D.C. United & Washington Spirit updates, Bundesliga plans for return, and more: Freedom Kicks for 4/28/2020

I don’t have much to tell you, as my Monday was very much like a bunch of other recent isolation days. Eggs for breakfast, leftovers for lunch. The high point by far? Splurging on a fried shrimp platter with fries and green beans from the local seafood place. Big time stuff, I know.

Let’s start with Federico Higuain and his son doing smooth work after creating a classic 2v1 overload against Pipa’s dog:

Whenever we get to see D.C. United train again, most likely we’ll be seeing Higuain pushing to get into contention on gameday, which I am into.

Jersey Week: Best jersey your team has ever worn | Stars and Stripes FC
Donald’s got a post with Marco Etcheverry in it, so you know I’m going to share it here. He’s also got a poll for you concerning USA jerseys:

We’ll have something on United jerseys for you later this week. In the meantime, I chose my own preferred best DCU jersey for the photo that went with this story. We’re due for new a new away kit next year, and I’m going to keep talking about doing a tribute to this classic until I’m at Audi Field watching a United legend and a current United star walk out in a ‘98 tribute away.

Week 9 simulated on FIFA 20: Here’s how MLS games could have gone | MLSsoccer.com
FIFA 20 has United winning the first round of the Atlantic Cup 2-1 on goals from Ola Kamara and Julian Gressel, and apparently the Red Bulls in this sim are bottom of the table. Sounds good to me!

Gonna go ahead and put aside the fact that in this version of FIFA, Fafa Picault is scoring goals for Philadelphia despite having moved to FC Dallas this offseason. It’s fine, undo the trade, NYRB gets the Wooden Spoon, everyone wins. Except for the Red Bulls.

How the NWSL PA is helping its members during isolation | All for XI
Washington Spirit original Tori Huster is the president of the NWSL Players Association, and she’s been busy trying to help the league’s players deal with the current coronavirus shutdown.

Home Gym: How to Work Out Like a Washington Spirit Player | Washington City Paper
What’s it like to get through an actual Spirit warm-up from their high performance coach? Kelyn Soong gave it a shot, and included links to visual aids for anyone that wants to follow suit.

I’ve been eyeing up my running shoes thinking it’s time to make up for all the lost walking and moving that comes with being cooped up at home these past couple of months, but I probably need to build up to this warm-up. Which, for all the folks in the same boat, is fine! If you approach a return to working out with the mindset that you have to be in your old playing shape in two weeks, you’re gonna be pretty upset in two weeks. Get through the routine, don’t overdo it. I’m typing this as a reminder to myself as much as anyone reading.

Inside the Bundesliga’s plan to restart: an interview with Bayer Leverkusen’s Simon Rolfes | Bavarian Football Works
BFW with a major get here, talking with Bayer Leverkusen sporting director (and former German international) Simon Rolfes about how the Bundesliga plans to return to play.

‘This is horrible’: Cambuur stunned after dream season turns to dust | The Guardian
On the other hand, in the Netherlands, there will be no promotion or relegation, meaning that SC Cambuur’s excellent season won’t be rewarded, even after a vote ended with a plurality being in favor of pro/rel.

Ben’s Chili Bowl Survived Riots And Recessions, But Might Not Make It Through The Pandemic | DCist
Hate to finish up with a downer ending, and this one’s a real bummer. Ben’s Chili Bowl is part of the soul of the real DC, and while there are bigger tragedies out there right now than a business struggling, it would be heartbreaking if they aren’t around once society starts to recover from this pandemic.

If you’re healthy and have the means, buy local as much as you can. If you live near Ben’s, by all means, hit them up. If you’re a suburbanite like me, there’s always something that isn’t a chain: the local Chinese joint, or that seafood place I mentioned in the intro, or whatever it is. Our communities thrive on supporting one another.