Major Links Soccer: Union setting themselves up to land Maurice Edu

2014 MLS SuperDraft

The draft is just a couple of days away and the Sounders sit with the 13th overall pick. There is a lot that can happen on the draft board leading up to that pick, so SoundersFC.com polled some of the smarter soccer minds on the internet to see who they think the Sounders will target.

Sounders

It is a well known fact that CenturyLink Field is a rather loud place to be when packed to the brim. It'll be that way for the Seahawks this weekend, but since the Sounders share the field as well this piece by Geekwire on why it gets so loud is still pertinent.

Philly.com has an rather long and interesting interview with Mike Gastineau talking about all things Sounders and soccer in Seattle.

Joshua Mayers has the Sounders' offseason roster tracker completely updated in case you have missed a day of news.

MLS

The San Jose Earthquakes won Billy Schuler in a weighted lottery on Tuesday, beating out Real Salt Lake for the 23-year-old striker. San Jose and Salt Lake were the only two teams to try for the services of Schuler, who has spent the past two years with Swedish club Hammarby.

The Philadelphia Union traded Jeff Parke and the No. 6 ranking in the MLS allocation order to D.C. United for Ethan White and the top allocation ranking. White has spend all three seasons with D.C. United after signing as a Homegrown Player in 2010. He has tallied over 3,000 mintes and started in 34 of 38 games. Now that the Union have the top allocation ranking in the MLS, it seems all but certain that Maurice Edu will land with the Philadelphia Union, barring any changes of heart on either side of the negotiations.

Toronto FC made the biggest splash of the offseason with the signings of Jermaine Defoe and Michael Bradley. It was almost too big of a splash in fact, because MLS rules allow only three Designated Players per roster, and Toronto happily sits with four. Midfielder Matias Laba has been seen as the odd man out, but head coach Ryan Nelson said the team would, "try and move hell and high watery to try and keep the man." No matter how it plays out, the supporters in Toronto are having a party.

Are you sick of hearing about Toronto FC? Then probably you shouldn't click this link sending you to Esquire and an article about how Michael Bradley continues the trend of MLS becoming a world player. If you are sick of hearing about, you should still click on it anyway.

The Columbus Crew snagged Hector Jiminez and the LA Galaxy's14th overall 2014 SuperDraft pick for their 2014 23rd overall pick and allocation money. Jiminez had career highs last season with three goals and four assists. Following the trade, the Crew have just two draft picks in the 2014 draft -- the 14th and the 42nd overall.

Former Mexican National Team forward Adolfo "Bofo" Bautista is heading to Chivas USA pending the arrival of his International Transfer Certificate. Bofo has 38 caps and 11 goals and participated in the 2010 World Cup.

The Chicago Fire's youth revolution continued after the club announced the re-signings of foward Kellen Gulley and winger Yazid Atouba. The 19-year-old Gulley was signed as a Homegrown Player in August of 2011, but still hasn't cracked the first team with the Fire. The 21-year-old Atouba was drafted in the 2013 SuperDraft, but made only three starts early in the season for the Fire. Speaking of the Fire, they take part in the Alkass International Cup and will face off against Manchester City on Wednesday. Here is the full list of mostly better teams than the Fire taking part.

The Colorado Rapids announced that they wouldn't be looking at coaching candidates until next week. The draft is this week, and that means in a nutshell the Rapids are going into the MLS SuperDraft sans the important position of head coach.

EPL

Everton midfielder Ross Barkley was diagnosed with a broken toe and is expected out for up to a month and a half, the BBC reported on Tuesday. Barkley has a small fracture and will definitely miss the match against Liverpool.

Stoke City signed Stephen Ireland for the rest of the season after he was initially on loan from Manchester City. Ireland has played in 16 games for Stoke and has three goals.

Aston Villa signed striker Grant Holt for the remainder of the season. The 32-year-old was on loan from Wigan. Holt struggled in his short time at Wigan. He scored just two goals in 21 apperances with the team.

In one of the more odd stories of the day, Hull City owner Assem Allam appealed to the English Football Association to change the name of the club. Understandably, the club's name and its 100-plus year old history are treasured by the fan base who oppose the name change. On Tuesday, Allam threatened to walk away from ownership of the club if the name change was rejected.

Nemanja Matic is in line to return to Chelsea, as reports that Chelsea will pay approximately 25 million for his services. Matic left Chelsea in 2011 in a deal with brought David Luiz from Benefica to Chelsea.

Sergio Aguero is scheduled to return to Manchester City on Wednesday just in time for the squad's match against Blackburn. Aguero injured his calf in a win over Arsenal in the middle of December.

Serie A

The AC Milan managerial search didn't last very long after the team announced former midfielder Clarence Seedork would take over. Seedorf played for Milan from 2002 to 2012, helping the team win two Serie A and two Champions League titles. He is also the first player to win the Champions League with three different clubs.

2022 World Cup

Once again, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said the tournament would be held in the winter to avoid the overwhelming summer heat of Qatar. Considering the backlash coming from the Australian Open being played in 108 degree heat, this seems like a good idea. FIFA is currently collecting data and consultations and won't make a decision until 2015, which means we have a full year to listen to every single person give their advice on the issue.