Major Link Soccer: Chicharito to MLS this summer?

MLS

Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert has submitted a proposal to the city of Detroit to take ownership of a Wayne County jail site in downtown Detroit. The deal would involve Gilbert's Rock Ventures building a new criminal justice center in a separate location in exchange for the transfer of the current downtown jail site, with plans to pursue a $1 billion MLS stadium development project in its place.

The average age of foreign signings entering Major League Soccer this transfer window is 25.7; "if you're still calling MLS a retirement league, you aren't paying attention."

Conversations with multiple GMs around the league seem to have established that teams consider Mexican international Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez to be one of the select few players that would be worth the potential $50 million-plus investment, and that an MLS club will likely make a move for the Leverkusen forward in the summer window.

Meanwhile, as the wealth of MLS clubs increases, so does the quality of their targets. For youth development in the Carribean, a traditionally cheap source of young talent for MLS, this means the risk of clubs looking to spend their coveted international player slots and expanded resources on more proven players from Europe and South America.

There's a general belief that it's impossible for elite American soccer players to be developed in America. Jim Curtain and the Philadelphia Union are looking to change that perception.

Don Garber was in Vancouver on Monday for a town hall meeting with fans talking about growing the game in Canada, and the Whitecaps' commitment to youth development.

The San Jose Earthquakes announced on Monday that they are holding defender Marvell Wynne (age 30) out of training after a heart abnormality was detected during a team physical.

USA

Stars and Stripes FC looks at which USMNT players helped their case the most during January camp, including Cascadia attackers Darlington Nagbe and Jordan Morris.

USMNT January Camp, by the Numbers: 2,563 – Number of days between Chad Marshall’s last cap and his Jan. 29 start against Serbia (Jan. 23, 2010 vs. Honduras).

MLSsoccer.com's Armchair Analyst Matthew Doyle takes his best guess at the USMNT starting XI for WCQs in March.

Competing in both Carribean club competitions and the NASL has left Puerto Rico FC scrambling to put out fires both in CONCACAF and figuring out its place in a league that barely survived the offseason.

The Washington Post's Steven Goff details Cameroonian winger Christian Bassogog's unlikely path to soccer fame, from playing in front of 2,500 as Wilmington Hammerhead to African Cup of Nations champion.

World

Seattle fans know the roller coaster of high highs and low lows, but, for Leicester City's fans, watching dismal title defense has left even the most die-hard fans questioning their emotional commitment.

Soccer to Watch Today:

Serie A

11:45am Roma vs Fiorentina fuboTV, beIN Sports CONNECT

Ligue 1

10:00am Montpellier vs Monaco fuboTV, beIN SPORTS CONNECT

10:00am Caen vs Bordeaux fuboTV, beIN SPORTS CONNECT

12:00pm PSG vs Lille fuboTV, beIN SPORTS CONNECT

Spanish Copa del Rey

12:00pm Barcelona vs Atlético Madrid beIN SPORTS, fuboTV, beIN SPORTS CONNECT

German DFB Pokal

11:45am Bayern München vs Wolfsburg ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN

Liga MX

6:00pm Chiapas vs América ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN