Soccer pretty much on pause, USWNT equal pay suit continues, and more: Freedom Kicks for 3/17/2020

What up internet? I hope everyone is doing alright during this time of viral pandemic, social distancing, shortages at stores, businesses struggling, and other troubles. It’s been a tough few days that feel like a tough few months. Please stay safe (especially for those of us who don’t have the work from home option). Hopefully this weblog post will help you stave off some boredom and brighten your mood.

Everyone from D.C. United is stuck at home. Listen to Felipe, listen to Noah.

One person from the club is leaving, with Jonny Northeast moving back to Wales:

Meanwhile, United is having an ongoing jersey bracket challenge. Glad to see arguably the best jersey the team’s ever had (and definitely the most comfortable) rallied to win yesterday afternoon:

Look for more kit content here soon, because posting this tweet gave me an idea!

Bledsoe and Sydney advance to W-League Final, Staab and Wanderers fall just short | WashingtonSpirit.com
In one of the only countries playing through this pandemic, Australia has both a full slate of A-League games on the weekend as well as the W-League Grand Final. Aubrey Bledsoe of the Washington Spirit will be playing as Sydney FC takes on Melbourne City, who knocked out Bledsoe’s Spirit teammate Sam Staab on Sunday.

MLS, NWSL, USL reps will meet to discuss COVID-19 plans as a group | The Athletic
Here’s what the leagues we cover are going through as they tackle an unprecedented situation. Extending play into November and December is very much on the table. I will add that NWSL probably doesn’t have the flexibility mentioned here, as 8 of the 9 teams in the league ground-share with either an MLS, USL, or minor league baseball team. Mid-week games when you’ve also got other teams trying to make up games...things are gonna be tough.

Meanwhile, more filings in the USWNT equal pay court battle emerged:

Meg Linehan provided a thread of new excerpts from the case in a thread on Twitter that starts with the above.

New U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone: Offensive ‘legal filing was an error’ | Equalizer Soccer
Here’s more from last night, including new USSF president Cindy Parlow Cone’s first statement on the topic since Carlos Cordeiro stepped down.

A newbie starts playing Football Manager | Black and Red United
Our own Ben has taken over for a more famous Ben in a game that lives on a computer, but since reality appears to be functioning like a broken simulation game of some kind, who’s to say there’s much of a difference?

Anyway, Ben’s glee about United signing more players (in the game) is fun to me.

Exclusive: UEFA to demand £275m to postpone Euro 2020 by a year | The Athletic
A lot of weird stuff in soccer is going to happen this year, mostly off the field.

Fiona Apple’s Art of Radical Sensitivity | The New Yorker
A lot of weird stuff is going to happen this year, and I don’t mean that Fiona Apple is putting out an album.

Wait actually I do, since that hasn’t happened in a long time, but also the stories here are outlandish.

Alright, let’s finish with some positive news. First of all, today is Kurt Russell’s birthday. Here’s a photo of Kurt Russell that I am adding for no good reason:

Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images

Kurt Russell is 69 years old today. I’ll leave it to you to determine what to do with that news.

Moving on to our final note, late last night, after 5+ years of waiting, CVS Bangers 4 came out:

For the uninitiated, imagine a DJ putting together the hottest mix of songs that play at a CVS and releasing it as a mixtape. It’s glorious.

Alright I’m out of things to say or post. Have a good, virus-free day!