Atlantic Cup reboots, St. Louis joins MLS, and more: Freedom Kicks for August 21, 2019

Happy Wednesday folks...raise your hands if you hate the New York Red Bulls...

*looks around*

Yo, some of you need to get your hands up!! Before we head down to Audi Field for the D.C. United match tonight and watch this latest installment of the Atlantic Cup, let’s dig into some of the stuff that happened yesterday.

As newer MLS rivalries get pushed to the forefront, is the Atlantic Cup dead? | The Athletic

It’s MLS Rivalry Week, but the Atlantic Cup has been basically swept under the rug by MLS, with the league opting for “sexier” rivalries like the Hudson River Derby, El Tráfico, and Hell is Real. Meanwhile, they keep forcing the Philadelphia Union on us as a rival...it’s not going to happen. This is the rivalry, and MLS needs to treat it a lot better.

St. Louis awarded MLS expansion team | Stars & Stripes FC

St. Louis has been named the city that will be home to the 28th team in MLS, and the franchise will be led by the league’s first ever female-majority ownership group. They’ll begin play in 2022.

Inter Miami: David Beckham’s US stadium site ‘contaminated’ | BBC

Inter Miami will have to spend more than it thought to clean up their proposed permanent stadium site. Estimates put the cost at $50 million...apparently, they think they have Chelsea Clinton, but really what they have is a ton of arsenic in the soil.

FIFA clears Iraq to host World Cup qualifying games in Basra | NBC Sports

Iraq has been forced by FIFA since the 1980s to host most World Cup qualifiers away from home. Well, they have now been given clearance to play 2022 World Cup qualifiers in Basra. Hopefully, this is a sign that Iraq is can begin to lay some roots and not feel like a team with no home.

Taking a break in the action to see Carli Lloyd play some football for the Philadelphia Eagles:

And those were on the practice uprights, which are narrower than the real thing!

Sources: PSG rebuff Barca €190m Neymar deal | ESPNFC

Neymar might go to Barcelona, he might go to Real Madrid...but PSG isn’t going to make it easy for him.

Pro Pets: Rose Lavelle & Wilma Jean Wrinkles | NBC Sports

Rose Lavelle has become a star, but she arguably isn’t the biggest star in her family. That honor may go to her bulldog, Wilma Jean Wrinkles.

United’s new forward is just happy to get a chance to play again | Washington Post

Ola Kamara is excited to be playing again and back in MLS. May he score a hat trick tonight against the Red Bulls.

Finally, I leave you with something incredibly moving from the Union Berlin match that took place on Sunday:

See you all at Audi Field tonight. Before you head down there, don’t forget to listen to the Filibuster crew’s awesome preview of the match. Vamos!