Here are the top 15 stories everyone's talking about this morning:
1. THE GREATEST PRESENT
What did you get for Christmas? If you’re a Vancouver Whitecaps fan you got a brand new striker, with the Canadian club announcing on Christmas Day that they've signed 22-year-old Uruguayan forward Octavio Rivero as a young Designated Player.
2. ONE IN…
Real Salt Lake have also been active over the holidays, with reports emerging on Christmas Eve that the club is set to sign 25-year-old Brazilian midfielder Wellington De Jorge Estanislau Paeckart, or “Pecka” for short, who currently plays for the NASL’s Ft. Lauderdale strikers.
3. … ONE OUT
However, as one player looks set to arrive, it looks like another member of the Real Salt Lake squad is heading for the exit, with Carlos Salcedo apparently on the verge of joining Chivas De Guadalajara. However, this shouldn’t be too big a surprise, as the 21-year-old Mexican defender had already asked RSL not to pick up his option for 2015.
4. THE PLACE TO BE
With Erick 'Cubo' Torres joining the Houston Dynamo, new head coach Owen Coyle is obviously delighted to have secured such a promising young striker. Yet so too is Mexican national team manager Miguel Herrera, who believes MLS is the best place for Torres to develop.
5. THE DEFOE DECISION
While Toronto FC are aiming to be at the forefront of sports science, the question everyone really wants to know is whether or not that future will involve Jermain Defoe. The English Striker is apparently in London for talks over his future.
6. MVLEE IN SURPRISE MOVE?
File this under "not gonna happen," but that won't keep us from talking about it. We've heard about the EPL interest in Lee Nguyen, but now the V-League is apparently trying to get in the mix and money isn't an issue for Hanoi T & T.
7. BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
Wonder how Orlando City got their stadium deal done and appear primed for immediate success on and off the field? Look no further than the relationships they’ve built up with their local government.
8. SUCCESSFUL STADIUMS
With two different bids for an MLS expansion franchise coming out of Minnesota, each has their own idea for where their team would play: The Vikings want their team to share their new NFL stadium while Minnesota United want to build a new soccer-specific stadium. Which is better? Looking through MLS history shows arguments can be made for both.
9. COULD CANADA HELP THE US?
Canada is slowly but surely starting to turn things around on the national stage, though the three Canadian MLS teams bowed out before the conference semifinals. Is there an argument to be made that a stronger Canada could actually be good for the US national team?
10. PLAYING IN JANUARY
Looks like Tim Cahill isn’t the only New York Red Bull who’ll be in international action come January, with Ambroise Oyongo making Cameroon's provisional squad for the upcoming African Cup of Nations.
11. THE FUTURE’S BRIGHT
As we head towards the new year, what might it have in store for three of the US national teams youngest players: DeAndre Yedlin, John Brooks and Julian Green. We already know some of what’s ahead for Yedlin. As he departs for Tottenham Hotspur, the Seattle Sounders have put together a farewell video.
12. ANOTHER CUBAN REVOLUTION?
While it may not mean an international future for Osvaldo Alonso, what could a normalizing of relations between the US and Cuba mean for the island nation and the global game?
13. CREDIT WHERE IT’S DUE
Despite a successful spell as head coach of the Chicago Fire, Dave Sarachan doesn’t always get the credit he deserves alongside Bruce Arena in LA. However, having played for the Rochester Lancers in the original NASL, the 60-year-old is set to be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame as a ‘soccer pioneer’ this Saturday.
14. FROM ST LOUIS TO ITALY
Looks like the 2015 SuperDraft has lost another top prospect, with St. Louis University striker Robbie Kristo reportedly set to join a second division side in Italy’s Serie B.
15. OKLAHOMA ENERGY FIRE ASSISTANT COACH
Jimmy Nielson is in need of a new assistant coach after the Oklahoma City Energy fired former assistant Chris Spendlove. The USL PRO club were left with little choice after Spendlove was accused of murdering an off-duty police officer in Liverpool.
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