Wednesday Freedom Kicks: USWNT win in more ways than one, Spying in the USOC, and more

Plus, motorsports chaos in Darlington

Good morning and happy Wednesday! Labor Day weekend has unlocked a new hobby for me: kayaking. I tried it on a lake in West Virginia and now I want to learn all the kayaking hotspots around the DMV! Any recommendations are welcome. Though as a beginner, maybe a stone’s throw away from death at the Great Falls isn’t where I should start. To the kicks!

Sacramento Republic files complaint over alleged Orlando City spy: All those decades of watching cheesy kids movies where the big bad super team still tries to cheat against the inexperienced underdogs... I guess there is a basis in reality.

Houston Dynamo part ways with head coach Paulo Nagamura: The race for the Wooden Spoon heats up as current runners-up Houston part ways with their coach in an effort to battle Spoon leaders D.C. United.

Chelsea sack Thomas Tuchel: Operation Free Pulisic is a go!

USWNT 2-1 Nigeria: The women conceded a goal for the first time in an age, but they still wrapped it up and won the match at Buzzard Point.

U.S. soccer women, men formally sign new collective bargaining agreements: The Treaty of Buzzard Point was ratified after the women’s match last night.

Maryland 6-1 Virginia: Also at Audi Field (gosh, I love this stadium getting used), the greater flag won out in convincing fashion.

The NASCAR playoffs kicked off on Sunday in Darlington with a blaze of fire. Literally. Playoff contender Kevin Harvick was forced to exit the race due to his car catching fire. That wasn’t even the weirdest thing to happen in the race if you ask me. With the race nearing its end, leader Martin Truex Jr. suffered an overheating failure. His Joe Gibbs teammate, Kyle Busch, took the lead. Winning the race would lock Busch into the next round of the playoffs, but under caution, his engine failed as well. Combining that chaos with fan favorite and regular season champion Chase Elliott’s last place finish due to a crash, no one was safe last night. Eric Jones sealed the deal last night and earned that storied 43 car its 200th win. He also became the 17th winner this season - too late to enter the playoffs, but a great achievement nevertheless. The Southern 500 is considered by many to be a Crown Jewel event in NASCAR, and this event is now 67% of all of Jones’ career victories.

The best part? Getting a hat from the King himself.

That’s it for today. Enjoy the US Open Cup finals tonight!