Major Link Soccer: Sorry, Copa America unlikely to come to US

Seattle

With Roman Torres out for at least the rest of this season, it's time for the ForMidFender to prepare for another transition. Brad Evans says he is ready to "plug in where needed."

Sunderland manager Dick Advocaat isn't quite ready to say how he'll be utilizing DeAndre Yedlin, but did indicate that he expects him to strengthen their options at full-back. This would be a change from how he's been being used by Jurgen.

Just as a reminder, the Season Ticket Renewal deadline is tomorrow. If you are reading this blog, you probably don't need much incentive to renew, but SoundersFC.com gives you 8 reasons anyway.

MLS Results

Both matches last night went reasonably well for the Sounders. First, Vancouver defeated Olimpia by a score of 1-0. This result means that a win next Wednesday in Seattle will guarantee us through to the knockout stage.

In MLS Play, a severely depleted Montreal Impact managed to draw San Jose in San Jose despite going down a man early in the second half. This keeps Seattle ahead of San Jose by a couple of points with the same number of games played.

MLS News

The decision on ticket renewal isn't so easy for everyone. A solid segment of Chicago Fire fans have been campaigning for #HauptmanOut for much of this season and have to consider whether buying season tickets can be seen as a vote of confidence.

LAFC has decided after consulting with "fans" that they would stick with the same name they have been using all along. They are asking now for input on team colors. Preferably, they are looking for support of black and red, since it's apparently already a foregone conclusion.

At least LAFC won't be playing in a baseball stadium when they start, but fret not NYCFC fans, you'll have a soccer stadium eventually. Probably.

Per ESPN, NYCFC now saying it wants to be in own stadium within five years. Yikes.

— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) September 17, 2015

Speaking of stadiums, Black and Red United would like to draw everyone's attention to the discrepancy in the amount of outrage seen in the DC sports landscape as the Wizards are receiving significant government assistance building a new practice facility.

Frisco is showing more clear support for their local MLS side. The city council has unanimously agreed to extend FC Dallas' lease through 2037 and fund an effort to build a National Hall of Fame.

One team that that would surely have a presence in a National Soccer Hall of Fame is Bethlehem FC. This is a team name familiar to anyone that has spent time looking at US Open Cup records and a team name that may be making a comeback now that MLS has applied for a new trademark.

If Don Garber has his way, instant replay may make an appearance in the 2016 MLS season. There are many good arguments for and against this development, but I'm just afraid that someone will put Simon Borg in charge.

Last week I linked to a poll on LAG Confidential asking who would win in a match-up between the LA Galaxy and the US Men's National Team. The tone of the comparison this week is a little bit different as they ask which team is playing more boring soccer at the moment.

USA

There is a lot of tournament news for US Soccer. First, US Soccer has announced the qualifying process for non-MLS teams in the 2016 US Open Cup.

There is also a rumor about a change in the format of the CONCACAF Champions League. Ben Olsen, at least, is under the impression that the seasonal format may be up for review.

Finally, there is the news that the United States may be officially removed as host of the Copa America Centenario later today as CONCACAF and CONMEBOL representatives meet in Mexico City.

CONCACAF required that Jurgen submit a binding preliminary 35-man roster for the upcoming match against against Mexico. There aren't a ton of suprises in the list.

World

In a sad bit of news, Brazilian superfan Clovis Acosta Fernandes has passed away. Clovis' face was featured prominently in articles covering the 2014 World Cup. His was both the face of joy in hosting the cup and pain in experiencing the loss to Germany.

The UEFA Champions League continued yesterday a match between Bayern Munich and Olympiacos in Greece. Unfortunately, the play on the field was largely overshadowed by the apparent police brutality against traveling Bayern Supporters