Here are the top 15 stories everyone's talking about this morning:
1. WHITECAPS MAKE A SIGNING…
The Vancouver Whitecaps have added a new member to their squad for the 2016 season, bringing in noted Japanese goalscorer Masato Kudo, who last played for Kashiwa Reysol in the J-League. "[Vancouver] came to me because they want me to score goals, and I won't be successful unless I play harder than ever and do exactly that," declared Kudo in a statement on Reysol's website bidding farewell to the club's fans (translation courtesy of /u/dokool).
2. …ARE TWO MORE ON THE WAY?
The Vancouver Whitecaps are reportedly on the verge of signing two more players as well: with Panamanians Renan Addles and Armando Cooper still strongly linked with moves to the Canadian team. Cooper's Panamanian club, Arabe Unido, have confirmed that he is out of contract and free to join the Whitecaps, though the Canadian club may have to negotiate a deal with Portland to complete the signing
3. RAWLINS STEPS IN
With the sudden departure of Armando Carneiro, Orlando City President Phil Rawlins finds himself working as the club's chief soccer operations executive, a role he has held before and one he’s more than happy to hold again, albeit only on an interim basis.
4. THE FIRE PLAN
Head coach Veljko Paunovic was identified as the man to help turn the Chicago Fire back into a title contender and the 38-year-old, former Serbian international, obviously has some strong ideas about how they’re going to do that, some of which he shared in an interview with American Soccer Now.
5. KITCHEN INTEREST HEATS UP
With out-of-contract midfielder Perry Kitchen all but certain to depart D.C. United now, it appears that two main suitors have emerged for the impressive midfielder and a deal could be done in a matter of weeks.
6. ANOTHER NEW RUMOR
Don't get too excited yet, since the story doesn’t mention any specific clubs, but Spanish newspaper Marca is reporting that Ruben Gracia Calmache, more commonly known as Cani, could be set to leave Deportivo La Coruna and join MLS.
7. AFFUL WANTS TO STAY
World Cup veteran Harrison Afful has made the right back position his own since joining Columbus Crew SC in summer 2015, which has apparently piqued interest in the Ghanaian from overseas. However, Afful – whose option was picked up by Crew SC – poured cold water on reports that he was set to move to Turkey, telling GHANAsoccernet.com, "Those putting up those stories can’t be serious. I’m still a player of Columbus Crew. It was a short contract but I want to renew it."
8. COULD THE UNION GO DUTCH?
The Philadelphia Union have already made some interesting moves this offseason but, with Earnie Stewart set to officially take up his new role with the club in January, could the former AZ Alkmaar man use any of his connections to bring some of his old players to Pennsylvania?
9. RAISE THE ROOF
Toronto FC are once again set for an extended stint on the road to begin their season as expansion work continues on BMO Field. The latest work will see the new roof installed and for a quick update on how that’s coming along, check out this video.
10. PLANNING A PRESEASON
Preseason plans for a number of MLS teams became clearer just before Christmas as the full schedule was revealed for next year’s Desert Diamond Cup, with Columbus Crew SC and the USL’s Arizona United also joining the action.
11. MLS PLAYERS SET FOR COPA AMÉRICA QUALIFIER
As Trinidad and Tobago get ready for their Copa América Centenario qualifier against Haiti, scheduled to take place in Panama City on Jan. 8, head coach Stephen Hart has included two MLS players – Cordell Cato and Joevin Jones - in his 23-man squad.
12. OBA WANTS TO GO TO RIO
After his recent return to the Super Eagles, Obafemi Martins is said to be keen to make another contribution to Nigerian soccer next year, with the Seattle Sounders striker apparently desperate to be part of the country’s Rio 2016 Olympic soccer squad.
13. REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL IN CANADA
This may sound familiar but 2016 could mark a big year for the Canadian national team, with World Cup Qualifying and the Copa America Centenario to look forward to, and there seems to be plenty of reason for optimism given the way that 2015 ended.
14. A BRAND NEW DEVELOPMENT
Following the news of a new second division in 2016, it seems there could be another huge development for the women’s game in 2017 on the horizon, with reports that the USSF is set to launch a new girls development academy in 2017.
15. A FIFA DEBATE?
It's not just election season in the United States – FIFA will be holding a presidential election of their own well before Americans go to the polls in November 2016, so wouldn’t you like to see the potential leaders of the world’s game duke it out in a US-style TV debate? ESPN certainly would, and has invited the five remaining candidates to take part in just such an event.
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