Should Messi be playing in extreme cold weather?
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San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
DeAndre Yedlin traded to Real Salt Lake by FC Cincinnati
Cincinnati received $304,700 in general allocation money in the deal announced on Thursday. The 32-year-old defender is a three-time Major League Soccer All-Star. He came to Cincinnati in March 2024 in a trade with Inter Miami and played in 67 games across all competitions, with a goal and eight assists. Yedlin's career started with the Seattle Sounders in 2013 before he went to Europe, spending time with Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland, Newcastle and Galatasaray in Turkey. He returned to the United States to play for Miami in 2022. 'Beyond his skill on the field, his leadership and professionalism will strengthen our locker room and help set the tone," RSL chief soccer officer Kurt Schmid said in a statement. "We believe DeAndre's impact will be felt immediately, and we're excited about the role he will play in driving our success now and into the future.' Yedlin thanked Cincinnati fans in a social media post. 'On the pitch I've been pushed and inspired in ways that made me better. Off the pitch I've built friendships and connections that'll last way past football. For that I'm grateful,' he wrote. 'It's never easy to say goodbye but that's the game. What I'll carry with me are the memories, the support, and the feeling of being part of something bigger.' ___
Fox Sports
2 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Leagues Cup Semifinals: Messi Back for All-MLS Final Four?
Leagues Cup Leagues Cup Semifinals: Messi Back for All-MLS Final Four? Updated Aug. 21, 2025 5:52 p.m. ET share facebook x reddit link For the third year running, the Leagues Cup final will be an all-MLS affair. Will it also once again feature Lionel Messi? Despite a revamped format that was supposed to benefit Liga MX entrants, American teams dominated their counterparts from south of the border in Wednesday's quarterfinals, creating a Final Four featuring all MLS teams. Messi, who led Inter Miami to the title of the 2023 edition, sat out Wednesday's game against Mexican titans Tigres with an injury, but his former Barcelona running buddy Luis Suárez stepped up by scoring both goals in the GOAT's absence in the 2-1 win. Both Orlando City and the Seattle Sounders needed penalties to book their semifinals spot. Orlando – the sole MLS squad not to host their quarterfinal — outlasted Toluca, winners of Mexico's 2025 Clausura title in May. After a scoreless 90 minutes in Carson, California, longtime Peru national team goalkeeper Pedro Gallese was Orlando's hero in the shootout, stopping two Toluca spot-kicks and then scoring the clinching goal from 12 yards. ADVERTISEMENT Seattle survived against Puebla on PKs despite playing the final quarter-hour with 10 men after winger Danny Musovski was shown a straight red card for bumping Costa Rican referee Juan Gabriel Calderon while protesting a caution. Finally, the defending MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy topped Pachuca 2-1 in Wednesday's nightcap at Dignity Heath Sports Park, with former Germany international Marco Reus scoring one goal and setting up the other for the hosts, who have now won more games — four — in this Leagues Cup than they have during the first nine months of the 2025 regular season. They're now two more victories away from another trophy. Semifinals Inter Miami vs. Orlando City Sunshine State bragging rights will be on the line when the Herons host Óscar Pareja's side. Orlando, the 16th and lowest seed heading into the tournament's knockout stage, has already exceeded expectations by getting to this stage. All the pressure will be on Miami, who Messi led to the 2023 Leagues Cup crown before even making his MLS regular season debut. Adding to the intrigue, the Lions have taken both competitive meetings so far in 2025, outscoring Miami 7-1 in those games — including a 4-1 drubbing in MLS action on Aug. 10. Miami's power trio – Rodrigo De Paul, Lionel Messi, and Luis Suarez – are aiming for a trip to the final. (Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) For Miami, the obvious question is whether Messi will be able to suit up next week. The 38-year-old Argentina captain initially strained a muscle in his right leg in Inter's second first-round encounter, missing Miami's next two outings. He returned in typically spectacular fashion last weekend, but was then a surprising late scratch from coach Javier Mascherano's lineup versus Tigres. Having Messi available would be a huge boost for Mascherano & Co., even if it means holding the World Cup-winner out of Saturday's regular season match at D.C. United. LA Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders With three wins and just 16 points from their first 26 league games, the Galaxy own the worst record in the 30-team MLS. But the champs have been a different group in the Leagues Cup, and that run continued on Wednesday. Pachuca marked the fourth-straight Liga MX opponent that Greg Vanney's squad has vanquished, joining Tijuana, Cruz Azul and Santos Laguna. Three of those wins were in regulation, with the Galaxy out-scoring those four foes 9-4 on aggregate. Marco Reus and the LA Galaxy can make up for an abysmal year by aiming to win the Leagues Cup. (Photo by Liza Rosales/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images) Will they be able to fare as well against a challenger from their own league? The Sounders and Galaxy have faced off just once in 2025, and the outcome wasn't pretty for the Angelenos as Seattle routed the hosts 4-0 in Carson earlier this month. One silver lining for LA is that Musovski, who scored twice for the visitors that day, is suspended for the rematch. Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports who has covered United States men's and women's national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him @ ByDougMcIntyre . What did you think of this story? share
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
MLS dominates Liga MX in Leagues Cup, but does it really prove which league is stronger?
This year was supposed to be different. The Leagues Cup format was modified before this summer's tournament, guaranteeing all four quarterfinals would pit teams from Liga MX against teams from Major League Soccer. That is, of course, the essence of the tournament, started in 2019 but fully implemented in 2023. Despite the changes, the results are the same: MLS teams have dominated, winning all four quarterfinals Wednesday night and setting up a final four that will feature familiar matchups — the Clásico del Sol match between Inter Miami and Orlando City in one semifinal and the Seattle Sounders against the LA Galaxy. Both teams already played league games against each other earlier this month. The prize at the end of the competition are places in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the regional club championship, to the top three finishers. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] Yet, it is Mexican clubs' performance in that tournament that shows the "gap" between leagues may not be closing as fast as MLS' boosters hope. MLS teams regularly struggle to get past Liga MX sides in CCC play, which takes place in two-legged ties that sees each team host one game, with the winner on aggregate score advancing. The Seattle Sounders are into the semifinals after a shootout win Wednesday night against Puebla and a sterling Phase One in which they beat all three Liga MX teams they faced. That included a 7-0 romp over Cruz Azul. The teams had met earlier this year in the CCC, with the Sounders fighting to a scoreless draw at home before falling 4-1 to the eventual champion of the competition. That illustrates the difference between what has happened the last three years in Leagues Cup and what has happened over the last two decades in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. MLS teams are beginning to compete more regularly — the Sounders' title win in 2022 remains the only non-Mexican team win in the modern era but an MLS team has made it to each of the last two finals. Yet, MLS teams still struggle in Mexico, facing not only high-quality teams but doing it in intimidating atmospheres — and often coping with the high altitude of Toluca, Mexico City or Pachuca. Toluca manager Antonio Mohamed just guided his team to the Liga MX title and won the Campeon de Campeones match, played against the other winner of the short tournament in Liga MX's system that sees a 17-week season contested every six months. But with Leagues Cup taking place entirely outside of Mexico, Mohamed feels the great equalizer would be to make MLS teams hit the road. 'If we played there, we'd have a more clear parameter in the sense that each team is at home, eating, not having to come here for 10-15 days to play three matches. It's no coincidence that the four MLS teams that were always at home went through comfortably,' Mohamed said after his team's shootout defeat to Orlando City. 'They're at home, we're going from one hotel to another, traveling. 'I think it makes a big difference. The other difference is that MLS does have great players, great teams and has balanced a ton. Since everything is so equal, the conditions for everyone have to be equal as well.' Leagues Cup organizers have taken strides to make things more comfortable for traveling Mexican clubs. Mohamed's own team benefited from "hosting" at a neutral site, playing Orlando in Southern California rather than in Florida. Teams that perform well in previous campaigns are rewarded with the chance to select hub sites where they have a strong fan base and play matches in those areas rather than crisscrossing the U.S. The tournament also has been shaved down when it comes to the number of consecutive days it takes place. Teams like Toluca previously had to spend a full month away from home in the U.S. but this year participated in a week-long Phase One, then returned to Mexico and played Liga MX matches before Wednesday's quarterfinals. It isn't just about site and the comforts of home. MLS teams long have complained about the timing of some CCC matches. With a season that starts in early spring, MLS teams often play their first CCC match before opening league play, while Mexican clubs are already settled and in rhythm. While Liga MX's Apertura season had started before Leagues Cup kicked off, it was only three weeks old and, with the transfer window still open, teams are still in flux. Some Mexican teams welcome the challenge and entered this year's Leagues Cup with hopes of being the first Liga MX team to finish in the top three — and secure the CCC place that comes with a podium finish. 'We know what the rules are. We know we'll always be visitors. It's no excuse. We know we've got less rest, have traveled more kilometers than them, that's how the tournament is,' Pachuca manager Jaime Lozano said after his team's 2-1 loss to the LA Galaxy. 'I think we've got to compete against that. I see it as an opportunity to compete internationally, to measure ourselves against other systems, another soccer culture.' Leagues Cup is a fun tournament, made to feel even more madcap by its rejection of ties. Matches level after 90 minutes go directly to a penalty shootout. Yet, even as fans look for a larger sample size as they debate which league is the strongest in North America, it cannot be the only barometer. MLS and its teams are the undisputed kings of Leagues Cup. Liga MX and its clubs are the undisputed kings of the CCC. Both will be eager to change that and try to exert true regional domination. Until then, fans will be able to relish the moments when their preferred team or league is on top, and to enjoy the continued showdowns the rival leagues are sure to continue to contest.
