Major Link Soccer: Travel ban could hurt World Cup bid

Seattle

Unusual Efforts has a great piece on how to engage in "voluntourism" in a socially responsible way (hint: try not to center the experience around yourself).

Hopefully, you weren't stuck in the hours-long traffic jam that ensued after a tanker carrying butane overturned on I-5 yesterday. If you were, Tacos El Tajin food truck had your back in your hellish reality.

MLS

ESPN FC released their MLS Power Rankings for the start of the season; the Sounders take the customary champion's position atop the list until some meaningful soccer is played in 2017.

Meanwhile, the Houston Dynamo are relishing in getting the first chance to dethrone the returning champs in MLS play to open the season on March 4th.

Here's every MLS kit for the 2017 season. Textured patterns are in style these days. While some look pretty slick, others look more like 3-D poster art from the 80s. MattDrumDawg's FanPost ranks the top 24 new 2017 kits.

US midfielder Mix Diskerud gave a fairly strong hint that he'll leave NYFC soon, posting a poem to his Instagram depicting what presumably are conversations between him and club management about the best use of his DP slot and resources.

USA

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin told The New York Times on Sunday that President Donald Trump's travel ban and immigration restrictions could hurt the USA's next World Cup bid, which would be joint with Canada and Mexico for the supersized 48-team 2026 World Cup. FIFA has set a target date of May 2020 to choose the host for 2026.

World

Borussia Dortmund released a statement saying that Mario Gotze has been diagnosed with a metabolism disorder, which explains why he's been out of training indefinitely, and possibly his career-long injury problems.

Soccer hooligans have never been a smart bunch. Crystal Palace fans managed to vandalize their team's own bus after mistakenly thinking it belonged to their rival, Middlesbrough.

Soccer to Watch Today:

CONCACAF Champions League

7:00pm Pachuca vs Deportivo Saprissa Univision Deportes

Coppa Italia

11:45am Juventus vs Napoli fuboTV, GOLTV