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Hello friends! I made a very good smoked whole chicken last night, so I’m feeling pretty good about it today. 1.5 hours over coals and apple wood, and the hint for crispier when cooking on a grill? A little bit of baking powder sprinkled on before you cook.
Anyways, to the links!
D.C. United, Mesut Ozil, and you: How to sort out whether a transfer rumor is serious or not
A good case in media analysis as we get into MLS’s silly season.
GOALLLLL @PaulArriola!
— U.S. Soccer MNT (@USMNT) December 10, 2020
WELCOME BACK PAULIE!
17' | 1-0 | #USAvSLV pic.twitter.com/GeKqaOyVXO
Arriola’s goal against El Salvador was very nice, but even nicer to my eyes is when he got tackled to the ground and then just popped right back up. It’s good to see him, and I’ll be excited to see him back on the field again in 2021.
BE THE CHANGE: USMNT SHARES IMPORTANT SOCIAL JUSTICE MESSAGE BEFORE MATCH AGAINST EL SALVADOR
The US men’s team has not stopped their advocacy, which is great to see.
Two things we learned from @ash_hatch33's mic'd up:
— Washington Spirit (@WashSpirit) December 9, 2020
1️⃣ She makes a mean fruit pizza (whatever that is)
2️⃣ She just wants to help pic.twitter.com/v2hNaiQNWv
Someone please find out what fruit pizza is, I am dying to know.
All of this is spot on. It's down to four candidates, including Armas and Pineda. Unsure of the other two. Hendrickson said he was told last week he is no longer in the running. No imminent decision. Team has said all along a decision would come sometime in December. https://t.co/aiaHnrXlSM
— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) December 9, 2020
Despite what some Twitter personalities had said, Chris Armas is still in the hunt for the D.C. United coaching job, as is Gonzalo Pineda. Pineda looks great to my eye, so hopefully they can start talking to him immediately after MLS Cup.
Matt Besler was the 2nd-best CB in MLS in 2020, behind only Mark McKenzie, in overall g+ (+1.58), via @AnalysisEvolved .
— Soccer Rabbi (@soccer_rabbi) December 9, 2020
He's this year's Ike Opara - a veteran Free Agent that can take a backline from good to great and deliver them to MLS Cup.
That's worth a lot of coin. https://t.co/ZDSeSp6OMh
This would be an extremely D.C. United move to pick up Matt Besler, but he will come with a hefty price tag and he has free agency, so there will be suitors from across the league.
Diego Fagundez painfully parts with Revolution after contract impasse
Wait, the Revs lowballing a fan favorite, forcing him to leave? Yup, that sounds exactly like the Revs.
#DCU players to make the list: Jeff Agoos, Dwayne DeRosario, Marco Etcheverry, Jaime Moreno. Eddie Pope, and Nick Rimando https://t.co/AtW5H2lpqA
— Jason Anderson (@JasonDCsoccer) December 9, 2020
No surprises here, with more than a quarter of the greatest 25 players having a connection to D.C. United.
"My dad said he hasn't seen me this happy on a soccer field since I was a little kid." - @martcw12
— San Diego Loyal (@SanDiegoLoyal) December 9, 2020
Collin Martin is bringing his passion and joy back to San Diego for 2021. pic.twitter.com/lFQAJmEruF
I’m very happy for Collin Martin.
That’s all I have, what’s up?