Portland:
Five Questions | Thorns FC's Lindsey Horan on cooking competitions, Messi and hair color | Portland Timbers
Globally, Thorns FC have the highest attendance of any women’s professional team, averaging 16,945 fans last season. Lindsey Horan says playing in front of the fans is one of the highlights of the week.
Darlington Nagbe's road to 200 MLS matches: "It means a lot" | Portland Timbers
Last Sunday, in a match against Seattle Sounders FC, Darlington Nagbe achieved a milestone that no player in any of the club’s eras ever has: 200 games played in a Portland Timbers uniform.
200 games with Portland! Good looks @jhamieci pic.twitter.com/WDSDdm7BfP
— Darlington Nagbe (@darlingtonnagbe) June 28, 2017
Gluck: Getting Hot in Portland? – Possession with Purpose PWP
Normally a headline like this could be attributed to the beginning of summer and the secret heat wave we experience in Portland, or... it could be attributed to Portland Timbers heating up for a mid-to-late season run like they did in 2015. But no, today it's about Caleb Porter and whether or not he's in the hot…
Major League Soccer:
Los Angeles FC aware of rival interest in attempt to land Wesley Sneijder - sources - ESPN FC
Los Angeles FC remains hopeful of signing Wesley Sneijder despite reported interest in his services from other clubs, sources told ESPN FC. Reports in Italy on Thursday said Sampdoria are attempting to beat the expansion MLS club to the signing of Galatasaray midfielder Sneijder and bring him back to Serie A.
FC Cincinnati shows there is no limit to what American soccer can become - SBNation.com
If you’ve followed American soccer for more than a couple of years, you’ve already heard that the men’s club game is “ready to explode” or “never going to make it” several times over. You also likely know that both of these statements are nonsense; men’s club soccer in the United States has been slowly, but very steadily growing over the last two decades.
It’s Time For the U.S. Open Cup to Get More Coverage - Stars and Stripes FC
Last night’s U.S. Open Cup tie between FC Cincinnati and the Chicago Fire was crazy intense. It had everything short of the Hand of God to make for the perfect soccer drama: the upstart, lower-tier underdogs against one of the best teams in the first division; the MLS (and Chicago Fire) rejects lining up to take the big team down, the massive crowd in the stadium, the inclusion of global star, Bastian Schweinsteiger, along with the other starters for both teams
Chris Leitch assesses Earthquakes after coaching debut: "I like this group" | MLSsoccer.com
“There were a little bit of excited moments in there,” Leitch told reporters after the Quakes’ 2-1 victory pushed them into the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals. “Less nervous, though, because this is a good group and a good staff … When you have those things, you become less nervous, for sure. First game, hadn’t seen the bright lights on the field that close for a while. So you could get a little of that good energy, I would say.”
Ashley Cole finds career rejuvenation–not a beach–in Los Angeles | SI.com
Now and then, perhaps out of habit or commitment to the cause, or maybe because they’re hoping to squeeze just a few more clicks out of their old chew toy, the English press will strain, lunge and take another swipe at Ashley Cole.
Player Passing Efficiency in MLS 2017 — American Soccer Analysis
To anyone who's watched soccer, it's obvious that all passes are not created equal. Some are routine. Some are exceptional. The usual simple statistic that divides the completed ones by the attempted ones is missing quite a lot of context. Last year, to help solve that problem, ASA debuted a passing efficiency model designed to take into account the difficulty of the pass, similar to how expected goals is developed.
United States:
Jack Warner Breaks His Silence on Garcia Report - Stars and Stripes FC
Former FIFA Executive Committee member and extradition fighting world soccer power broker Jack Warner responded to reports of his corruption in the Garcia Report. The document states that Warner received favors from the English Football Association that included finding his so called “adopted son” Richard Sebro a job with Tottenham to obtain Warner’s support for England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup.
Bruce Arena: Kellyn Acosta, Dom Dwyer on proving ground for USMNT future | MLSsoccer.com
But even before their Gold Cup adventure kicks off here on Saturday, July 8, the team will head to Hartford, Connecticut, for a tuneup match vs. Ghana on Saturday (4:45 pm ET, ESPN, UniMás,UDN). It's another opportunity for Arena to observe how the newer faces figure into the USMNT picture. They’ll all just have to get used to each other, first.
World:
Mexican fan tells wife hes getting cigarettes goes to Confederations Cup instead - ESPN FC
Football fans are amongst the most passionate fans in sports and have a reputation for doing almost anything for the club or team they love. One Mexican national team fan took that reputation to a new level this month, when he lied to his wife in order to go watch his beloved El Tri play.
Barcelona's Neymar is highest-earning athlete in world under 25 - Forbes - ESPN FC
Neymar, who is not 26 until next February, earns $37 million a year, ahead of golfer Jordan Spieth ($34.5m) and NBA duo Kyrie Irving ($29.9m) and Anthony Davis ($28.1m).
Germany vs. Mexico: Final score 4-1, Leon Goretzka fires his team into Confederations Cup final - SBNation.com
Germany have booked their place in the final of the Confederations Cup, with Joachim Löw’s side having seen off Mexico 4-1 in Sochi on Thursday. It was a comprehensive victory for the reigning world champions, who will go head-to-head with Chile for the trophy in St. Petersburg on Sunday.
Confederations Cup 2017: Leon Goretzka stole the show for Germany against Mexico - SBNation.com
Three years ago, a thigh injury cost Leon Goretzka a spot on the Germany squad that won the 2014 World Cup. Last year, another thigh injury a half-hour into the 2016 Olympics tournament robbed him of a chance to lead the team that eventually won a silver medal.
Soccer On TV
Real Salt Lake v Orlando City SC; 6:30p ESPN