D.C. United starts the season, the USWNT continues SheBelieves action & more: Freedom Kicks for 3/5

Hi. So in a span of 36 hours or so, the super duper wind blew over a chunk of my fence to the point where it had nudged the gas meter. We had the fire department come out and help right the fence/make sure the gas wasn’t leaking, and the latter of which was confirmed by our gas representative, who looked a lot like character actor M.C. Gainey. Oh, also caught a bug from my kid that resulted in a fever of 102 and watching the game, indoors, wearing a stadium jacket (sorta like this). So my weekend was fun.

Recaps of D.C. United’s 1-1 draw with Orlando City by us (with some thoughts from us here, along with Pro Soccer USA), WaPo, MLS (with additional analysis from them here) and The Mane Land for the Florida side of things. Feel free to drop in any additional gamers I’m missing.

Report: Joseph Mora to sign with D.C. United (us): This was sorta coming despite the downplay. More from Goff here.

Pugh scores as USWNT settles for a 1-1 tie at 2018 SheBelieves Cup (us): Washington Spirit player Mallory Pugh gets one for the United States in a draw with France. More from Stars and Stripes FC.

Former USMNT striker Davies retires (Stars and Stripes FC): Former DC (and US) player Charlie Davies announced on Friday at the age of 31 following MLS returned stints with the New England Revolution and Philadelphia Union. Man, if he could have stayed healthy...

MLS Teams and Fan Groups Navigate a Rocky Marriage (New York Times): The usually good Graham Parker touches upon not only the tension here but elsewhere as well. Charles Boehm touches on the bigger picture here also.

How D.C. United Tells Their Story on Social Media (Front Office Sports): This is a thing in the meantime.

Astori Dies, Aged 31 (Viola Nation): Shocking news Sunday as Fiorentina captain and Italy national team member David Astori died in his sleep, hours before he was due to sign a contract extension. As a result Serie A games for Sunday were cancelled, including the Milan derby.

Swansea - West Ham recap (Wales Online): In partner club news, Swansea City had a bit of a goalfest Saturday, with goals from Ki Sung-Yeung, Mike van der Hoorn, Andy King and Jordan Ayew leading to a 4-1 win. Swans vault up the table to squints 13th? Wonder if Bob Bradley still has regrets.

That’s all I got, your moment of zen is the opening scene of the first season of Legion, Fox’s X-Men interpreted show by Noah Hawley (of Fargo TV show lore). Season two premieres next month!