Breakfast Links - March 15, 2023
(image via Houston Dynamo FC/Twitter)
We are midway through the week and we are gearing up to soccer being played at Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday! Here are the Breakfast Links to keep the good vibes flowing.
Houston
The Houston Dynamo are preparing for their 2023 home opener in what looks like a brand new stadium. The renovations are nearly complete for the match against Austin FC on Saturday night. Make sure to get some tickets and fill up the stadium as the team will look for their first win of the season. Be the atmosphere! Also, majority owner, Ted Segal, will be hosting an unveiling event tomorrow on all of the upgrades that have been made to the stadium. Follow our social media for updates during that event. Let’s go Dynamo!
The Houston Dash are just one week from the start of their season kicking off. The ladies will open up the season at home next Sunday where they will host Racing Louisville. We are planning to have you up to date on everything Dash before the start of match day one and of course, continue that during the entire 2023 season. DTFO!
Houston Dynamo 2 finally received news regarding their regular season schedule. It seems that the Rochester ownership saga was what held back the release of the schedule. The boys will begin their season on Friday, March 24 against Austin FC II. Vamos Dyna Dos!
Make sure you check out the latest episodes of the Bayou City Soccer Podcast, available everywhere you get your podcasts.
Major League Soccer
Austin FC have crashed out of the 2023 Concacaf Champions League despite their fast-and-furious comeback attempts in Tuesday night’s Round-of-16 second leg, beating Haitain side Violette AC 2-0 at home but losing 3-2 on aggregate. The Verde & Black faced an uphill climb after losing last week’s first leg, 3-0, at a neutral-site venue in the Dominican Republic amid heavy squad rotation. That hole was too much to overcome, resulting in arguably the greatest upset in the CCL’s modern era – even as Austin deployed a first-choice lineup and Violette’s squad numbers were reduced due to visa entrance issues.
The Philadelphia Union became the first MLS team to book their spot in the 2023 Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals Tuesday night, trouncing Alianza FC of El Salvador 4-0 at Subaru Park after playing to a scoreless draw in last week's Round-of-16 first leg.
It turns out that Seattle Sounders FC’s historic 2022 Concacaf Champions League title carried some extra weight. Seattle will have one of Concacaf’s four spots in the expanded FIFA Club World Cup that begins in 2025, news that arrived following Tuesday’s FIFA Council Meeting.
Lorenzo Insigne will miss Toronto FC’s next 3-4 league matches, the club confirmed to local reporters on Tuesday. That timeline could keep the Italian international forward out through mid-April, reportedly re-aggravating his groin injury last week while preparing for TFC’s home opener. Insigne’s initial setback occurred in TFC’s season-opening loss at D.C. United on Feb. 25, exiting during the first half on a non-contact play.
Around the world
Erling Haaland made history with five goals, including a first-half hat trick, to send Manchester City into the quarterfinals in emphatic fashion with a 7-0 win over RB Leipzig at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday to win 8-1 on aggregate. Haaland was at his superhuman best as he joined Lionel Messi as the only players to score five times in a Champions League knockout stage game, and one of only three players (along with Luiz Adriano) to score five in any Champions League match.
Inter Milan reached the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time in more than a decade after surviving a late barrage of pressure at Porto to escape with a 0-0 draw which took them through 1-0 on aggregate on Tuesday.
Jurgen Klopp said Liverpool have a "one percent chance" of overturning a 5-2 first-leg deficit to eliminate Real Madrid from the Champions League at the Santiago Bernabeu, but still believes his team can achieve the improbable. Reigning European champions Madrid fought back from 2-0 down in the first game at Anfield to secure a three-goal lead going into Wednesday's round-of-16 return fixture.
Dual national Alejandro Zendejas says he is committing to the United States national team over Mexico. The 25-year-old forward made his U.S. debut in a Jan. 25 exhibition against Serbia but remained eligible to ask FIFA for a one-time switch of affiliation to Mexico.
The 2026 World Cup will have 104 matches instead of the traditional 64 games due to the expanded format with 48 teams taking part, global soccer governing body FIFA said on Tuesday ahead of its Congress in Kigali, Rwanda. The 2026 edition, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will be the first edition of the quadrennial tournament in which 48 teams are taking part. The final will be held on July 19.
