D.C. United vs. New England Revolution, USWNT party continues, and more: Freedom Kicks for 7/12/2019

Good morning, here are your very late Freedom Kicks! Gonna race through these as quickly as possible:

With new outlook on his life and career, Paul Arriola solidifies spot with USMNT | The Athletic
Ben Olsen and Gregg Berhalter both offer thoughts on Paul Arriola after his strong Gold Cup showing.

D.C. United is looking to MLS transfer window to boost season that has fallen into a rut | Washington Post
Gotta admit, reading “D.C. is not expected to make a major splash” did not make me feel great!

There is some news involving a contract offer for Bryang Kayo, but even that comes with the possibility that he looks at a European move instead.

Three keys to three points: New England Revolution head to DC United for Eastern Conference showdown | The Bent Musket
Tonight’s game is the only time the Revs are on national TV this season. Feels like that used to be us, fam!

United vs. Revolution weather forecast: Mostly clear, seasonably warm | Washington Post
It’ll be hot, but apparently not quite as humid as normal. I’ll take it.

Rolfe named Men’s Soccer Director of Operations | UND.com
Here’s your Chris Rolfe update.

Does the Bou signing mean the Revs are getting serious? | The Bent Musket
It’s not clear whether New England Revolution DP Gustavo Bou will be in uniform tonight (his International Transfer Certificate would have to come through), but he did apparently make it to the airport with the team.

Top 5 MLS MVP candidates midway through 2019 season | MLSsoccer.com
I mean, Carlos Vela could just stop playing right now and still probably have the best argument for MVP at the end of the season. Anyway, Wayne Rooney is on the list here.

Armchair Analyst: Grading all 24 MLS teams at midseason | MLSsoccer.com
It’s hard to argue with the C+ grade here, especially given the expectations that were in place at the start of the season.

Shifting gears, here’s the latest episode of Furtcast, the women’s soccer podcast that doesn’t really discuss actual soccer. This time around, we talk about World Cup content, which is to say we mostly talk about Ashlyn Harris:

Which NWSL team should I cheer for? | SB Nation
Take the quiz, hopefully get the Washington Spirit!

For the record, I took 3 angles at this thing and got Chicago, Utah, and Reign FC.

Here’s Where You Can Watch USWNT Star Rose Lavelle Play in Washington | Washingtonian
You read this site, so you know the answers here, but we’re sharing anyway.

It’s time for the USWNT to come to Portland | Stumptown Footy
Every NWSL market has hosted the USWNT...except for Portland. And before you bring up the turf at Providence Park, they’ve played on worse surfaces.

Then again, maybe the problem comes at a higher level. USSF might butt heads with an owner who, I don’t know, is currently complaining about a randomized draw process being unfair:

Yes, you’re reading this correctly. Merritt Paulson thinks that the draw process picking home teams at random is unfair...because...uh...

OK fine, it’s because the Timbers have had the bad luck to come out of the bowl second a few times in a row. That’s all.

The biggest victory for women’s soccer this year wasn’t the trophy the U.S. just lifted | Sounder at Heart
The USWNT winning the World Cup at this moment in time does feel like it’s given their fight for equal pay a major push. It shouldn’t have to be that way (if we based national team pay rates on winning and losing, USMNT players would currently be getting a $50 per diem for their time), but the reality is that beating the Netherlands may have been a necessary part of this battle.

U.S. women’s pro soccer league hopes World Cup excitement will lead to a breakthrough | Washington Post
Some encouraging quotes about the NWSL’s future in here from the Portland Thorns’ president of business.

MLS Player Poll: pro/rel, superheroes, cheat food, Kanye vs. Drake and more | ESPN
This poll had better questions than last year, but one consistent opinion is that going up to Foxboro is the worst road trip of the year. Also, at least one person voted United’s current kit the best in MLS. Bet that number would go up if we got rid of all that gray.

Alright, see a bunch of you folks on Buzzard Point!