The final month of the calendar year is here.
Only a couple more sleeps until Saturday’s knockout round match for the USMNT. This tournament is going by quickly here as we begin the month of December. On the FC Dallas front, things remain quiet from the club but that will likely change in the coming weeks once the World Cup wraps up.
// MLS //
Atlanta United sign free agent Derrick Etienne, Jr. – Dirty South Soccer
The experienced winger joins Atlanta as their first big player acquisition of the offseason.
Craig Waibel succeeds Garth Lagerwey as Sounders GM – Sounder At Heart
Waibel joined the Sounders in 2021 and also succeeded Garth Lagerwey as GM at Real Salt Lake in 2015.
Garth Lagerwey: Atlanta United have “limitless potential” | MLSSoccer.com
A lot of teams in MLS would love to have a guy like Lagerwey leading them. Atlanta has a shot to return to their early glory in a hurry if they allow him to do what he does best.
New training facility clears final hurdle with Red Bulls expecting to move in by 2025 – Once A Metro
The Red Bulls appear to be getting a new training tactility that they’ve had in the works for a couple of years now.
Defender Joao Moutinho Bids Orlando City Farewell in Social Media Post – The Mane Land
This is one free agent I’ve had my eye on for FC Dallas but he’d be in direct competition with Marco Farfan, so I doubt he’d take a backup role here.
// World Cup //
Berhalter: USA “not done” at World Cup, can take down Netherlands | MLSSoccer.com
The road to a World Cup final is going to be a tough one with Holland and then likely Argentina. But this US group appears to not be fazed by who they are going up against.
The 20-year plateau of the FIFA World Cup™ aesthetic (or why World Cups all now look the same) – The Athletic
The best way to describe this is that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Attention, USMNT – this is how you beat the Netherlands – The Athletic
Limiting Gakpo’s space, restraining Dest’s ambition and playing on Dutch nerves will be key to American chances on Saturday.
Defense, balance, and limited changes helped England and the USMNT advance from group B | US Soccer Players
Jason Davis looks at how England and the USMNT advanced from group B with a focus on center backs, defensive midfielders, pressing, and lineups.
Why Brazil, Argentina, and more will or won’t win World Cup | ESPNFC
As teams secure their spots in the knockout stage, some have looked like the real deal in this tournament and others are lucky to be advancing.