Monday Afternoon Union Freekicks: USWNT Victorious, At Least

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."