Major Link Soccer: A lot of top 10 lists close out the year

Sounders

The end of the year means it is time for end of the year reviews. Soundersfc.com outdoes that notion and has a tidy five-year review up on their site.

MLS

Jeld-Wen Field is called a lot of things, but spacious isn't generally one of them. Merritt Paulson said the field is expanding one yard in width for next season.

The news has been coming down the pipeline for a while, but it looks like the Timbers finally signed Argentinian striker Gaston Fernandez.

Waking the Red counts down the New Year with the top 10 best stories to come out of the Toronto FC camp in 2013.

Building a new stadium is never easily, especially when you are going up against the behemoth of the New York Yankees franchise.

Here is a concise summary on the expansion of the MLS in 2013.

US Soccer

Noted soccer entusiast website Soccer By Ives has a whole host of breakdowns in the spirit of ending the year. First up is the top 10 goals scored by the USWNT in 2013. Clint Dempsey landed at No. 2 for the top five performances in a USMNT game this year. Dempsey got even more love when he was voted alongside Eddie Johnson as one of the top five goals scored by the USMNT this year.

Ives Galarcep broke down his favorite five and his most hated five transfers of Americans abroad in 2013 over at Goal.com.

England

Nicolas Anelka placed himself in a lot of hot water over a recent goal celebration when he performed a "quenelle". Graham MacAree of SB Nation has one of the better breakdowns of why it is such a big deal.

A lot of people will be waking up for the Manchester United and Tottenham game, so just be aware you might not see Wayne Rooney or Robin van Persie on the pitch.

Despite losing 49.4 million pounds in the last financial year, Chelsea still remained within new European Financial Fair Play rules and within UEFA guidelines. The club blamed the inability to advance past the group stage of the 2012-13 Champions League as a big reason for the financial drop.

European Transfer Rumors

West Ham appears interested in Inter Milan striker Ishak Belfodil. Belfodil has requested a move in order to prepare for World Cup festivities.

Brek Shea might be on his way from Stoke City to Barnsley for a short term deal. Jurgen Klinsmann wants Shea in top performance for the summer, even if it means going from 12th place in the Premier League to the cellar of the Championship League.

2014 World Cup

ESPN released a promo video for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and it is every bit as awesome as it deserves to be. If you haven't watched it yet either your internet has been broken for the past 24 hours or you abhor the idea of the best tournament in the world.