Here are the top 15 stories everyone's talking about this morning:
1. UP FOR THE CUP
MLS Cup 2015 is set for Sunday (4 pm ET; ESPN and UniMás in the USA; TSN and RDS2 in Canada) as Columbus Crew SC get set to host the Portland Timbers at MAPFRE Stadium. Catch the livestream of the MLS Cup team press conferences today beginning at 3:30 pm ET. And at some point you should check out ExtraTime Radio for your comprehensive preview as well as this cheat sheet for the big game. Plus, don't miss the Armchair Analyst's three things to watch out for.
2. WHO MAKES CREW SC TICK?
Federico Higuain may have taken less of the spotlight this year thanks to Kei Kamara’s remarkable season with Crew SC, but the Argentine is still the man linking everything together for the Eastern Conference winners. Further back down the field, Gaston Sauro has had a huge impact on the defense, as has left back Waylon Francis.
3. IS RIDGEWELL READY TO GO?
The Timbers Army are ready for Sunday’s final, but is captain Liam Ridgewell? The defender is still listed as questionable ahead of the big game, but he expects to be fit to play in the match, a contest in which Timbers head coach Caleb Porter will come up against one of his former protégées in Wil Trapp.
4. THE STATE OF THE LEAGUE
MLS Commissioner Don Garber was busy answering plenty of questions on Thursday, addressing a number of hot topics, firstly in his end-of-year "State of the League" address and then secondly in his live Facebook video Q&A, which you can watch again right here.
5. DALLAS RE-SIGN YOUTH GEM
While Columbus and Portland prep for the final, several other teams are busy getting ready for the 2016 season:FC Dallas have announced their end-of-year contract moves, which saw five players declined but seven more exercised, with technical director Fernando Clavijo explaining the moves. The club also re-signed Kellyn Acosta, with the Homegrown player delighted to continue playing for Dallas.
6. RAPIDS ROSTER SET FOR NEW LOOK
The Colorado Rapids also announced their roster moves, with the team from Denver exercising their options on eight players but declining them on a further 10, including club captain Drew Moor.
7. SILVA HEADING TO MEXICO?
It looks like out-of-contract MLS striker Luis Silva is heading to Mexico to join Tigres. RSL may be bringing in a new face, though, with reports the club is in negotiations to sign US U-17 boss Richie Williams as a new assistant coach.
8. FIRED UP FOR THE TASK AHEAD
New Chicago Fire head coach Veljko Paunovic was introduced to the media on Thursday morning. The Serbian is tasked with turning around the ailing team’s fortunes, and both he and general manager Nelson Rodriguez understand the size of the job ahead of them.
9. RAISING CONCUSSION AWARENESS
US Soccer has launched a new health and safety program called "Recognize to Recover," designed to help reduce injuries in players of all ages throughout the game by raising awareness of the various injuries related to soccer, and how those associated with the game can spot them quickly.
10. CANADA HEADING BACK TO BC PLACE
Following the success they enjoyed against Honduras at BC Place, the Canadian men's national team will be returning to the Vancouver Whitecaps’ stadium for their World Cup qualifier against Mexico on March 25.
11. CONCACAF TRIO ALL MAKE GAINS
The latest FIFA World Rankings are out and there were gains for the US, Canada and Mexico with El Tri occupying the highest spot of the three nations.
12. FIFA FURORE CONTINUES
Of course, the FIFA rankings didn't get much attention what with the other news coming out of FIFA, including the latest arrests in Zurich and the latest indictments from US Attorney General Loretta Lynch. FIFA’s own reform presentation was sandwiched in-between, during which acting FIFA president Issa Hayatou appeared to doze off.
13. SACRAMENTO REPUBLIC UPDATE
Based on news that has emerged this week, it looks like Sacramento Republic FC are still very much in the mix for a future expansion place in MLS. Meanwhile, the USL side will get another taste of the MLS experience when they host the Colorado Rapids during the preseason.
14. THE BEST OF THE BEST
The votes are in and we have our winners, with MLS fans electing Krisztian Nemeth’s mazy run through the Portland Timbers as AT&T Goal of the Year. While that strike may have beaten Portland goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey, the Ghanaian international goalkeeper also scooped up Save of the Year honors for a stunning top-corner stop.
15. WHAT’S IN STORE FOR SUNDAY?
Portland Timbers fans are well known for their tifo displays, and while they’re not willing to reveal their plans for Sunday’s MLS Cup final, they’re more than happy to explain why they do what they do.
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