Portland:
Darlington Nagbe reflects on winning CONCACAF Gold Cup with U.S. National Team | OregonLive.com
Portland Timbers midfielder Darlington Nagbe talks about the experience of competing in the CONCACAF Gold Cup and winning his first medal with the U.S. National Team.
Major League Soccer:
Inside VAR camp: Behind the scenes at Video Review training for referees | MLSsoccer.com
Video Review launches in Major League Soccer beginning in Week 22 on Saturday, August 5. Will Parchman spent three days embedded with MLS referees during their most recent Video Assistant Referee training camp organized by the Professional Referee Organization (PRO) in Utah.
David Beckham moves closer to finalizing Miami expansion club | MLSsoccer.com
Commissioner Don Garber told reporters before Wednesday night’s 2017 MLS All-Star Game that he expects David Beckham’s long quest to bring a team to South Florida to be finalized “perhaps by the end of the summer."
Federico Higuain says 2017 season will be his last with Crew SC | MLSsoccer.com
One of Columbus Crew SC's most familiar faces may not be long for the Black and Gold. In comments Thursday to the Columbus Dispatch, veteran playmaker Federico Higuain said that the 2017 season – his sixth in Columbus – would be his last.
2017 MLS All-Star Game vs. Real Madrid sets new TV viewership record | MLSsoccer.com
Wednesday night's 2017 MLS All-Star Game, which featured a dramatic finish vs. European champions Real Madrid in front of a sellout crowd in Chicago, will go down as one of the biggest soccer events in league history.
Armchair Analyst: Sacha in elite company, TFC aim for history & more | MLSsoccer.com
I'm not comfortable calling the upcoming, final third of the schedule "the stretch run." Most teams have either 12 or 13 games left, though a few have 11 and a few have 14. It's not quite "the stretch run" yet.
United States:
Two teams file lawsuit over lack of promotion/relegation in United States | Goal.com
Kingston Stockade FC of the National Premier Soccer League and Miami FC of the North American Soccer League have filed a claim with the Court of Arbitration for Sport to require the U.S. Soccer Federation to adopt promotion and relegation in the United States.
USA looks much better in 3-0 defeat of Japan - Stars and Stripes FC
It wasn’t a great Tournament of Nations for the United States up until this game. A 1-0 loss to Australia started things off (although looking at what Australia did to Brazil and Japan, a 1-0 loss in the proper perspective starts to seem not as bad) and a mad scramble to come back 4-3 against Brazil, a team that Australia promptly demolished 6-1.
USL set to expand regular season in 2018 | SBI Soccer
On Wednesday, the USL Board of Governors approved the decision to upsize the league’s regular season games from 30 to 34 and to extend the season to 31 weeks. With the season expansion and the addition of three new clubs set to join next season, the USL is projected to exceed 500 games played within the regular season alone, a league record.
Americans Abroad Weekend Preview: Christian Pulisic, Matt Miazga and more | SBI Soccer
Big time European soccer returns over the weekend as two young U.S. Men’s National Team stars look to seal an early season trophy. Christian Pulisic leads the way as Borussia Dortmund faces off with Bayern Munich in the German Super Cup. Matt Miazga also faces a Super Cup match in the Netherlands as Vitesse takes on Feyenoord after the former claimed the club’s first ever trophy in their last campaign.
Miami FC v FC Cincinnati: A pivotal moment for the US Open Cup - Howler Magazine
In a sense, it would’ve been more strange if the joint-second division clash between the NASL’s Miami FC and the USL’s FC Cincinnati had actually taken place as scheduled.
World:
Cristiano Ronaldo's heartfelt thank-you letter to PSG - Howler Magazine
Neymar’s move to PSG has particularly delighted one man who felt the need to express his gratitude
Monaco hand Kylian Mbappe No. 10 shirt amid Real Madrid Barcelona links - ESPN FC
Kylian Mbappe has been handed Monaco's No. 10 shirt vacated by Bernardo Silva this summer as the French champions begin their Ligue 1 title defence amid transfer speculation over their starlet forward.
In Neymar, PSG Are Buying a New Generation of Fans – The Ringer
Neymar said goodbye to his Barcelona teammates Wednesday, and is all but certain to play his soccer at Paris Saint-Germain in France’s Ligue 1.
The Transfer of the Century: Neymar, PSG, Commercial Value, And Post-Messi/CR7 Football.
The transfer of the century is upon us and it has led to shock, reflection, insults, and the overall controversy you’d expect from world football moving into uncharted territory. As it happened, on Thursday morning, La Liga tried to block Neymar’s counsel and lawyers from triggering the €222 million release-clause at the league headquarters.