Major Link Soccer: Will next year be an encore?

Seattle

The Seattle Sounders may have just won their first MLS Cup, but that doesn't stop some in the Sounders organization from already looking ahead to the encore.

Tacoma Stars player Alex Megason was selected for MASL team of the Week. With first place in the Pacific Division on the line, Megson had two goals and two assists, including the game winner in the final minutes of the match.

Former UW Husky Spencer Richey signed an MLS contract with the Vancouver Whitecaps. Richey started 17 times for WFC2 last season and collected a team-high eight wins, including all three playoff matches.

Washington Youth Soccer could be kicked out of the USYSA umbrella. How and why are really still up in the air. Could this be a move towards the Seattle Sounders taking over youth soccer in Washington?

U.S. Soccer

The United States opens the Concacaf Gold Cup on 8 July at Nashville, Tennessee. It plays four days later at Tampa, Florida, and closes the first round out on 15 July at Cleveland.

There are five great efforts up for College Goal of the Year, but only one can be crowned. Go help pick a winner.

U.S. Under-19 defender Hector Montalvo announced on Tuesday that he signed a professional deal with Tigres in Liga MX, per his Twitter account.

Eintracht Frankfurt extended the contract of U.S. defender Timothy Chandler on Tuesday. Chandler, 26, had been in the final season of a three-year deal he signed in 2014, but now has tied his future to his hometown club until 2020.

World Soccer

A Dutch government public health organization says it is safe to play soccer and other sports on artificial turf fields covered in rubber crumbs, following an investigation triggered by fears over dangerous chemicals in the granules.

Bad boy Barton is returning to the English Premier League with Burnley. The 34 year old has been training with the team since being released from Rangers in Scotland last month.

Jose Mourinho wants to take his team to the U.S. for the summer and the club has approved it. Manchester United will be heading back to the United States for preseason in 2017, according to ESPNFC.

Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey has been banned for five matches and fined £100,000 for being found guilty of using abusive words with reference to ethnicity.

U.S. Soccer journalist Steven Goff tweeted out that USMNT player Julian Green is on the verge of leaving Bayern Munich for VfB Stuttgart in the 2. Bundesliga.

Francesco Totti cannot be brushed off or sprayed away. A.S. Roma’s eternal captain is not so much etched onto the walls of his city as scoured into its very fabric. He is burned into its soul.

Major League Soccer

The Chicago Fire signed their second Designated Player on Tuesday afternoon, announcing their acquisition of 28-year-old Hungarian international striker Nemanja Nikolic from Polish club Legia Warsaw.

Atletico Madrid and France national team star forward Antoine Griezmann has his eye on a potential future move to MLS – to David Beckham's potential future team in Miami. Of course this could all just be futuristic!

Jose Ortiz will be joining D.C. United. The former Alajuelense attacker comes to MLS shortly after changing clubs in Costa Rica.

The first U.S. Soccer Pro License Coaching Course was completed on Saturday, Dec. 17 in Chicago. A total of 13 professional coaches from Major League Soccer and U.S. Youth National Team programs completed the collaborative pilot course which took place over the last 12 months.

Do you have a little "Vince Papale" in you? Well, then get on down to San Jose, where the Earthquakes are hosting "Open Tryouts" January 29th and are hoping to uncover a gem like Vince!

Goals of the Week: Jay-Jay, Douglas, and Mertens