Carlos Bocanegra not pursuing USSF GM role, D.C. United news, and more: Freedom Kicks for 2/16/2018

I have nothing interesting to offer you in the way of an opening paragraph. I just saw today’s forecasted 30 degree temperature drop and want to throw a mild temper tantrum. Lousy Smarch weather.

Let’s get to it:

Official Screaming Eagles statement regarding the 2018 Season and our Strategic Partnerships with D.C. United and DC SCORES | Screaming-Eagles.com
Speaking only for myself (which means speaking as an unffiliated fan who spent the last 17 seasons on the loud side, and with friends in all of United’s supporters groups), I see some things that are pretty cool here. A strong affiliation with DC SCORES is a big positive, and the fact that single-game supporters section tickets are available after a major public outcry for them is a plus (though it has to be noted that some fans already bought extra season tickets under the impression that there would be no single-game tickets, which in my book should result in refunds for those that want them). The Supporter Development Academy is a measure to expand the fanbase, which I think it’s fair to say could use some growing.

That said, I do understand why the Barra Brava and District Ultras feel boxed out and ambushed, and it seems like there’s not much in the way of clarity about what’s going on. It might be extremely pollyanna-ish of me, but I hope the three groups and the team can get together and hash this out before games at Buzzard Point start. It’s been a long time since those parties were all on the same page, and repairing those relationships should be a major focus for all involved.

“Quiero revalidar lo que hice en Atlanta United”, dice Yamil Asad, nueva figura de D.C. United | Univision
D.C. United’s Yamil Asad (it’s nice to type that out, by the way) sounds happy to be on the team, noting that he called Luciano Acosta and Ben Olsen before signing.

Dynamo re-sign suspended goalkeeper Tyler Deric | Houston Chronicle
The Houston Dynamo have made a big effort to very quietly re-sign Tyler Deric, who is currently up on charges for domestic violence (and not for the first time). Cool, good way to run an organization.

Speaking of organizations doing a less than ideal job...

This is discouraging.

Sources: Bocanegra pulls name from consideration from U.S. GM role | Goal.com
Well, that was fast. Carlos Bocanegra is going to help U.S. Soccer find someone for the men’s GM job while carrying on with his Atlanta United role.

Jordan Morris brace leads Sounders to win in preseason finale | Sounder at Heart
Sounders fall 1-0 to Reno 1868 in Preseason Friendly | Sounder at Heart
The Seattle Sounders played more preseason games yesterday than United has played in the entire preseason. I’m jealous.

Toronto FC transfer rumours: TFC trying to sign Athletic Bilbao midfielder | Waking the Red
Ager Aketxe isn’t a full-time Athletic Bilbao starter, but still: Toronto FC is apparently signing a depth player from a Europa League-caliber team from La Liga to be depth in MLS.

Despite ending holdout, Lee Nguyen still wants out of New England | MLSsoccer.com
Sam Stejskal reports that Lee Nguyen, despite ending his hold-out, still wants to leave the New England Revolution. And really, who can blame him?

TAM closing the MLS-Liga MX gap, but will it show in CCL? | MLSsoccer.com
They’re making that move thanks to TAM, which is allowing teams to improve the top half of their starting lineup without having to shed other important pieces.

These are the MLS vs. Liga MX CCL results in the TAM era:

2014-2015 CCL final - Club America 5:3 Montreal Impact (you might recall Montreal taking leads in both legs, and being up 2-1 on aggregate at the Big O before conceding 4 goals in 31 minutes)
2015-2016 CCL quarterfinal - Club America 5:3 Seattle Sounders (Seattle concedes a minute after taking a lead in both legs, and concedes the final 3 goals in one eight-minute span)
2015-2016 CCL quartertinals - Queretaro 3:1 D.C. United (sigh)
2015-2016 CCL quarterfinals - Tigres UANL 3-1 Real Salt Lake (only very slightly less straightforward for Tigres than Queretaro’s win over United was)
2015-2016 CCL quarterfinals - Santos Laguna 4:0 LA Galaxy (haha)
2016-2017 CCL semifinals - Tigres UANL 4:1 Vancouver Whitecaps (Brek Shea goal alert)
2016-2017 CCL semifinals - Pachuca 4:3 FC Dallas (at least this one was close, as Dallas entered stoppage time with the score 3-3 and extra time looming)

Let’s win one before we start talking about actually closing the gap.

Black History Month: Desmond Armstrong discusses his Hall of Fame career | Stars and Stripes FC
D.C. born, Columbia, MD raised, and an All ACC player at Maryland, Desmond Armstrong made history by being the first American to sign with a Brazilian club.

Defying experts, NBC clings to its ‘PyeongChang’ pronunciation | Washington Post
I’ve been enjoying the Olympics, but that’s in spite of NBC’s coverage. Among the many problems, they’ve decided that intentionally mispronouncing the host city’s name is better than showing the respect of getting it right because “it’s cleaner.” This happened before, with “Beizhing” being incorrectly chosen as NBC’s pronunciation during the Beijing Olympics.

Kool Keith, Dan The Automator, and DJ Qbert are reuniting as Dr. Octagon | The Fader
22 years ago, Dr. Octagon released a concept album involving people from Jupiter, creatures that were half shark-alligator/half man, and horses being loose in hospitals. Despite sporadic and arguably non-canon releases involving outsiders over the years, it appears that a new album is coming out in April. The title (“Moosebumps: An Exploration Into Modern Day Horripilation”) is completely in keeping with the old milieu, so hopefully this is just as bizarre as the original rather than the watered-down follow-ups Automator has tended to produce (see also: Deltron 3030’s “Event 2”).

Alright, I’m done. Be cool to each other.