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Danita Johnson named D.C. United president, Tigres beats LAFC in CCL Final, and more: Freedom Kicks for December 23, 2020

A historic hire for the Black-and-Red

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Her Time To Play Women’s History Month Event Photo by Will Navarro/NBAE via Getty Images

Happy Wednesday, everyone. Just a couple more days until Christmas, so before you get that last minute online shopping in, here’s the recap from yesterday:

D.C. United hires Danita Johnson as President of Business Operations - BRU

History is made in the D.C. United front office as Danita Johnson is named team president. She becomes the first black president in MLS history. She brings a wealth of experience to the team, as her latest position among many in the world of the WNBA was the president and COO of the Los Angeles Sparks. Congrats, Danita!

CCL Final heartbreak: Late Tigres comeback sinks LAFC - MLS

Andre-Pierre Gignac buries Los Angeles Football Club with an 84th minute strike, and Tigres wins the Concacaf Champions League final 2-1 in Orlando. Diego Rossi gave LAFC the lead 60 minutes into the match, but the Tigres comeback over the final 30 minutes was too much for LAFC to withstand. D.C. United and the LA Galaxy remain the only MLS teams to ever raise Concacaf championship trophies.

Gio Reyna voted U.S. Soccer Men’s Young Player of the Year - SSFC

Gio Reyna was the expected and deserved winner of the U.S. Soccer Male Young Player of the Year Award. He broke through for both Borussia Dortmund and the United States this year, and it’s his first win after 3 straight years of being a finalist.

USWNT’s support for racial justice ‘a long time coming’ - ESPNFC

Becky Sauerbrunn said that while she’s proud that the USWNT has finally taken public stances in support of racial justice, she regrets that it took so long to stand up for and understand what her black teammates and black supporters have endured for so long.

D.C. United selects Adrien Perez in 2020 MLS Re-Entry Draft - BRU

Thanks to all of you who fed Jason Anderson oxygen this afternoon. While the Johnson news hit the wire, D.C. United also selected Adrien Perez, formerly of LAFC, in the MLS Re-Entry Draft. Also, Joe Corona made some history, becoming the first former player of Austin FC just 6 days after he was selected in the MLS Expansion Draft.

Diego Maradona: Wild tales and untold stories from those who knew him best - The Athletic

Teammates, friends, and companions alike gather to tell stories about the legend that was Diego Maradona.

Barcelona presidential candidate would bulldoze Camp Nou if elected - ESPNFC

Barcelona is having new presidential elections, and one candidate says that instead of renovating the Camp Nou, they should just tear it down and build a new one. He proposes they play at the Olympic Stadium on Montjuic, where rivals Espanyol called home for many years before they left for a new stadium of their own in 2009. Good luck with that one.

That’s it for today. Enjoy the day and stay safe out there.