Wednesday Freedom Kicks: Ukraine playoff postponed, Nashville SC sponsor pays in bitcoin

Better hope bitcoin goes up.

Happy Wednesday, everyone. Some stories from yesterday worth catching up on, so here we go:

Scotland v Ukraine World Cup play-off semi-final postponed – BBC

Ukraine asked for and received a postponement of their World Cup playoff against Scotland. They will now play that match and the playoff final in June.

Nashville SC’s new deal with Valkyrie Investments being paid in bitcoin – SBJ

Nashville SC gets a sponsorship deal, and 100% of the payment is in bitcoin. They better hope the price of the brick goes way up.

Queretaro home fans banned for 1 year, ‘barras’ get 3-year ban; owners must sell club – ESPNFC

Lots of punishment handed down from Liga MX to Queretaro, and it’s still not enough.

Attracting young stars is part of the Bundesliga’s identity but it can have adverse effects – The Athletic

The Bundesliga is getting young stars in from the United States, but they aren’t necessarily giving them all the playing time. The Athletic digs into why.

Premier League suspends broadcast deal with Russia because of Ukraine invasion – BBC

The EPL will no longer be shown in Russia, as the broadcast deal has been suspended, further isolating Russia from the rest of the world, both in life and in sport.

Bradley Wright-Phillips terrorized MLS defenses for years, but he’s now saying goodbye to the game.

USMNT, New England Revolution keeper Matt Turner out ‘couple of weeks’ with ankle injury – ESPNFC

Matt Turner is now doubtful for the USMNT roster this month as he’s out a couple more weeks with an ankle injury. He has yet to play for the New England Revolution this season.

Is Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior surpassing PSG’s Neymar as Brazil’s best forward? – BBC

In my mind, Vini is fast becoming one of the best players in the world, and definitely Brazil’s most lethal option up front. We’ll see if it converts to country as we approach the World Cup.

‘Too timid’: Fifa deal for foreign players to leave Russian clubs is criticise – The Guardian

FIFA has let foreign players who play for Russian clubs to leave them on loan for the rest of the season, but FIFPro wants them to be able to terminate their contracts.

That’s it for today…stay dry!