Major Link Soccer: The end of the international friendly?

US Soccer

CONCACAF seems to be very close to adopting a League of Nations format similar to what UEFA has done, and it will dramatically change friendly competition to being almost exclusively in-confederation. This will be disappointing for those that like to see the US travel to take on some of the best in Europe.

The three largest CONCACAF nations are going to make a combined bid for the 2026 World Cup, which might be great for Mexico and Canada, but not so much for US fans, or for those cursed with the job of figuring out the logistics.

This isn't much of a surprise given his age, but Jermaine Jones announces on a podcast appearance that he'd like to play in the 2018 World Cup, at which point he will retire from the national team.

Ah, the FIFA rankings. Mostly meaningless, but we can't ignore them. The USMNT jumped seven spots to 23rd, and there's a new top team in the world as well.

Seattle

The Sounders are in a three-way tie for 4th place in RSL Soapbox's weekly power ranking averages! That's right, Seattle is exactly as good as Atlanta United FC and New York City FC, according to science.

It's hard to attend all of the Seattle major sports games, but it's time to start prioritizing Mariners games in your life. Because where else can you order toasted grasshoppers tossed in chili lime salt while watching baseball? No need to answer, I'll be getting mine at Safeco anyway.

It's very important to produce 'Virtual Reality Experiences" these days, and no one is exactly sure why. Not to be left behind, the Sounders have released one with Pixvana about last season's success, and it looks very well done.

Major League Soccer

Vancouver's Southsiders will not be making organized trips for away games into the United States as a result of the "travel ban" executive orders, and In Bed with Maradona has a feature on how and why the supporters' group reached that decision.

Hudson River Blue says NYCFC should part ways with Andrea Pirlo as soon as possible. Not because he has lost all his great qualities, but because they'd need to build the team around him and Patrick Vieira clearly doesn't want to do that.

Jeff Cassar was Genghis Khan and Mike Petke is Kublai, I think? There are historical comparisons to be made about the firing of Cassar three games into the season, according to the 91st Minute.

We saw the FIFA rankings earlier, what if we attempted the same thing but for nearly all pro mens club teams in North America? RSL Soapbox is up to that task as well, and the Sounders sit right between Puebla and the Timbers.

NYCFC signed an EA FIFA player as the league's first esports player. Kieran "Kez" Brown will represent the team in tournaments worldwide.

CCL advancement over Liga MX sides continues to be very tough for MLS teams. Major League Soccer may be improving its level of play, but so is the Mexican League, especially at the top of the table.

Midfielder Luis Gil is back in MLS on loan from Querétaro FC with an option to buy. He signed with Orlando City SC, so they will have to send $100k in allocation money to Real Salt Lake for the rights to the 23-year-old former Generation Adidas player.

World

An important question to ask yourself in life is "What can I do to become briefly internet famous and perhaps eat chicken nuggets every day for a year?" One answer to that question is: Tweet at Wendy's.

@carterjwm 18 Million

— Wendy's (@Wendys) April 6, 2017

The amazing thing is, it just might work.

Here's a question to chew on: Is Luis Suarez the best No. 9 in the world? His current form certainly has people talking that way.

Do you know nothing about golf but have advanced knowledge of the Premier League? Pro Soccer Talk has a viewing guide for the 2017 Masters tournament letting you know which golfer can be substituted with which PL team in your mind.You know, to make golf more exciting.