Yesterday was very busy in the world of MLS news. Even if you removed the second half of the SuperDraft (which, judging from the number of teams that passed, might be a thing that literally happens soon), it was a very busy Tuesday. Let's gorge on links:
Forecasts converging on severe, potentially historic Friday-Saturday snowstorm | Capital Weather Gang
I have enjoyed many snowstorms in my life, but in recent years I have been living in a small neighborhood that doesn't get plowed out for days and, because of exposed power lines and tall trees, is prone to power outages. So yeah, really looking forward to this.
You know who else probably isn't looking forward to it? D.C. United! Players are scheduled to report Friday morning for physicals and whatnot before a Saturday departure to Florida. That might not be possible, and United's preseason is already going to be short due to the CCL, so it's not like they can just delay the whole thing. They might run into problems legally if they want to move it up, as the CBA dictates when teams can require players to report. I have no idea what they'll do if this snow storm turns out to be a really big one.
D.C. United selects Ohio State defender in MLS draft | Washington Post
Steve Goff bundled some other news in with his story on United's fourth round pick. New trialist (former academy player and Maryland midfielder Paul Torres), newly scheduled friendlies, and local college players that were selected yesterday are all covered here.
Nick DeLeon's father says son "wants to come and play" for Trinidad & Tobago | Black and Red United
In case you spent your afternoon working or doing something other than staring at a screen, you might have missed some of our posts yesterday afternoon.
Updated D.C. United Stadium Renderings Released | Black and Red United
I thought DCU twitter showed some restraint here overall, while MLS twitter as a whole reacted to these renderings as if each of them had seen United kick their dog. It was really fun to hear from fans of teams who have a stadium, and who haven't had to wonder over a period of years whether their team was going to leave town. Really. So fun.
Sarcasm aside, I think the renderings are fine. It is not a palatial stadium, but then it was never going to be at this price point. I am grateful that it will exist and isn't obviously bad. This is my flamethrower stadium take.
Jordan Morris turns down Werder Bremen | Sounder at Heart
The big news came out of Germany, where Werder Bremen - very shortly after crowing about how they thought Jordan Morris was as good as signed - admitted that he's going to play in the US instead.
Jordan Morris (probably) made the right decision by choosing Seattle | Top Drawer Soccer
Will Parchman with more on whether Morris made the right call. Of note: Werder Bremen's passing accuracy right now is worse than any MLS club from 2015.
Jordan Morris's future in fine shape despite passing on Werder Bremen | SI.com
A very sensible take on the Morris news from Brian Straus.
Report: Peru National Team Eyeing Andrew Farrell | The Bent Musket
This is pretty interesting. Andrew Farrell grew up in Peru, and La Blanquirroja are trying to bring him in to help their national team in CONMEBOL.
More European Clubs Reportedly Chasing Fanendo Adi | Stumptown Footy
Pretty much all of Europe is trying to sign Fanendo Adi, along with at least one Chinese club.
Hostility to hope | UC Magazine
This is from a little while back, but I just found it yesterday. It's the amazing story of John Manga, who was picked by the Colorado Rapids in the 4th round of the SuperDraft, and how he ended up in the US.
Report: Red Bulls, NYCFC target striker Marco Borriello | Empire of Soccer
These reports, unfortunately, are from the Italian press. How can you tell they're from the Italian press? Because they don't make any sense. LA, NYCFC, and NYRB are obviously not going to be interested in a 33 year old DP striker. The Montreal rumor might actually have legs, but in this case it's far more likely that the reporter just said "hey, who's that one team that signs Italian players a lot?"
Alajeulense confirm transfer of Matarrita to NYCFC | Empire of Soccer
Here's a far more reputable rumor being confirmed. You might remember Matarrita as one of the main reasons Alajuelense tormented United in the first leg of last year's CONCACAF Champions League.
Report: Chicago Fire sign Portuguese center back Joao Meira | MLSsoccer.com
The Fire keep looking at defenders. They will probably keep doing so until the season starts. We'll see if any of their signings are any good.
Reports indicate Emil Larsen to sign with Crew SC | Massive Report
Columbus went to Scandinavia last offseason for a winger, but Kristinn Steindorsson didn't really work out. Back on the horse!
Bruce Arena: MLS expansion shouldn't come at expense of developing players | ESPNFC
Bruce Arena talked to Jeff Carlisle on the state of MLS. I agree with what he's saying here, but it's an odd time for a man involved with Ashley Cole's pointless arrival in MLS to be saying what he's saying about focusing on player development.
15 links should probably do it, right? I hope so. Let's talk about them, and our plans for the snowstorm. My move is going to be to drink beer and booze, and probably make tomato soup and grilled cheese a bunch of times.