Here are the top 15 stories everyone's talking about this morning:
1. UNION SET TO GO AGAIN
The Philadelphia Union booked a second-straight trip to the US Open Cup final on Wednesday night, beating the Chicago Fire 1-0 at PPL Park to advance to next month's title game. They'll host Sporting Kansas City in the final, where they'll be looking to address some “unfinished business.” Wednesday's result marks the third-straight year the Fire have been eliminated in the semis, with manager Frank Yallop calling the latest defeat “alarming and disappointing.”
2. SALT LAKE SUNK BY SKC
Real Salt Lake’s decision to rest and rotate players ahead of their US Open Cup semifinal didn’t pay off, as a mostly first-choice team fell 3-1 at Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday night. Leading the charge again for Sporting was star midfielder Benny Feilhaber, who, along with Dom Dwyer, drew plenty of praise from manager Peter Vermes.
3. MAPP MAKES HIS MARK IN MONTREAL COMEBACK
Justin Mapp made an instant impression on his return to the Montreal Impact, coming off the bench to help lead a two-goal comeback to draw the Vancouver Whitecaps 2-2 at Stade Saputo in the first leg of the Amway Canadian Championship. Conceding the two goals was obviously a setback for the Whitecaps, but they remain confident they can win a first ACC title.
4. WILL LAMPARD PLAY?
Frank Lampard had already admitted to not yet being at full match fitness, and now it seems that the Englishman has suffered another setback. After leaving Wednesday's training with a quad injury, he'll be a game-time decision for New York City FC's Thursday night match against D.C. United (7 pm ET, MLS LIVE). United will be missing their own star in Fabian Espindola, but they've had success without him in the past -- can they do it again at Yankee Stadium?
5. THE SOUNDERS' NEW FACE
The Seattle Sounders' backline just got a whole lot tougher. The club finally landed long-rumored signing Roman Torres on Wednesday, with Sounders general manager Garth Lagerwey calling the 29-year-old Panamanian national team captain “one of the best defenders in CONCACAF.”
6. EARN YOUR PLACE
Anatole Abang has slipped back down the New York Red Bulls depth chart in recent weeks, with a dip in form -- not the club's new attacking additions -- forcing him out of the lineup. The young Red Bulls striker did see some action on Wednesday night, however, with the 18-year-old, Roy Miller and Ronald Zubar all finding themselves starting in New York Red Bulls II’s 1-1 draw with the Charlotte Independence.
7. GALAXY TICKETS IN DEMAND
With Gio dos Santos, Steven Gerrard and Robbie Keane (and the newly reacquired Donovan Ricketts) all in tow, the star-studded LA Galaxy are fast becoming the hottest ticket in town. LA fans are clearly acting on the high-demand, with the Galaxy announcing on Wednesday that their August 23 match against New York City FC is now sold out.
8. ROLL ON 2018
The 2018 season could be a huge year for MLS, as an English tabloid insists that LAFC are determined to sign Portuguese superstar Ronaldo for their expansion campaign. A potential partner for CR7? His old Manchester United buddy Wayne Rooney.
9. EXPANDING THE FIELD
FC Cincinnati are officially USL’s newest team, with USMNT legend John Harkes set to coach the new club, who will play their home matches at the University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium. Meanwhile, on the MLS expansion front, MLS President and Deputy Commissioner Mark Abbott visited a site in St. Paul that could potentially be home to Minnesota United’s new stadium.
10. BACKE TO FINLAND
Former New York Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe has a new job, with the 63-year-old set to take over as manager of the Finnish national team at the beginning of 2016. One current Red Bull we won't soon be seeing on the international stage? Striker Bradley Wright-Phillips, who says he has no interest in representing Grenada.
11. WANCHOPE RESIGNS FOLLOWING FIGHT
Paulo Wanchope’s spell as head coach of the Costa Rican national team came to a rather undignified end on Wednesday, with the former Chicago Fire player resigning after fighting a security guard at a Costa Rican U-23 match at Panama on Tuesday.
12. PRAISE FOR KLINSMANN
Jurgen Klinsmann may be a polarizing figure for US national team fans, but one person who seems to be 100 percent in Klinsmann's camp is former German national team goalkeeper Jens Lehmann. The former Arsenal 'keeper credited the work of the coach’s American fitness team in helping revive Die Mannschaft.
13. A NEW CHALLENGER
It's been two weeks since Mexico parted ways with Miguel Herrera, but it still remains unclear as to who will be the next manager of El Tri. There are several candidates who seem to be in the running, with another new contender -- former Danish international Michael Laudrup -- apparently the latest to throw his hat in the ring.
14. LONDON CALLING
It looks like Tim Ream is on his way to London as, less than a day after having their latest offer rejected, Queens Park Rangers agreed to terms with Bolton for the US national team defender. It's not quite a done deal yet, with the St. Louis native still needing to come to personal terms with the second-division side before the move officially goes through.
15. A REVOLUTION AT FIFA?
Long-time fans of the New England Revolution may remember David Nakhid from his brief spell with the club back in 1998, but it seems the former Trinidad & Tobago midfielder is eyeing a new career: as the President of FIFA.
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