his work each and every week, which goes above and beyond the call of a fan site, and if you like it shout from the rooftops. And if you don’t like it and think you can do better, by all means if not for this site then for your own should you create one. Because the more eyes on this club the better, I think.

But I digress, try to enjoy things today.