14 different competitions with news to read. 8 different competitions to watch. Open wide for some soccer this weekend. There’s another opportunity to watch Nouhou and an opportunity to see Salah score.

Puget Sound sports

Sue Bird says fans helped sway her decision to play another year with Seattle Storm
Sue Bird said the "One more year!" chants from the Storm crowd when Seattle's season ended last year changed her perspective on retirement.

PNW Showdown - PNW Showdown | RSS Podcasting
NWSL player, forward Ally Watt from the OL Reign joins the PNW Showdown Podcast to discuss the 2022 upcoming season! We also cover the PNW Seattle sports news for the OL Reign, the Seattle Storm, Mariners, Seahawks, Sounders, Seawolves and the Kraken!

MLS

Juan Agudelo is in preseason camp with the Revolution - The Bent Musket
Juan Agudelo could return for a third spell with the Revolution.

Lower division men’s pro soccer

NEWS: Earthquakes Unveil Second Team Information | San Jose Earthquakes
Boring

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC Sign New Goalkeeper Christian Herrera
Defiance's keeper in some of 2020 and all of 2021 joins Issa Rayyan in Colorado Springs

Hartford Athletic Signs Defender Tom Brewitt
He oozes Defiance, but will do so in blue next year.

NWSL

Angel City doesn’t expect Julie Ertz to play in 2022 – Equalizer Soccer ($)
As preseason begins this week across the National Women’s Soccer League, the most notable absence is Julie Ertz, who was acquired by 2022 expansion team Angel City FC in an offseason trade with the Chicago Red Stars. What Ertz’s year ahead looks like remains unclear.

PODCAST | Angela Salem: A soccer career in her own words | Portland Timbers
Retired Thorns midfielder Angela Salem, in her own words, shares her journey from her soccer origins in learning the game and early influences to her path from high school to college to a pro career that spanned 12 years and the WPS, WPSL Elite, Finland, Australia and the NWSL. Salem

US National Teams

USMNT winter window retrospective: World Cup Qualifying stock check, depth chart & more | MLSSoccer.com
Such is the pressure and constant analysis of World Cup qualifying, with the failure of the 2018 cycle still firmly in the rearview, damn near each and every window for the US men's national team has prompted quite the anxiety-riddled thrill ride.

The lows have been low, stoked by fears

EEOC asks to join USWNT in equal pay appeal
The EEOC wants to join the U.S. women's team players in their equal pay appeal before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in March.

Your 2022 SheBelieves Cup roster - All For XI
Vlatko Andonovski has named 23 players to suit up for the USWNT at the SheBelieves Cup

Global game

Biennial World Cup is a 'threat' to football all other sports - IOC president
FIFA's fading plan for biennial World Cups was labeled a threat to football and all other sports by the International Olympic Committee on Thursday.

Raith Rovers back down over signing of player ruled to be a rapist, apologise for 'anguish and anger' caused
Raith Rovers have backed down over the signing of David Goodwillie after previously saying they would stand by him.

Concacaf Announces Details of 2022/23 Concacaf Nations League Presented by Qatar Airways
The second edition will start in June 2022 with the group stage; The finals will be in the summer of 2023.

Egypt and Mohamed Salah Set To Face Senegal And Sadio Mane In AFCON Final - The Liverpool Offside
This is Nouhou erasure

Fifa investigates after St Kitts appoint coach accused of sexual abuse | Soccer | The Guardian
Fifa will request more details about the appointment of a coach accused of sexually abusing and harassing female players in Barbados

Hope Powell: Ex-England boss does not agree with player-coach relationships - BBC Sport
Former England manager Hope Powell says she does not agree with player-coach relationships in the women's game.

D&D and other non-soccer stuff I like, share

TV Series Review: The Legend of Vox Machina (2022) – Churape's Dungeon and Stuff
So far, this is a pretty cool animated series. It is adult and gory; be warned if that doesn’t appeal to you. I fear that the fan service might prove a bit alienating to the uninitiated, but the story is solid enough to be watchable.

Far Talkers – Converse over miles with this D&D Background | Full Moon Storytelling
Sure, a spell caster might be able to use Message, or two people may have Sending Stone for magical cell phones. But, the Far Talkers converse over a distance of miles, not feet. They speak with many, not one, signaling a warning or just chattering about the weather.

What to Watch

Friday

8:00 AM PT — Ukraine vs Russia in Futsal on TUDN. Make futsal, not war.

Noon PT — Manchester United vs Middleborough on ESPN+. This FA Cup pairs well with lunch and a lion rampant.

Saturday

8:00 AM PT — Burkina Faso vs Cameroon in AFCON on BeIN Sports. Watch Nouhou in the third place match.

9:00 AM PT — Internazionale vs Milan on CBS Sports Net. The Derby della Madonnina doesn’t have Nouhou.

9:30 AM PT — Bayern München vs RB Leipzig on ESPN+. Remember when RBL had an American coach? They’ve won 8 of 9 since Marsch moved on.

5:00 PM PT — América vs Atlético San Luis on Univision and TUDN. Saturday night is for Liga MX.

7:00 PM PT — Juárez vs Guadalajara on Univision and TUDN.

Sunday

7:15 AM PT — Barcelona vs Atlético Madrid on ESPN+. This is a 5v4 matchup that could determine fortunes.

8:30 AM PT — Al-Jazira vs Al-Hilal on FS2. This second round match in the Club World Cup should be fiery. Al-Jazira is the host nation club that won round one, and Al-Hilal is one of the most storied of Saudi clubs.

11:00 AM PT — Senegal vs Egypt on BeIN Sports. The AFCON Final doesn’t have Nouhou, so maybe Salah can score.