Happy Wednesday folks. There was a buttload of news stories yesterday in the soccer world, so I’m just going to get right into everything:
Not sure if you knew this, but the United States has an important set of matches coming up to try and qualify for the World Cup. Ahead of the match Friday, USMNT coach Bruce Arena penned a letter to fans to get them ready for the big match.
Alex Morgan booted from Disney World | TMZ Sports
Members of the Orlando Pride and Orlando City, including Alex Morgan and Giles Barnes, went to Disney World to do the famous “Drink Around The World” bar crawl at Epcot. They apparently got in an altercation and were ejected from the place “where dreams come true.” Also, it’s reported that Alex Morgan claimed that she knew Orlando SWAT in an effort to get the cops to let her go, but they were still bounced.
The United Soccer League filed its formal application for Division 2 status with U.S. Soccer, and in their application they are not requesting any waivers to be in full compliance with U.S. Soccer D2 standards. Is this the final nail in the coffin for the NASL?
Stan Kroenke makes £525m offer to buy Alisher Usmanov’s Arsenal shares | The Guardian
Stan Kroenke, Arsenal’s largest shareholder, is now trying to complete a whole takeover of the club in attempting to buy co-owner Alisher Usmanov’s remaining shares.
Madrid: My Story | The Players’ Tribune
Cristiano Ronaldo posts an emotional article detailing his life in soccer and the inspiration he gains from his son. A must read.
Spanish report: Real Madrid readying $235m Kane bid | NBC Sports
Real Madrid is apparently trying to smash the market in trying to grab Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur. $235 million? Who does Tottenham think they have, Chelsea Clinton?!
Bartomeu: Barcelona could leave La Liga in the case of independence | Barca Blaugranes
I think I should try to get to a Clasico in the next season or two, because if Catalonia does become independent, FC Barcelona is preparing for life away from La Liga.
Premier League TV rights: Clubs set for ‘one of most important meetings’ | BBC
The Premier League is about to enter a showdown over TV money, with some of its biggest clubs seeking more of the pie from the international TV rights. How will this play out?
World Cup 2018: Vladimir Putin warns officials over preparations | BBC
Russia appears to be behind in preparations for the World Cup next summer, and Vladimir Putin is not pleased. My guess is he saw how Yekaterinburg decided to install a temporary stand of epic proportions at Nope.com/NoChanceInHellIWouldSitThere Stadium and is understandably concerned about the other stadiums.
Inside Fox Sports Coverage Plan for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia | Sports Illustrated
Fox Sports’ executive producer of FIFA 2018 World Cup coverage, David Neal, sits down with Sports Illustrated to detail their plans to show next summer’s tournament. Included in that: Fox plans to send 450 people to Russia for the World Cup, their largest production ever. Let’s hope they’re ready.
Alright, that’s it for now, but I definitely missed a bunch of other notable stories. Hit the comments to discuss them!