Here are the top 15 stories everyone's talking about this morning:
1. USMNT FALLS TO JAMAICA
The US national team suffered an unexpected defeat in the Gold Cup semifinals on Wednesday, losing 2-1 to Jamaica in a game in which the majority of the team failed to impress. Though the result put manager Jurgen Klinsmann under plenty of fire, the USMNT boss and some of his players were still trying to look on the bright side.
2. PLAYOFF ON THE HORIZON
The defeat raises some questions about the progress of the US national team, with many wondering how to judge Klinsmann's performance as head coach. It also sets the stage for a playoff game against Mexico or Jamaica for a spot in the 2017 Confederations Cup, with the match potentially taking place at the Rose Bowl on October 9.
3. CONTROVERSIAL CALLS SEE MEXICO ADVANCE
Mexico advanced to the Gold Cup final in controversial fashion on Wednesday, with El Tri defeating 10-man Panama 2-1 after Andres Guardado scored two penalties – one in second-half stoppage time and another in extratime – to move on to Sunday's championship. The match was completed under fierce protest from Los Canaleros.
4. HOWARD ANNOUNCES RETURN
It wasn't all bad news for the USMNT on Wednesday, as longtime goalkeeping stalwart Tim Howard announced that he will once again make himself available for selection following a one-year hiatus from the international game. That's not great news for Howard fill-in Brad Guzan, who was responsible for giving away the free kick that led to Jamaica's game-winner on Wednesday.
5. CHICAGO LEAVE IT LATE, BUT ADVANCE IN STYLE
While the Chicago Fire continue the pursuit of Didier Drogba, one of the club’s current strikers showed what he could do on Wednesday evening, with Kennedy Igboananike coming off the bench to score twice, both times in spectacular fashion, thus helping the Fire into the US Open Cup semifinals with a 3-1 win over Orlando City SC.
6. RED BULLS RESERVES TRIUMPH OVER CHELSEA
With the majority of the first-team unavailable after playing in the US Open Cup on Tuesday, a young New York Red Bulls side took the field against Chelsea on Wednesday, pulling off a stunner by beating the English Premier League champions 4-2 in a friendly at Red Bull Arena. In other exhibition news, former DP Jermain Defoe came back to haunt Toronto FC, scoring twice to help Sunderland secure a 2-1 victory against his ex-team at BMO Field.
7. DALLAS ADDS ARGENTINE
FC Dallas’ already impressive midfield got a little bit more crowded on Wednesday, when the club used some of its Targeted Allocation Money to add Ezequiel Cirigliano on-loan from Argentine giants River Plate.
8. IT’S MY FIRST DAY
A pair of recently traded players completed their first training sessions with their new clubs on Wednesday, with Alvaro Saborio starting fresh with D.C. United and Luis Silva beginning his tenure with Real Salt Lake. Silva will look to rekindle his partnership at RSL with former TFC teammate Joao Plata, who the Claret-and-Cobalt hope is back on track after scoring his first goal of the season last weekend.
9. LARIN’S RED RECINDED
There was good news for Orlando City on Wednesday as an independent review panel elected to rescind the red card Cyle Larin received against the New York Red Bulls. Things worked out less favorably for the Vancouver Whitecaps, with the MLS Disciplinary Committee issuing Cristian Techera a one-game ban for violent conduct.
10. CREW SC EXAMINING OPTIONS
Columbus Crew SC made a minor move on Wednesday, sending striker Adam Bedell out on loan to the Richmond Kickers. Columbus had previously said forming their own USL club was a non-starter, but the need for youngsters like Bedell to get some solid playing time might have the club reconsidering.
11. ATLANTA COMING ALONG NICELY
Atlanta United’s executives held a media roundtable on Wednesday, revealing among other things, that they’ve taken almost 24,000 season ticket deposits and are closing in on a location for their new training facility.
12. ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT IN SEATTLE
While newly-knighted Lamar Neagle is an example of a local success story for the Seattle Sounders, the club won't have any players featured in this year's Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game. GM Garth Lagerwey feels the club can do better on the youth front and says improvements are needed in its development system.
13. ALLEN OUT, JAMIESON IV IN
Jordan Allen has been forced to withdraw from the Chipotle MLS Homegrown roster for next week’s game against Club America’s U-20s, leading head coach Landon Donovan to call in former teammate and current LA Galaxy forward Bradford Jamieson IV.
14. A “WORLD-CLASS VENUE” FOR MIAMI
It looks as though David Beckham’s prospective ownership group has settled on a stadium location in Miami, with the ownership group now seeking to formalize plans for a new venue next to Marlins Park. They're bullish about what the building will look like, promising a “world-class stadium" in a letter to Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado.
15. PORTLAND LEADS THE WAY
Long one of the biggest success stories in women's soccer, the Portland Thorns were at it again on Wednesday. Though they fell 1-0 to their Cascadia rivals the Seattle Reign, the Thorns did it in front of a sold-out crowd of 21,144 at Providence Park.
MLSsoccer.com Musts
Armchair Analyst: Klinsmann and USMNT flame out in Gold Cup loss
Transfer Watch: MLS teams reportedly eying Esteban Cambiasso
Revolution's Diego Fagundez returns to his best form
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