Seattle

The Sounders FC site took a look at just how dominant Clint Dempsey has been of late. With six goals and two assists in his last five games, he’s hitting his stride at the right time.

Chad Marshall was the only Sounder selected this week to the MLS Team of the Week XI. Kelvin Leerdam’s high-quality entrance to the league is getting some attention as well, as he made the bench.

MLS

MLSsoccer.com’s Bobby Warshaw has taken a side in the Kaka red card discussion that is certainly not a common one. He argues it was the correct decision, and the right one “for the good of the game”.

Ethan Finlay, newly of Minnesota United, worked out with the team for the first time yesterday. He’s hoping a change of scenery will give him a chance to find his form again. We’re hoping he waits at least another week.

The Loons’ primary owner gave their fans a bit of a look behind the scenes of the ownership group, and admitted to some mild frustration with the results.

ESPN’s latest power rankings are out; they’ve got a new #1 and a new #4. One of them is Seattle, but you’ll have to click through to find out which one.

United States

The Men’s MAC Hermann preseason watch list is out. It’s long (60+ players!), and has but one semi-local player - a Vancouverite who was in the Timbers system.

FC Cincinnati are just one more giant-slaying win away from the US Open Cup final. The club will be aiming to set an Open Cup attendance record, as well as reset the clock on a couple other long-standing droughts. Tonight’s match against the New York Red Bulls in Cincinnati will be able for streaming on ussoccer.com.

The Orange and Blue Press, along with Joel Goldstein from SBI Soccer, previewed the upcoming clash. After a slow start, Red Bulls have been resurgent of late, and FCC will have their hands full.

John Brooks’ first season with Wolfsburg isn’t off to a great start. He lasted just 37 minutes before being pulled for injury in their second round DFB Pokal match.

World

In what may or may not be a knee-jerk reaction, the Premier League is making some pretty significant changes to its primary transfer window rules. The biggest news is, undoubtedly, the decision to close the window before the season kicks off.

Dortmund already has Christian Pulisic’s replacement at young phenom lined up, apparently. Yousoufa Moukoko is a 12 year-old playing at the U-17 level, and he kicked off his season with a brace.