Tag: MLS

Marco Reus reportedly in talks over MLS move after Dortmund contract ends

Reus could be looking to come to the U.S. once he ends his 12-year stay at Dortmund this summer

Marco Reus could well be considering a move to MLS once he wraps a superb career at Borussia Dortmund.

Former France midfielder Samir Nasri, now working as a pundit on French broadcaster Canal+, said that the 34-year-old is ready to continue his career with an unspecified MLS club once his der Schwarzgelben contract expires at the end of the season.

Dortmund has already confirmed it will not renew Reus’ contract, and the playmaker says he intends to carry on playing.

“I talked to Marco Reus,” asserted Nasri. “He said he loves football too much to quit right now and will go to MLS next season.”

Former Chile striker Ivan Zamorano, now working as an analyst for TUDN, spiced the rumors up further on Tuesday when he narrowed Reus’ possible destinations to a club in Los Angeles.

LA clubs, St. Louis linked with Reus

That would place Los Angeles FC and the LA Galaxy high up on the list of potential landing spots, though LAFC is probably the more likely of the two sides to have room for Reus.

The Galaxy spent nearly $20 million on wingers Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec, and have built around playmaker Riqui Puig. With Greg Vanney’s side playing well, there are salary cap and on-field reasons that reduce the chances of Reus playing for the MLS originals.

LAFC’s ability to bring Reus in may be limited as well, with the club strongly linked to a move for France striker Olivier Giroud.

On Wednesday, The Athletic’s Tom Bogert reported that St. Louis City SC has held “preliminary talks” with Reus’ camp. Roman Bürki, St. Louis’ starting goalkeeper, played alongside Reus at Dortmund from 2015-22.

However, Bogert would add that St. Louis has not yet placed Reus on its discovery list (an MLS process that essentially boxes out any other club in the league from signing a player), and that clubs in Turkey and Saudi Arabia have also expressed interest.

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Messi breaks MLS record with five assists for Inter Miami…all in one half?!

Who does this? Literally no one!

Everyone knew Lionel Messi would be the best player in MLS upon arrival, but we’re now getting a look at just how extreme the situation is.

Messi produced a staggering five (5) assists in one half Saturday night, helping Inter Miami to a 6-2 demolition of the New York Red Bulls.

Luis Suárez and new addition Matías Rojas were the beneficiaries, with the Uruguayan star notching a hat trick. Rojas would strike twice, while Messi would chip in a goal for good measure, because why not?

It didn’t seem like the kind of night where this would happen. The Red Bulls actually walked off at halftime up 1-0 on a Dante Vanzeir goal, and had to be feeling alright about how things were going.

Messi had a different idea in mind.

Rojas would enter at halftime, and the Paraguayan played a major part in flipping this game on its head. Messi’s first assist would come just three minutes after play restarted, but in truth it was mostly about the thunderbolt Rojas unleashed from long range.  This time, all Messi had to do was play a square pass.

Two minutes later, the Red Bulls seemed to begin to collapse. Rojas’ pressure created a bad giveaway, and Suárez helped the ball on for Messi to finish with a first-time strike.

In alarming news for the rest of MLS, Rojas — making just his second appearance since being signed on April 23 — seemed to have an instant rapport with Messi. The duo would link up again, playing increasingly intricate one-twos until Messi defied geometry and our common understanding of space to send Rojas through for a 62nd minute goal.

Things just got worse for RBNY. Benjamin Cremaschi’s chip found Messi in behind the defense in the 69th minute, and two Red Bulls spent an eternity trying to just contain the Argentine icon.

Good news: they did avoid being beaten on the dribble. It’s just that Messi wedged a pass through a miniscule gap, finding Suárez on the doorstep to make it 4-1.

Next up? Another give-and-go sequence, this time with Messi waltzing away from the midfield in possession before combining with Suárez for a point-blank finish.

There was still more time, and with the Red Bulls seemingly unable to track Messi coming out of midfield, more goals were inevitable.

Messi seemed to consider the prospect of dribbling several people for a moment, but ultimately played a slide-rule pass that found Suárez, and the other former Barcelona great on the field evaded goalkeeper Carlos Coronel before shooting home from an acute angle.

On another night, Suárez’s hat trick and the big scoreline would have garnered all the attention. It’s just that Messi did something no one else has ever done, with his five assists and six goal involvements both setting new MLS records.

Entering the night, only 10 players in MLS had five assists on the season. For Messi, five assists in this game required just a 33-minute span, during which he also scored.

That leaves Messi atop the Golden Boot leaderboard with 10, and also way out in front on the assist chart with 12. Carlos Vela once had 49 goal involvements in a single season, setting the MLS record with 34 goals in the process.

Messi’s 22 combined goals and assists, gathered in just in eight appearances, have him on pace to get to around 61 if he plays the rest of Miami’s 22 remaining matches.

So yeah, looks like the guy can play a little.

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Bar altercation results in broken jaw for FC Cincinnati striker Boupendza

The club’s patience is reportedly growing thin with the Designated Player forward

FC Cincinnati announced on Wednesday that Aaron Boupendza would miss 6-8 weeks with a broken jaw suffered in an “off-field” incident.

There was no indication exactly what may have happened to the Designated Player striker — until the following day.

Multiple reports have stated Boupendza was injured in an altercation outside a bar in downtown Cincinnati in the early hours of Monday morning.

Police told The Cincinnati Enquirer that the Gabon international reported he was punched in the face by an unknown suspect on Monday at around 2 a.m.

The Athletic confirmed Boupendza suffered his injury in an altercation outside a bar, adding that the latest incident makes it more likely that FC Cincy will look to move the striker as soon as possible.

On Friday, The Athletic also reported that the suspect is local professional boxer Quashawn Toler.

Boupendza has had a rocky time since joining Cincinnati last summer in a $7 million transfer from Saudi club Al-Shabab.

The striker scored six goals in 14 games for FC Cincy last season, but was also suspended by the team late in the regular season after returning late from international duty.

This season, Boupendza has found himself in and out of the club’s starting lineup, scoring two goals in 10 total MLS appearances.

Boupendza is signed to a contract through 2025, with options for both 2026 and 2027.

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Orlando City goalkeeper Stajduhar arrested after nightclub fight

The 26-year-old and his wife were both arrested and charged with disorderly conduct

Orlando City goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar and his wife Tatiana were arrested over the weekend after an incident outside a nightclub, according to Orlando police.

In an affidavit obtained by ClickOrlando.com and Fox 35, police said they were called to Tier Nightclub in downtown Orlando at around 1 a.m. on Sunday due to a fight.

Police said that the nightclub manager accused the Stajduhars of  “being disrespectful and causing a scene at the front entrance of the nightclub.”

The manager said the couple appeared drunk and were yelling at the club employees at the door.

After police had arrived, bouncers removed Mason Stajduhar from the nightclub, with the Orlando City player attempting to break loose and get back inside.

The affidavit said: “While on the ground, Mason had stated that the bouncers of Tier nightclub had hit his wife which is why he had pushed past the officers and tried to reenter the club. Mason had admitted his fault in resisting the security officers and only wanted to make sure his wife was OK.”

After Stajduhar was arrested, his wife allegedly started screaming obscenities at police, pushing one officer out of the way to get to her husband.

Mason Stajduhar, 26, and Taitiana Stajduhar, 25, were both arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.

Stajduhar joined Orlando City in 2015 as a Homegrown Player. He has appeared in 12 career MLS games for the Lions, including one in 2024.

“The club is aware that goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar was arrested early Sunday morning. We are currently gathering more information and will have no further comment at this time.” Orlando City said in a statement to Fox 35.

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Herrera expresses desire to coach in MLS following Tijuana exit

Could the ex-Mexico manager finally make the move to MLS?

After announcing his departure from Club Tijuana, Miguel Herrera has said he would like to coach in MLS.

Xolos confirmed that Herrera would no longer be the team’s coach on Wednesday, ending the manager’s second stint in charge of the Liga MX club.

Herrera, 56, has coached several clubs in Liga MX and also served as Mexico’s national team coach from 2013 to 2015, leading El Tri to a last-16 berth at the 2014 World Cup.

“Piojo” has never coached outside of Mexico but in an interview with TUDN Radio, he declared his interest in moving north of the border for his next job.

“In Liga MX there are very interesting teams that I would like to coach, but it is difficult for them to change coaches,” he said. “Of course MLS is a great attraction for any Mexican or foreign coach, it is a league that is growing impressively.

“Any MLS team would be extraordinary, it is a league that is growing. Suddenly people in Mexico comment that MLS is already surpassing Liga MX.

“I have always said it, MLS is not turning to Liga MX, it is turning to Europe. It is trying to surpass the Premier League, Spain, because that is how our neighbors have a winning mentality.

“They want to build a very strong league and they are doing it. Today the cost of a franchise is impressively high. Soccer is already very strong in the United States. Of course any MLS team would be a great option [to coach].”

Herrera’s name has been mentioned in connection with a vacant job just across the border from Club Tijuana: MLS expansion side San Diego FC, which is set to begin play next season.

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Monterrey vs. Columbus Crew: How to watch Champions Cup, TV channel

Can the Crew finish the job and reach the final?

The Columbus Crew will look to finish the job in Monterrey on Wednesday night in the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal.

Columbus beat Monterrey 2-1 last week in the semifinal first leg, leaving the tie delicately balanced heading back to Estadio BBVA for leg two.

Cucho Hernández and Jacen Russell-Rowe scored for Columbus last week, but Maxi Meza bagged a crucial away goal for the visitors.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Concacaf Champions Cup FREE on Fubo” link=”https://www.fubo.tv/welcome?irad=343747&irmp=1205322&subId1=PSW&subId2=Generic&subId3=2023%2F24″]

Columbus overcame Tigres in the quarterfinal, and will now look to reach the final by getting past a second straight Liga MX power.

The winner of this tie will move onto the final, where they’ll face either Club América or Pachuca.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match.

Monterrey vs. Columbus Crew (Concacaf Champions Cup)

  • When: Wednesday, May 1
  • Where: Estadio BBVA (Monterrey)
  • Time: 10:15 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: FS1 (Watch FREE on Fubo), TUDN

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The gang takes in a Miami Heat game

The Inter Miami stars couldn’t inspire the Heat to victory in Game 4

Some of Miami’s biggest sports stars were out on Monday night, but those of the soccer-playing variety were unable to inspire the basketball-playing ones to victory.

Inter Miami stars Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba were all in the house for Game 4 of the Miami Heat’s first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics.

But the visitors would end up cruising to a 102-88 win at the Kaseya Center, taking a 3-1 edge in the best-of-seven series.

It was some measure of revenge for the Boston area, after Inter Miami took down the New England Revolution 4-1 over the weekend. Messi scored a brace in the win, taking him to nine goals in just seven MLS games this season.

The Heat made sure to highlight the presence of the ex-Barcelona stars on their social media, showing all four players arriving through the VIP entrance.

Messi donned a Canadian tuxedo for the event, while Suárez opted for the archetypical attire for any superfan: a personalized jersey.

Messi also posted on his personal account after the game, showing his three sons decked out in the same personalized jersey as Suárez — with the No. 10 instead of the No. 9 of course.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6YtQW3tz-y/?hl=en&img_index=1

The Heat will have to win Game 5 in Boston on Wednesday night to give the Inter Miami stars another chance to attend a home game this season. Should the Heat win, Game 6 would be back in Miami on Friday night.

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Man fatally stabbed outside Audi Field prior to D.C. United game

Police responded to an incident just outside the stadium an hour before kickoff

A man was fatally stabbed just outside of Audi Field prior to Saturday’s game between D.C. United and the Seattle Sounders.

Police said they responded to an incident at the 100 block of T Street SW around 6:30 p.m., an hour before kickoff.

They found a man with multiple stab wounds. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died.

Police said that a suspect was in custody.

As the game kicked off, D.C. United released a statement saying that the club was aware of the incident and because there was no ongoing threat to the public, the game would proceed on time.

“This was an isolated incident, and the Metropolitan Police Department has advised that they have the suspect in custody,” the club said.

“There is no ongoing threat to Audi Field or its guests, and the 7:30 p.m. game will kick off as scheduled,” it added.

D.C. United would win the match 2-1, as Christian Benteke scored both goals for the home side.

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Indianapolis mayor pursues MLS expansion, leaving Indy Eleven with uncertain future

Mayor Jim Hogsett is courting MLS, and Indy Eleven of the USL may end up as collateral damage

Thursday marked 11 years to the day that USL Championship club Indy Eleven unveiled its badge in a ceremony in downtown Indianapolis.

It may also go down as one of the darkest days in club history.

The Eleven got a double dose of bad news. First, the Keystone Group — a real estate development firm owned by Indy Eleven owner Ersal Ozdemir — went public with an accusation that Mayor Joe Hogsett’s administration was going to “walk away” from a $1.5 billion mixed-use project known as Eleven Park.

Just hours later, Hogsett announced that he took a trip to New York City to meet with MLS commissioner Don Garber “to discuss the prospects of Indianapolis pursuing a Major League Soccer club.”

Hogsett then declared that he would be “leading an effort to file an [MLS expansion] application,” adding that he had already taken steps towards passing the municipal hurdles involved in bringing another professional team to the city.

In other words, the Eleven and USL were left hanging, all for the mere possibility of an MLS club coming to town.

Hogsett didn’t take any questions on Thursday, but in quotes published by local radio station WIBC, he made clear that the city intends to only build one soccer stadium, and its eyes are entirely on MLS.

“We are not building two soccer stadiums. We are just going to build one,” Hogsett said. “Where that goes is largely dependent on what MLS is going to expect.”

Ground was broken on the 20-acre Eleven Park project in May 2023, with Hogsett among the Indianapolis dignitaries to thrust a ceremonial shovel into soil on the site. The entire development was set to be anchored by a 20,000-seat stadium for the Eleven.

Now, however, the mayor’s administration maintains there was no actual deal in place, despite Hogsett referring to that groundbreaking as “a pivotal moment” for the city in remarks made at the event.

Pro Soccer Wire reached out to the USL for a statement on the matter, but at the time of publication had not received a reply.

While the city of Indianapolis appears to be pushing all of its chips in on the bet of an MLS expansion bid, the league’s interest in the Indiana capital seems far more mild.

ESPN obtained a statement that read, in its entirety, “It was exciting to hear Mayor Hogsett’s vision for a new soccer-specific stadium in Indianapolis.”

“I don’t think sitting here today that we have any plan in the near future to go beyond 30 teams,” Garber told ESPN shortly after confirming a 30th MLS side for San Diego last year. Las Vegas and Phoenix have also been mooted as expansion candidates, though MLS has no stated window for when decisions on that front could be made.

MLS, USL co-existence difficult

The situation in Indianapolis calls to mind what transpired in San Diego last May, when MLS announced plans to launch a 30th team in the city despite the presence of USL Championship side San Diego Loyal.

The Loyal were defiant at first, but by August announced that it would fold over a lack of a stadium solution. San Diego FC has not begun play in MLS, but the USL Championship’s 2024 season still kicked off without the Loyal.

MLS and USL have had a difficult time existing in the same market. The only current USL Championship side playing in a city with an MLS team is Miami FC, while Loudoun United and Orange County SC play well out in the suburbs of markets that house MLS sides.

The closest thing to coexistence is in Charlotte, N.C., home to MLS’s Charlotte FC and the Charlotte Independence of USL League One. Notably, the Independence chose to self-relegate after the 2021 season, just as MLS came to Charlotte.

Indy Eleven’s situation isn’t exactly the same; San Diego was a tenant at aging, undersized Torero Stadium, while work on the Eleven Park project is underway. However, without city support, the end result could well be the same.

The USL Championship version of the Eleven wouldn’t be the only potential casualty. The club has announced plans to move its USL W League side — one that won a championship in 2023 — to the USL Super League, but only upon the completion of Eleven Park.

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Revs coach Porter: I won’t start any player in awe of Messi

The coach doesn’t have time for any starstruck players on his team

New England Revolution head coach Caleb Porter has said he won’t start any player who is too awestruck by Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi.

Inter Miami will face the Revs at Gillette Stadium on Saturday, with a crowd of more than 60,000 expected for the MLS encounter.

“The guys are excited. It’s going to be a packed stadium. I think it’s the [second] largest attended soccer match in Boston sports history,” Porter said on 98.5 The Sports Hub.

“So, if you can’t get up for that type of game, if you can’t get excited, and if you can’t perform in that game, you shouldn’t be here.”

Though Porter is expecting his players to be excited, he also warned them about being too in awe of global superstars like Messi, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suárez.

“If they are [in awe], they shouldn’t be here,” Porter said. “You could every week be in awe of somebody in our league. We’ve got a lot of big-time players in our league.

“It’s similar to asking like, are you in awe in the NBA if you’re playing against LeBron James? If you are, you shouldn’t be in the NBA. I’m trying not to start any guys that I think might be in awe.

“After each game, you look at the guy that wants to get [Messi’s] jersey first. Not sure you want to be the guy asking for his jersey.”

Porter said that while a Messi jersey is a desirable souvenir, what he wants more than anything from Saturday’s game is three points.

“Would I love to get a jersey from Messi for my son? Yeah,” Porter said. “Would I love to just win the game and not get a jersey? Yeah, that’s mostly what I would love.”

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