The Daily Dirt: Hot takes on Downtown DeKalb

Despite the fact that plans have been announced, the proposed Atlanta United FC headquarters in DeKalb County doesn't feel like a done deal. In a Metro column for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Bill Torpy notes some of the dissent. One potential problem: the idea of replacing the county jail that currently sits on the site.

[Former Sheriff Tom Brown], a three-decade county employee who also headed DeKalb's Public Safety Department, said the jail is barely 20 years old and cost $100 million. Building a replacement could cost almost twice that based on inflation since 1990, the year construction bonds were being prepared. And that's not taking into account the cost of consolidating government services into the new DeKalb tower and moving the fleet of county maintenance machinery elsewhere as the work yards are replaced by soccer fields.

Another issue for some residents is the way the deal came together.

Terry Pride, a lifelong DeKalb resident who owns a weed-control business, said the soccer agreement "was thrown together as a seedy little backroom deal. The public should have had a voice in it. It was like the Braves moving to Cobb. It wasn't transparent.

If the DeKalb deal does fall through — and that's still a big "if" at this point — Plan B calls for AUFC's headquarters to set up shop in Marietta. Depending on where you live in the metro area, that might be fine. But, losing a location inside the perimeter, right on a MARTA line would sting a bit.

Celta Vigo vs Barcelona, La Liga: Final Score 4-1 as Celestes destroy Barça [Barca Blaugranes]

Yes, you read that correctly. Barcelona lost a La Liga game. That's not a huge shock, but losing 4-1 to any club in any competition is fairly surprising. In fact, it's the worst league defeat for Barca since May 7, 2008.

Tottenham 1 - 2 Arsenal: Capital One Cup Instant Reaction [The Short Fuse]

It's not often that a third-round tie in England's League Cup produces a matchup of note, outside the occasional lower-tier club taking down a Premier League giant. But on Wednesday, the tournament produced a good old fashioned North London Derby. Mathieu Flamini scored a brace to put the Gunners through at White Heart Lane. Following the game, Arsenal fans got a little too enthusiastic with their celebrations.

What's happening in The A?

You might want to sit down before reading this: The Braves won their second straight game at the Mets Wednesday night. Freddie Freeman, one of the few recognizable names on the roster, came off the bench in the seventh inning and finished the night with five RBI, including a tie-breaking three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning. It's the first time Atlanta has won back-to-back road games since July 6 and 7 at Milwaukee.