D.C. United, Spirit Squadron Pride Night, Confederations Cup, & more: Freedom Kicks for 6/23/2017

Wednesday night was weird. Of course, there’s the sheer fact that D.C. United ended a 4+ game home goalless streak, a 3 game league losing streak, and scored more than one goal in an MLS match for the first time in over seven weeks. That was weird in a good way, and hopefully this was the moment United’s season changes course.

The game was preceded by a conversation that very quickly went from considering whether D.C. United should start Deshorn Brown to this:

Of course, Twitter discussions becoming free-associative absurdity is nothing too abnormal. We can debate the power of pasta and whether it caused a win, but obviously this has to happen now.

However, things got stranger for yours truly as the night went on. A swarm of small bugs joined me for our postgame video on Facebook Live, only to be one-upped by the appearance of RFK Mothra:

If only I had the foresight to ask this human-sized moth to fly me home. I went outside to find my car unable to start due to a clutch problem. I didn’t think there was enough of a hill to give it a push-start (which probably ended up being incorrect), so I called for a tow. An hour wait. No big deal, right?

Wrong!

A special nod needs to be given to Steven Streff, who spotted me standing around about half an hour after I first called for a tow and ended up sticking around until my car was on a truck (which involved two cancellations and three “give us a few more minutes.” He’s just that kind of guy, and is good company when you’re watching people get baffled by the intersection of East Capitol and 22nd and trying to avoid the thumb-sized roaches that apparently have control of that particular corner.

Enough with my minor odyssey. Links!

Deshorn Brown could start against the Philadelphia Union this weekend | The Brotherly Game
Jim Curtin thinks Brown is going to start against the Philadelphia Union, but he might not have seen Ben Olsen’s notes on where his fitness is right now. Personally, I think it’ll be Lamar Neagle. Either way, there are some interesting notes about Brown’s connections to the Union here.

It's still early, but upcoming game against D.C. United a must-win for Union | Philly Voice
United can’t rest on their laurels after merely winning once. Tomorrow is another huge game with a team looking up at the red line in the East.

Not that it’s too revealing, but here’s 30 seconds of Ben Olsen on the sidelines from Wednesday:

Deshorn Brown makes D.C. United debut in victory over Atlanta | Washington Post
You’ve probably read recaps and seen the game, but this from Steve Goff also breaks down the mechanics of how United got Brown without paying a transfer fee.

The Canadian Connection | Montgomery County Sentinel
The local press checked in with the Washington Spirit’s Stephanie Labbe and Shelina Zadorsky. It also got some attention from their former Canada WNT teammate Rhian Wilkinson:

Also, tomorrow’s game between the Spirit and Portland Thorns is also the Spirit Squadron’s Pride Night:

Open Cup Rewind: Club España - The best club you never heard of | USsoccer.com
United and Christos FC drew a lot of attention in their Open Cup meeting, but they’re not the only noteworthy connection between Beltway clubs and that competition. This is a pretty cool story about a local amateur team that featured multiple future USMNT players as well as several other internationals went on to win the Open Cup (and, at one point, having Marion Barry declare a citywide “Club España Day”).

Germany vs. Chile: Final score 1-1, nothing decided in Confederations Cup after even game | SB Nation
It’s genuinely odd to think about soccer games that do not involve United or the Spirit. However, the Confederations Cup has been going on for days! Here, Chile maintained their edge in their group by holding Germany to a draw.

Australia vs. Cameroon: Final score 1-1, both in trouble in Confederations Cup | SB Nation
And this 1-1 draw put both Australia and Cameroon in very difficult positions heading into the last set of games.

FIFA approves change of association request for midfielder Kenny Saief | USsoccer.com
The KAA Gent player and former Israel u21 is one step closer to playing for the USMNT. The only thing left to do? Get called up and sent into a game by Bruce Arena.

That’s it for me. Let me know how you’re saluting our new saviors Pasta and Large Moth.