Giovani dos Santos’ year-long exclusion from the Mexican national team is all the more baffling when you consider his form of late. Perhaps Juan Carlos Osorio simply preferred giving youth a chance for El Tri’s meaningless qualifiers against Honduras and El Salvador. Or, he might still be salty over dos Santos’ decision to reject a call-up for the Copa America Centenario.
Carlos Ruiz played his final match for Guatemala on Tuesday night, the 36-year-old striker hitting St. Vincent and the Grenadines for five goals in Los Chapines 9-3 victory. Unfortunately for Ruiz and Guatemala, it still wasn't enough as they were eliminated from 2018 World Cup contention, resulting in Ruiz's international retirement.
Christian Pulisic seems to be the name on the lips of every American soccer fan following his brace against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The young American soccer player is being described as a potential future great. Yet, for most USA fans, the likelihood of seeing Pulisic in action is slim to none — unless you’re planning on taking a trip abroad.
Mexico international striker Erick "Cubo" Torres has been loaned from the Houston Dynamo to Cruz Azul, the Dynamo announced Saturday. The 23-year-old will play with the Mexico City-based club for the rest of their season.
The LA Galaxy have mercifully gotten rid of Nigel de Jong, shipping the Dutch midfielder to Turkish club Galatasaray at the transfer deadline.
As September arrives, most Major League Soccer clubs have only seven regular season matches remaining. MLS remains the most balanced league in the world, parity typically reigns in both the Eastern and Western Conferences, but a few clubs look a cut above the rest with the playoffs approaching. These are the three clubs that have made themselves early favorites for MLS Cup 2016.
On Friday, the Seattle Sounders released a distressing statement concerning Sounders and USMNT forward Clint Dempsey. The 33-year-old will be undergoing medical evaluations for an irregular heartbeat over the coming days, missing Seattle’s match against Portland on Sunday and the United States’ September World Cup qualifiers against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.
After over seven years serving as the only MLS manager the Seattle Sounders had ever employed, Sigi Schmid and the club agreed to part on mutual terms following a bottom of the league start to the 2016 campaign.
Schmid, a two-time MLS Cup champion as manager of the Columbus Crew, left the Sounders with rumors of dressing room unrest having made his role untenable in Seattle. One big name mentioned in the fallout was USMNT captain Clint Dempsey.
Remember those late June whispers regarding a sophomore slump for Toronto FC’s Sebastian Giovinco? Yeah, suggestions of Giovinco’s apparent demise had been greatly exaggerated. The Italian registered his MLS-leading 16th goal on Saturday — it was his eighth goal in six MLS matches dating back to July 24th.
Both Minnesota United and Los Angeles FC are poised to make massive announcements over the coming days regarding their potential new stadiums and their standing with regards to joining MLS.
On Wednesday, it was announced that the St. Paul City Council had approved site plans for Minnesota’s new $150 million, 20,000-seat soccer specific stadium in the state’s capital.