Major Link Soccer: Morris week edition

Major League Soccer

Gerardo "Tata" Martino, former Argentina national team coach (among others), seems to be a lock for Atlanta United's first head managing position. He has reportedly turned down an offer from Mexican giants Club America and is very close to a deal with the Georgia expansion club.

RSL Soapbox' aggregate MLS power rankings are out for week 28, and the Sounders have jumped back up to number 11. Toronto and Dallas are flying high at the top of the list.

It was a tight race to beat out Kelyn Rowe, but Jozy Altidore took MLS player of the week honors after his two-goal outing against the Red Bulls.

Some may think "Land of 10,000 Lakes" is an exaggeration about Minnesota, but there are actually 11,842 of them. Accordingly, Minnesota United FC will somehow commemorate the first 11,842 season ticket reservers in the new stadium, and give them priority choice on their seating selection. The team currently has sold over 8,000 season ticket deposits.

Toronto FC coach Greg Vanney says expectations and opinions about Jozy Altidore are irrational, and that people have always looked to him too much as a potential superstar striker who just couldn't put it all together. Vanney says while that's not the case, Jozy is still a very good player.

FC Dallas' new homegrown midfielder, Paxton Pomykal, will wear the #19 shirt. Why is that a big deal? Well, it was the number of Bobby Rhine, who not only played over 200 matches for the club over many seasons, but also passed away five years ago. As you'll see in the story, everyone involved was asked how they felt about the youngster taking the number, and the consensus is that a young local talent doing the number proud could be a great continuation of Rhine's legacy.

Seattle

Jordan Morris is having quite a week, being highly ranked in the MLS 24 under 24, and tossing out a first pitch for the Mariners. He spoke to ESPNFC about the state of the Sounders, his partnership with Lodeiro, and all the Jordan Morris hype he's had to deal with.

Sometimes, at the highest level of sports, being friends off the field can be that tiny edge that gives teammates an advantage. It helps when two players are the same age and extremely talented, and helping to form a new core of a good team. That's right, I'm talking about Morris and Cristian Roldan,and FourFourTwo has gone in depth to look at the bright future for Seattle as long as these two are around and improving.

Other US Leagues

Are you ready for the Seattle Reign to win all the NWSL awards? I suppose it's possible that it won't happen, but to keep your eye on the schedule for the announcements, check out this list of when and where to hear about the awards from the Golden Boot to the Best XI.

The NASL is not looking to be holding itself together very well, and there are as many reasons why as there are teams. For a really detailed breakdown of what is going wrong where, and what it might mean for MLS and USL, read this over at Midfield Press.

Speaking of teams failing to make it in the world of Pro soccer, the Wilmington Hammerheads will be dropping to the PDL next season.

World

Samuel Eto'o has been dropped from his squad, Turkey's Antalyaspor, because of remarks he made on Instagram suggesting he wasn't getting the respect he deserved because of his skin color. He insisted he wasn't referencing his team's ownership, but they were very unhappy with him anyway (although he was also rumored to be looking to join their rivals, so there is definitely more to this).