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Seattle
Diego Pinzón of FutbolMLS.com wrote on MLSsoccer.com that Fredy Montero is the most intelligent Colombian player in the past decade, going on to argue in favor of Colombia's national team giving Montero a chance to earn a spot on the World Cup roster.
A few college soccer teams in Washington received commitments from recruits recently. Colorado Rapids Academy defender Quentin Pearson, who is ranked 14th on the IMG Academy 150, committed to Washington. Pearson is in the class of 2015. From the class of 2014, Boise Nationals midfielder Peyton Harris committed to Seattle Pacific and Portland Timbers Academy defender Ben White committed to Gonzaga.
With the Sounders holding the top spot in the allocation order and today's deadline for making a decision on Marco Pappa, Hot Time in Old Town looks at what Chicago would have to give up to bring back its former player. With that in mind, Chicago Fire head coach Frank Yallop claimed that although he is interested in Pappa, Seattle's asking price is too high.
The 2014 USL Pro schedule was released yesterday, and the Sounders Reserves will play two matches against USL Pro sides: May 18 vs. LA Blues and June 1 vs. LA Galaxy II, with both matches taking place at Starfire.
Sports on Earth has a nice feature on the emergence of Seattle Reign and USWNT striker Sydney Leroux as a star.
If you live somewhere in 253, AO Tacoma is holding its inaugural viewing event for the USMNT friendly on Saturday at Doyle's Public House in Tacoma at 2:00 PM.
MLS
The San Jose Earthquakes unveiled its new kits for this season in a press conference yesterday, including a retro red kit. The team also revealed a new logo at the press conference.
Miami-Dade County mayor Carlos Giminez confirmed on Wednesday that a press conference for David Beckham's MLS ownership group will be held next Wednesday.
The LA Galaxy announced its signing of Swedish midfielder Stefan Ishizaki from Allsvenskan side Elfsborg.
Philadelphia Union assistant coach Brandon Burke has left the team's coaching staff to seek coaching opportunities elsewhere. Burke was also the head coach at Reading United when Sounders draft picks Damion Lowe, Jimmy Ockford and trialist John McCarthy played there last year.
Chivas USA will be counting on former Sounder Mauro Rosales to provide the spark necessary to turn things around in 2014.
Former Sounder Marc Burch has retained his allegiance to the Seahawks, despite moving to the Rapids during the offseason. His new teammates are attempting to turn him into a Broncos fan ahead of the Super Bowl.
After spending the past two seasons on loan to Colorado from Argentina's Rosario Central, Martin Rivero will not return to the Rapids in 2014, as the team declined its purchase option.
US Soccer
Jermaine Jones is heading to Turkey to join Besiktas on loan. The loan will last 6 months and comes with a $1.2 million purchase option.
Freddy Adu is currently training with Championship side Blackpool, though it's unclear if he's official on trial there or if he's merely attempting to maintain his fitness as he attempts to find a club.
The USMNT may play its last friendly before the World Cup at Red Bull Arena at the end of May or the beginning of June.
Former USMNT goalkeeper Tony Meola is no longer being considered for the position of head coach at Jacksonville's expansion NASL club.
Landon Donovan will be one of the biggest keys to the success of the USMNT at the World Cup this summer, but there's no telling exactly which role he will play on the pitch in Brazil, and he's fine with that. Donovan also reflected on the strides that have been made in terms of youth development in the US and sees that as one of the more important factors in the growth of the game in the US.
Europe
As the January transfer window closes in England, the Guardian published an article asking why scientists aren't as well-paid or allowed to move around the globe as freely as pro athletes. That was soon followed by an article noting the similarities between soccer and science.
In their Copa del Rey match against Real Sociedad yesterday, Racing Santander players staged an on-pitch strike over a wage dispute with the club, causing the match to be abandoned.
In Copa del Rey matches that did take place, Atlético Madrid and Barcelona secured their spots in the semifinal round.
Dani Osvaldo has been loaned to Juventus from Southampton. As Osvaldo was sold by Roma to Southampton last summer and the club is now in a Serie A title race with Juventus, Roma can't be pleased with this news.
Clubs in England's Football Conference voted against allowing artificial turf pitches in its 3 divisions. The final vote was 21 against to 11 in favor of an artificial playing surface. Artificial turf would help mitigate the poor quality of playing surfaces at many pitches during winter months.
FIFA
FIFA announced yesterday that it has requested an update on working conditions in Qatar from the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy in Qatar by February 12.
TV Listings
Friday
| Eredivisie | 11:00 AM | Feyenoord vs. Vitesse | ESPN3 |
| Ligue 1 | 11:30 AM | PSG vs. Bordeaux | beIN Sports USA, Univision Deportes |
| Bundesliga | 11:30 AM | Eintracht Braunschweig vs. Borussia Dortmund | Gol TV USA |
| La Liga | 12:00 PM | Granada vs. Celta de Vigo | beIN Sports en Español |
| Primera A (Colombia) | 5:00 PM | Medellín vs. Deportivo Pasto | TV Colombia |
| Liga MX | 5:30 PM | Morelia vs. León | Azteca America |
| International Friendly | 6:00 PM | USWNT vs. Canada | Fox Sports 1, Fox Deportes |
Saturday
| Championship | 4:15 AM | Queens Park Rangers vs. Burnley | beIN Sports USA |
| Premier League | 4:45 AM | Newcastle United vs. Sunderland | NBC Sports |
| Bundesliga | 6:30 AM | Schalke 04 vs. Wolfsburg | Gol TV USA |
| Premier League | 7:00 AM | Stoke City vs. Manchester United | NBC Sports, Mun2 |
| La Liga | 7:00 AM | Barcelona vs. Valencia | beIN Sports USA, beIN Sports en Español |
| Ligue 1 | 7:30 AM | Lorient vs. Monaco | Univision Deportes |
| Serie A | 9:00 AM | Cagliari vs. Fiorentina | beIN Sports USA |
| La Liga | 9:00 AM | Levante vs. Rayo Vallecano | beIN Sports en Español |
| Bundesliga | 9:30 AM | Hannover 96 vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach | Gol TV USA |
| Ascenso MX | 10:00 AM | Cruz Azul Hidalgo vs. Alebrijes de Oaxaca | Mexico TV |
| Ligue 1 | 11:00 AM | Evian TG vs. Ajaccio | Univision Deportes |
| La Liga | 11:00 AM | Getafe vs. Real Valladolid | beIN Sports en Español |
| Serie A | 11:45 AM | AC Milan vs. Torino | beIN Sports USA |
| Primera Division (Chile) | 12:00 PM | O'Higgins vs. Santiago Wanderers | TV Chile |
| Primera Division (Uruguay) | 12:00 PM | Racing vs. Nacional | Gol TV USA |
| Primera A (Colombia) | 12:15 PM | Alianza Petrolera vs. Boyacá Chicó | TV Colombia |
| La Liga | 1:00 PM | Málaga vs. Sevilla | beIN Sports en Español |
| International Friendly | 2:00 PM | USMNT vs. Korea Republic | ESPN2, UniMás |
| Primera A (Colombia) | 2:30 PM | Fortaleza vs. Santa Fe | TV Colombia |
| Liga MX | 3:00 PM | América vs. Atlante | Univision |
| Liga MX | 3:00 PM | Santos Laguna vs. Toluca | Univision Deportes |
| Liga MX | 3:00 PM | Veracruz vs. Puebla | Univision Deportes 2 |
| Primera A (Colombia) | 4:45 PM | Deportes Tolima vs. Envigado | TV Colombia |
| Liga MX | 5:00 PM | Guadalajara vs. Cruz Azul | UniMás |
| Liga MX | 5:00 PM | Monterrey vs. Tigres UANL | Univision Deportes |
| Liga MX | 5:00 PM | Pachuca vs. Atlas | Univision Deportes 2 |
| Liga MX | 7:00 PM | Chiapas vs. Querétaro | Univision Deportes |
| A-League | 10:00 PM | Brisbane Roar vs. Central Coast Mariners | Fox Sports 2 |
Sunday
| Premier League | 5:30 AM | West Bromwich Albion vs. Liverpool | NBC Sports |
| Serie A | 6:00 AM | Atalanta vs. Napoli | beIN Sports en Español |
| Serie A | 6:00 AM | Roma vs. Parma | beIN Sports USA |
| Premier League | 8:00 AM | Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace | NBC Sports |
| Ligue 1 | 8:00 AM | Rennes vs. Olympique Lyon | beIN Sports USA |
| La Liga | 8:00 AM | Real Betis vs. Espanyol | beIN Sports en Español |
| Bundesliga | 8:30 AM | Bayern Munich vs. Eintracht Frankfurt | Gol TV USA |
| La Liga | 10:00 AM | Atlético Madrid vs. Real Sociedad | beIN Sports en Español |
| Liga MX | 10:00 AM | Pumas UNAM vs. Tijuana | Univision, Univision Deportes |
| Campeonato Paulista A1 (Brazil) | 11:00 AM | Palmeiras vs. São Paulo | Gol TV USA |
| Serie A | 11:45 AM | Juventus vs. Inter Milan | beIN Sports USA |
| La Liga | 12:00 PM | Athletic Club vs. Real Madrid | beIN Sports en Español |
| Primera Division (Chile) | 12:00 PM | Antofagasta vs. Universidad Chile | TV Chile |
| Liga Nacional (Honduras) | 12:00 PM | Deportes Savio vs. Victoria | Centro America TV |
| Primera A (Colombia) | 12:15 PM | Itagüí Ditaires vs. Atlético Huila | TV Colombia |
| Primera A (Colombia) | 2:15 PM | Millonarios vs. La Equidad | TV Colombia |
| Primera Division (Uruguay) | 3:00 PM | River Plate vs. Peñarol | Gol TV USA |
| Primera A (Colombia) | 4:15 PM | Deportivo Cali vs. Atlético Nacional | TV Colombia |