Here are the top 15 stories everyone's talking about this morning:
1. ATTACKING DYNAMO
Erick “El Cubo” Torres is officially a Houston Dynamo player. Announced late on Tuesday, the deal will still see Torres play up to six months on loan at Chivas de Guadalajara before joining up with his new MLS side. Find out how the Dynamo came to acquire one of the most talented young strikers in MLS.
2. COYLE’S PHILOSOPHY
The "Cubo" Torres signing is undoubtedly a massive move for the Houston Dynamo, one which could help them both on and off the field. It’s certainly a boost for new head coach Owen Coyle, a man who attributes his own work ethic and positive attitude to his 84-year-old mother.
3. XAVI CAME THIS CLOSE
How close did New York City FC come to signing Xavi Hernandez? According to the Spanish midfield maestro himself, his bags were packed and ready to go. Instead, the club ended up signing Frank Lampard, a player Manchester City coach Manuel Pellegrini hopes to hold on to for a bit longer.
4. DATE OF DEPARTURE
Tottenham Hotspur and the Seattle Sounders have officially confirmed that DeAndre Yedlin will be joining the English Premier League side in January with Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino suggesting it will give Yedlin more of a chance to adapt to the English game.
5. CURTIS CONFIRMED
In his first meeting with the press after being officially announced as the New York Red Bulls sporting director, Ali Curtis discussed the direction in which he sees the club heading. Curtis was also asked about Tim Cahill and stated he would be sitting down with the Australian DP to discuss his future in the next few days.
6. SKC ADD DEPTH
Sporting Kansas City have added another goalkeeper, signing Tim Melia as the club's third-choice 'keeper. Melia spent a little time with SKC earlier in 2014, having most recently served as an MLS emergency pool goalkeeper.
7. FERNANDEZ TO RETURN
Have the Portland Timbers re-signed Gaston Fernandez? The club hasn’t confirmed the news but, according to TheOregonian, several sources close to the team say the deal is as good as done.
8. MERAM IN THE GULF
Columbus Crew SC’s Justin Meram broke new ground this year when the American striker made his debut for Iraq's national team in the Gulf Cup. While the tournament wasn’t exactly a success for Iraq, the experience opened Meram’s eyes to a whole new world.
9. ORLANDO CITY NEWS
Planning is already well underway on Orlando City’s new soccer stadium and there were some new developments the club shared yesterday. Meanwhile, new OCSC signing Tony Cascio, working hard to bounce back from his ACL injury, has seen the plans and can’t wait to play in the club's new home.
10. HEAD OF THE MONARCHY
The Real Monarchs have their first head coach, with Freddy Juarez set to take charge of Real Salt Lake’s USL PRO side in 2015. Juarez is already well acquainted with RSL’s development structure, having spent the last five years working as a coach and administrator at the club's Casa Grande academy.
11. USL PRO EXPANSION
As USL PRO continues to expand at an unprecedented rate, could the league grow to 32 teams by 2016? While a number of those teams will be MLS reserve sides, the league looks to have some intriguing options when it comes to independent franchises.
12. CONCACAF WINNERS
CONCACAF has announced its end-of-year award winners and Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas was voted Player of the Year. And yet he finished in third place when it came to the Goalkeeper of the Year award, an honor claimed by USMNT World Cup star Tim Howard.
13. THE RETURN OF GARY SMITH
Gary Smith is heading back to the USA. The former Colorado Rapids head coach, who led the team to an MLS Cup triumph in 2010, will be taking charge of the Atlanta Silverbacks following the departure of Eric Wynalda.
14. NEW USMNT KIT?
There was a leak of a US jersey on Tuesday that one outlet is calling the new USMNT away jersey for 2015. Get a good look at it here along with a detailed description of the shirt's main features.
15. SHAPED BY SOCCER
Can other American sports learn a thing or two from soccer? It seems that one of them already has, albeit unknowingly, as a growing number of NFL players are carrying over facets of their game learned playing soccer.
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