Today's open discussion thread, complete with your daily dose of Philadelphia Union, MLS, and U.S. National team related news and notes...

Baby Horse Tramples The Socceroos In 2-1 USWNT Win [Ryan Rosenblatt, Stars and Stripes FC] - "The match was a celebration for the several Americans from the Southern California area and was played in front of a large, enthusiastic crowd, but the loudest cheers may have been for Pia Sundhage."

The Inside Doop: Can't find the net [Dave Zeitlin, CSNPhilly.com] - "Toronto FC may be the worst team in the league, but for the second time this season, the Union were befuddled on their trip to Canada."

Amobi Okugo Blog: Dealing with the business side of soccer [Amobi Okugo, Goal.com] - "Goal.com's newest player blogger talks about his experience as a Philadelphia Union player and the realities of playing in Major League Soccer."

NBC sees mediocre ratings for soccer: Seattle-Portland draws 0.4 rating on Saturday afternoon, USWNT-Australia draws 0.5 on Sunday afternoon going against NFL [SB Nation's Steve Lepore on Twitter] - NBC will air two more regular season MLS matches: Red Bulls-Fire on October 6, and Red Bulls-Union on October 27. The network will also air two playoff matches.

Brazil reveals World Cup mascot [Associated Press via ESPN.com] - "The 2014 World Cup mascot is a yet to-be-named endangered Brazilian armadillo. FIFA said Brazilians will have until mid-November to choose the name from three choices -- Amijubi, Fuleco and Zuzeco. The announcement was made Sunday on a television show with help from former Brazil star Ronaldo."

Silva signing - star agrees to new five-year contract with Manchester City [Paul Hirst, The Independent] - "The Spain midfielder's new deal runs until the summer of 2017, the Barclays Premier League champions announced on their website."