The Daily Dirt: Chelsea can't stop losing

Chelse and Leicester City met for a little Monday night Premier League action, with the Foxes taking a 2-1 victory over the Blues. The amazing thing is it wasn't an upset. In this bizarre 2015-16 season, on Dec. 15, Leicester lead the Premier League and Chelsea is way down in 16th place, one point above the relegation zone. After the game, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, in true Jose Mourinho fashion, threw his entire squad under the bus.

Nominees Set for 2015 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year [Official]

No real surprises in the names here: Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Brad Guzan, Fabian Johnson, and DeAndre Yedlin. Hopefully Johnson gets some recognition for the outstanding form he's had with the USMNT and against Bundesliga competition.

Free agency process praised as step in right direction for MLS [SBI]

Free agency has been a long time coming for players who want to choose their clubs with a little more freedom. The first official signing was Sporting Kansas City's Justin Mapp, who detailed the process.

"I thought it was definitely refreshing, but maybe a little bit overwhelming because myself and anybody has never really gone through this" said Mapp on a conference call on Monday afternoon. "Just trying to take it all in and weigh different variables and what not (was a lot), but I think the fact that players who have played in this league a long time and have seen and helped the league grown kind of deserve this opportunity, especially in the latter stages of their careers. They've put in the time, and kind of get a bit more of a say of where they want to live, want to play."

What's happening in The A?

The Hawks are in a serious slump. Atlanta dropped its third in a row Monday night, falling 100-88 to the Miami Heat. The offense that wowed the NBA last season has disappeared, and the Hawks have hit the 100-point mark in only one of their last six games, a 100-87 win over the awful Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 4.

After a dream start to the season, the Falcons have crashed to Earth. It appears almost certain Atlanta will miss the playoffs for the third straight year, so there may be a change at the general manager position.

The Braves have traded away most of their MLB-ready talent in a massive rebuilding effort, which leads to a question: When will Atlanta actually be competitive again?