Breakfast Links - November 18, 2022

Nov 18, 2022 - 2:20 PM

The weekend is finally here!!! Not only is a week of work is done, this is the weekend we have all been waiting for. the World Cup is here! Let’s catch up before the weekend action begins!

Houston

On Thursday, the MLS Re-Entry Draft began with Stage 1. The Houston Dynamo had the 4th pick but opted to pass on this stage. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they missed an opportunity to sign someone in this draft. The remaining players will be available for Stage 2 where the Dynamo can have select a player and have the rights of player and negotiate on their terms. Stage 2 will be held on Tuesday, November 22nd.

Just a shameless plug here, don’t forget that we will have a watch party in Midtown for the USA vs Wales game! Check out our article for more information about it! We hope you all can make it out there!

MLS/USMNT

The Philadelphia Union officially announced the sale of Paxton Aaronson, brother of USMNT/Leeds United player Brandon Aarsonson. He was sold for a multimillion dollar fee to Eintracht Frankfurt in the German Bundesliga. Paxton becomes the 4th homegrown player in Philly to be sold to European team. Great to see how the youth here is attracting to the global market.

Another MLS player is on their way to Qatar to take place in the World Cup. Atlanta United’s Thiago Almada has been called in as an injury replacement for Argentina. The 21 year-old earned his first cap for Argentina in September.

As mentioned before, the MLS Re-Entry Draft started, and only 3 players were picked. Austin FC traded up to the first pick and took midfielder Sofiane Djeffal from D.C. United, who could be a bright prospect in the future. Toronto FC took goalkeeper Tomas Romero from LAFC and Vancouver took Montreal defender Karifa Yao. There are still a lot of players available for selection om the next stage, so we will keep our eyes on it.

Around the World/World Cup

Now the part we have been looking forward to, the World Cup! The inaugural match will be this Sunday, November 20th, at 10 AM with the host nation Qatar taking on Ecuador. It feels like the first match always sets the mood for how the rest of the tournament will go, so hopefully it’s a good one worth waiting for!

There has been more injury news before the World Cup. Senegal forward Sadio Mane will miss the tournament due to his most recent injury. Argentina’s Nico Gonzalez will miss the World Cup as well. He suffered a muscle injury in training and Argentina will replace him with Angel Correa. Also on Thursday, Argentina suffered another injury with Joaquin Correa. he will be replaced by MLS wonder-kid Thiago Almada. This is huge news for Major League Soccer and their footprint on the big stage.

This will be a weekend to remember! Enjoy the weekend and see you back on Monday!