Marta, the five-time FIFA World Player of the Year, has joined the Orlando Pride on a two-year contract with an option for a third year. With the possibility of Alex Morgan’s short-term loan deal at Lyon running through June (Lyon will have to navigate a Champions League semifinal against Carli Lloyd’s Manchester City to make that a reality) the Orlando Pride have moved quickly to add more star power.
In the face of constant derision from both fans and club teams with regards to international friendlies, UEFA proposed the adaptation of a UEFA Nations League to replace friendlies. Essentially, instead of playing one-off exhibition matches, all 55 European nations would be divided into four groups, much like a club league system, using prior results to determine which nations would begin in which groups.
In just her third cap with the USWNT, 21-year-old midfielder Rose Lavelle stole the show. She got things started in the 5th minute, with a chipped ball into the box that nearly found Mallory Pugh, another bright young star who had a strong game. Moments later Lavelle dribbled past several Russian defenders along the edge of the box, shooting from 20 yards out and forcing an impressive save from Russian goalkeeper Alena Belyaeva.
Jermaine Jones came out firing in his latest interview with ESPN FC. His soundbites ranged from how he sees himself as Tom Brady and how he’s “always the best player on the field for this country” in big tournaments to the ever-growing criticism of the midfield combination of Michael Bradley and himself.
The USA, Mexico and Canada have reportedly agreed to submit a joint bid for the 2026 World Cup at the CONCACAF conference this weekend.
U.S. Soccer and the U.S. women’s national team have come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement after months of uncertainty and advocacy. The five-year deal will cover both the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2020 Olympics.
U.S. Soccer and the USWNT Players Association ratify collective bargaining agreement through 2021.
Without a doubt, FC Dallas gave the best account of MLS in the history of the CONCACAF Champions League over the course of their two-legged semifinal with Pachuca. However, it sill wasn’t enough as Hirving Lozano snatched victory for Pachuca at the death when we looked headed for extra time.
As a 24-year-old, the sky was the limit for Italian American forward Giuseppe Rossi. Having come through the youth ranks at Parma and Manchester United, he was now flourishing in La Liga with Villarreal. In four seasons, he’d seen his goal totals gradually increase with the club: 13, 15, 17 and then a staggering 32 in the 2010-11 season.
Things are getting a bit tense in the DC United organization, as former DU United goalkeeper Charlie Horton has filed a lawsuit against former teammate Fabian Espindola, DC United manager Ben Olsen and the MLS regarding injuries he sustained during an alleged training incident with Espindola.
From ESPNFC:
We’ve never understood power rankings, especially when you can just look at the standings for an official, unarguable list of who’s the best (The Timber Joeys!) and who’s the worst (Kyle Beckerman's Roving Circus of Misfits!). So, with a desire to not do something so unnecessary and redundant, but rather create a new list that makes very little sense, we present: The MLS Rankings of Power.
Every week, we’ll update this monstrosity in the hope of finding the most powerful person, place or thing in the most major of major soccer leagues. Let us continue.