D.C. United and Washington Spirit news, MLS betting, and more: Freedom Kicks for 4/23/2021

Good morning! Yesterday for me came with an unexpected headache, so my “time to celebrate being two weeks past my second shot” plans became more about trying to loosen my neck. That’s being in your late, late 30s! And with this bit of whining out of the way, let’s get to the news.

A Planned Thump | Filibuster
The latest Filibuster talks about D.C. United‘s new system after opening the year with a win, and we talked about what the Black-and-Red can expect from the New England Revolution tomorrow night.

Hernán Losada Brings a High-Risk, High-Reward System to D.C. United | Washington City Paper
The new approach from United has a direct link to the first goal the team scored this year, which this piece from Kelyn Soong makes note of. We’re probably not going to see a bunch of long-range rockets pan out, but just having defenders up as far as Brendan Hines-Ike means teams are going to be dealing with an awful lot when United gets into the attack.

And now, some blessed United history:

Never gets old.

MLS Betting: Putting money on FC Cincinnati and the Colorado Rapids? Our experiment has already gone too far | The Athletic
Pablo Maurer is betting on United this weekend...and FC Cincinnati???

Also, note here that United got one win and their odds to win MLS Cup were slashed from +10000 to +8000.

3 Winners and 4 Losers from the NWSL Challenge Cup | Backline Soccer
Trinity Rodman getting some praise here after starting her pro career with two standout performances as a starter and one goal-scoring turn off the bench. The kid can play!

Turning learning into action: Kaiya McCullough talks Anti Racist Soccer Club | All for XI
This is a good interview with former Spirit defender Kaiya McCullough on Anti Racist Soccer Club, who are calling on clubs to take genuine action towards making themselves truly anti-racist.

More local soccer news:

This is an interesting move for Christos FC, who will join USL League Two starting next year. All the sudden, the DMV has teams in MLS, NWSL, the USL Championship, USL League One, NISA, and USL League Two. Once we get past the pandemic and restore the Open Cup to its normal scope, that should be a lot of fun.

Oniel Fisher right where he wants to be, with LA Galaxy | LAG Confidential
Here’s an update on Oniel Fisher, who started at right back for the Galaxy in week 1. I still loathe the Galaxy, like any MLS Old should, but I do want good things for Fisher.

Alright folks, that’s all I’ve got, and my aching tissue and bones demand more loosening, so I’ll wrap it up here. Enjoy your Friday!