Friday Freedom Kicks: Tori Huster returns to Washington Spirit, RFK stadium ceremony, eMLS Cup, and more

Dec 9, 2022 - 3:00 PM

Happy Friday, everyone! Let’s get into some Freedom Kicks.

Washington Spirit have made their first (ever!) free agent signing to bring back co-Captain Tori Huster. Huster was out last season with an Achilles injury after a strong 2021. The Spirit aren’t exactly lacking for midfielders, but it would have been truly shocking for them not to re-sign Huster, who’s been on the team since its founding in 2013 and has been a steady leadership presence both for the Spirit and the NWSL Players Association, where she serves as president.

Of course I’m going to share the Instagram slideshow.

RFK stadium is one step closer to the end after the ceremonial removal of the last of the orange seats yesterday. Bill Hamid and Y. Michele Kang were among the guests who spoke at Mayor Muriel Bowser’s ceremony commemorating the stadium. Note: seats are still for sale from Events DC if you’re in need of living room furniture.

The 2023 eMLS Cup is scheduled to kick off on January 23. The esports competition features one EA SPORTS FIFA 23 player for each MLS team playing live in Austin, TX and on Twitch. D.C. United will be represented by Mohamed Diop, a.k.a. KingCJ0.

The Athletic’s Bill Shea took a look at the MLS Fan Cost Index — the cost for a family of 4 to attend a game — compared to how exciting the team was to watch this season, and guess who didn’t do so well? That’s right, it’s our own D.C. United, who had the 4th highest FCI at $347.86. Not surprising for anyone who’s had to park and pay for food at Audi Field, but still disappointing.

Finally, World Cup games return after a two-day break with quarterfinals taking place today and tomorrow at 10 and 2.