Here are the top 15 stories being talked about this morning:
1. US READY FOR GAME TWO
The US take on Trinidad & Tobago in the second game of their World Cup Qualifying campaign (Tuesday, 6:30 pm ET, beIN Sports, NBC Universo) looking to make it two wins from two. Tim Howard returns in goal tonight and the national team veteran is already looking towards his fourth World Cup, while DeAndre Yedlin is looking to continue his steady rise.
2. T&T TEST A TOUGH ONE
The US face a challenging test in Trinidad & Tobago though, with the Caribbean side high on confidence following a successful year, and US head coach Jurgen Klinsmann is preparing for a “battle”. However, if the Americans hope to contain their opponents, stopping Kenwyne Jones could be the key.
3. WHEN THE USMNT WAS A CLUB
As you're getting set for the USMNT match tonight, check out MLSsoccer.com's latest installment of The Word which answers a question that is bound to have crossed your mind: What if the national team were a club team which competed in a league and trained together every day? A fascinating experiment which actually happened in the USA. It was called Team America and here's how it went.
4. CANADIAN CONFIDENCE GROWING
Confidence is growing in Canada's camp ahead of the second game of their World Cup Qualifying group against El Salvador (Tuesday, 8.30 pm ET, beIN SPORTS) and, after a long absence from the national team, Portland Timbers veteran Will Johnson is pleased to be back and contributing to their success.
5. MEXICO READY FOR HONDURAS
Mexico are also looking to maintain a 100-percent record when they travel to Honduras in their second World Cup Qualifying game. There are plenty of things for Mexico to focus on but, given Honduras’ current woes, the most challenging thing about the game for El Tri might be the location.
6. KLINSMANN DEFENDS US YOUTH TEAMS
Given their results, some would think it’s more than fair to say that the US youth teams, primarily the U-23s and U-17s, have underperformed this year. However, Jurgen Klinsmann is not one of them, labeling criticism of the sides as “immature”.
7. JOY FOR ROBBIE KEANE
Congratulations are due to LA Galaxy striker Robbie Keane and Colorado Rapids forward Kevin Doyle, as their Republic of Ireland side qualified for Euro 2016 on Monday following a 3-1 aggregate win over Bosnia & Herzegovina.
8. THE SCIENCE OF KEI KAMARA
Kei Kamara is having a great year, and, according to a new feature from ESPN, there’s a science to Kamara’s success. The Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs return this weekend and it looks like there’ll be a record crowd in attendance at MAPFRE stadium that will be hoping to see more of the science in action. But how did Kamara arrive at this point in his career? Let the Sierra Leone native tell you more about his journey.
9. DONOVAN CALLS FOR END TO WINTER LOANS
While a number of MLS’s star players are naturally attracting attention from Europe this winter, Landon Donovan feels MLS players and teams would be wise to reject potential loans, claiming that things have changed since he accepted short-term deals with foreign clubs during the MLS offseason. Donovan also offered his thoughts on why one of his replacements on the LA Galaxy may have struggled this year.
10. OLIC EYES MLS
Unhappy with his lack of playing time at Hamburg, Croatian international Ivica Olic is apparently open to an MLS move come January. With Didier Drogba showing that age does not always matter, will someone take a chance on the 36-year-old striker?
11. IS FACEY FINISHED IN NEW YORK?
Will New York City FC fans see Shay Facey back in their team anytime soon? The 20-year-old enjoyed a good loan spell with NYCFC in 2015, but his future with the MLS side is unclear after signing a new two-year deal with sister-club Manchester City.
12. RED BULLS GETTING READY
The New York Red Bulls are busy getting themselves ready for the first leg of their Eastern Conference Championship series on Sunday (5 pm ET, ESPN, ESPN Deportes and SiriusXM 85 in USA; MLS LIVE in Canada) and part of those preparations involves "Tournament Day," a twist on training which brings out both the best and the worst in the Red Bulls players.
13. DALLAS AND THE NEXT GENERATION
The Portland Timbers insist that they’re fighting for each other as they face the first leg of the Western Conference Championship on Sunday (7:30 pm ET, FS1 and FOX Deportes in USA; TSN2 in Canada), but does the way FC Dallas play signal the arrival of something new in MLS?
14. NO MORE EXPANSION DRAFT?
Ahead of the arrival of new clubs into MLS like Atlanta United FC and LAFC, there are reports that the Expansion Draft might become a thing of the past. However, there's still plenty of time for a final decision, with the next new club, Atlanta United FC, kicking off in 2017.
15. THINKING OF PARIS
Friday's tragic terror attacks in Paris have impacted persons across the globe and in the USA it hit close to home for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, who lost a former intern in the attacks. Meanwhile, New York Red Bulls defender and French youth international Ronald Zubar shared his thoughts on the events.
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