Major Link Soccer: DeAndre Yedlin shines against Belgium

USMNT

The U.S. fought hard but couldn't withstand the Belgian onslaught, falling in extra time, 2-1, on Tuesday. As The Blue Testament wrote, Jurgen Klinsmann weathered the criticism and put the USMNT in a position to make headlines, for all the right reasons. It was an exciting and heart breaking game all at the same time, but one that was only a game because goalkeeper Tim Howard was a revelation in front of the net.

Despite the defeat, things are looking up for the USMNT. SB Nation is stoked for the future. Goal.com is also excited about the injection of youth and how it will look four years later. SI.com and ESPN both have great things to read as well. And then there is that stats nerd Nate Silver...

People tried to pack into the CenturyLink Field Events Center for the game. It wasn't as many people that tried to watch it in Soldier Field in Chicago, which is probably a good thing because that party didn't go so well.

The anthem was really cool ... And then the screen cut out at Soldier Field. @richarddeitsch pic.twitter.com/57fNFoIMpk

— Carl Deffenbaugh (@CarlDeff) July 1, 2014

Sounders defender DeAndre Yedlin came in during the first half and was one of the better players not named Howard for the USMNT, drawing accolades across the board in the process.

DeAndre Yedlin is coming of age awfully fast.

— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) July 1, 2014

DeAndre Yedlin is 20 folks. He was playing college soccer 19 months ago and now he's shining in a World Cup knockout round match. Impressive

— Ives Galarcep (@SoccerByIves) July 1, 2014

Siri can we 3D-print another DeAndre Yedlin right now

— Pablo S. Torre (@PabloTorre) July 1, 2014

World Cup

The Cinderella story of Costa Rica continues as Reuters reported that Lotto, the private sportswear firm for the team, is struggling to keep up with demand as the Ticos keep winning games. Costa Rica is the only team of the last eight to not be sponsored by Adidas of Nike.

Netherlands defensive midfielder Nigel de Jong is out for the rest of the World Cup after injuring his groin against Mexico on Sunday. He played 10 minutes in the game before he was pulled.

The Ghanian money situation got a bit weird when truckloads of money were driving down the Brazilian highways and people started accusing the national team of being greedy. As Goal.com reports, there are always two sides to the story.

Hans Moleman Production Presents: Maicon Getting Hit By Soccer Ball

Statistics are awesome, and FiveThirtyEight uses them in great abundance to detail the absurdity that is Lionel Messi. FiveThirtyEight has really been killing it with nerdy articles about soccer, as seen by this post about the odds of winning a game in penalty shootouts.

Chilean striker Mauricio Pinella missed the goal of a lifetime by an inch. So to celebrate he went and got a tattoo of the occasion - because ... yeah.

Cameroon did pretty terribly in the World Cup, and now investigators are opening an inquiry about whether they planned on doing that bad.

Stephen Keshi's run as Nigerian coach is over after a 2-0 defeat to France. He took the position in 2011 and has been linked to the South African National Team.

MLS

The news was a long time coming, but Orlando City SC officially unveiled Brazilian star Kaka as the club's first Designated Player for the 2015 season on Monday night.

The Colorado Rapids traded ex-Sounder Nathan Sturgis to Chivas USA for Carlos Alvarez on Tuesday.

The Houston Dynamo reached an agreement with BHP Biliton for jersey sponsorship. BHP Biliton is a mining and petroleum outfit with a large facility based in Houston.

Europe

Samuel Eto'o's time with Chelsea is finished following the end of his one-year contract. In the meantime, the club also announced the signing of Diego Costa, with Chelsea agreeing to the buy-out clause for the Spaniard's Atletico Madrid contract.

The Guardian wins the day for their headline on Barcelona director Andoni Zubizarreta's praise for Luis Suárez's apology.