Breakfast Links - March 3, 2023
(image via Houston Dash/Twitter)
Friday is so much nicer when there is Houston soccer on the weekend. Here are today’s Breakfast Links to get the day started.
Houston
The Houston Dynamo play their second match of the 2023 season as they will travel to New England and take on the Revs tomorrow. The Dynamo will take part in another opponent’s home opener, making it a tough environment to deal with for Houston. Catch the match on Saturday night on Apple TV, we will do our best to keep you updated on our social media accounts throughout the match. Also, come hang out with us at Senate Avenue Brewing Company, as a number of our staff will watch the game there. Let’s go Dynamo!
The Houston Dash are gearing up towards their last full week of training before going to Southern California to play a couple scrimmages ahead of the start of their regular season On March 26. DTFO!
Houston Dynamo 2 will take on San Antonio FC on Saturday morning. Dyna Dos will take on the USL Champs at Toyota Field. The boys are still waiting for the regular season schedule to be out for 2023. 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
D.C. United have brought back a familiar face, announcing Thursday the return of veteran midfielder Yamil Asad on a one-year deal through the 2023 MLS season with options for 2024-25. This will be the Argentine’s third stint with the Black-and-Red.
Lorenzo Insigne is questionable for Toronto FC's MLS Matchday 2 clash at Atlanta United, though the club is hopeful the star Designated Player won't require a long-term absence. Insigne exited Saturday night's match at D.C. United with a lower leg injury in the 34th minute of Toronto's eventual 3-2 defeat. The 31-year-old reportedly trained on his own Thursday, with his status for the weekend to be determined on Friday, according to head coach Bob Bradley. “We’ll see how he feels (on Friday),” Bradley said via the Toronto Sun. “But all in all, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to keep him out long.”
The first Goal of the Matchday of 2023 has gone to Atlanta United’s star midfielder Thiago Almada, whose world-class free kick earned 38.3% of the final vote. Almada, also the Player of the Matchday in Matchday 1, scored both stoppage-time goals to earn ATLUTD a 2-1 comeback victory over the San Jose Earthquakes last Saturday.
The leading scorer in Nashville Predator history, Filip Forsberg, and two-time MVP and NBA Champion Giannis Antetokounmpo have joined Nashville SC’s ownership group. Forsberg and Antetokounmpo join a group that now includes Reese Witherspoon, her husband Jim Toth, and Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry.
Around the world
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez lamented his side's performance in possession despite a 1-0 Copa del Rey semifinal first leg win against Real Madrid on Thursday. Barca had lost their last two games but produced a spirited defensive performance to beat Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Eder Militao's first half own goal the difference between the two teams.
Gunmen left a threatening message for Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi after attacking a supermarket owned by his in-laws in Rosario, Argentina, Rosario police confirmed on Thursday. Fourteen shots were reportedly fired at the shutters and front door of the food store "Unico," which is located in the Lavalle district of Rosario, in the early hours of Thursday by two individuals on a motorbike.
Canada Soccer and its women's national team players have reached an interim funding agreement, the sport's governing body said Thursday. The terms of the deal, which is retroactive to last season, reflect that of the men's national team, Canada Soccer said, with per-game incentives and results-based compensation. A final collective bargaining agreement is still under negotiation.
Mexico men's manager Diego Cocca has left out national team veterans Hector Herrera and captain Andres Guardado in his first 34-man roster for CONCACAF Nations League matches this month, while also including Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez and leaving the door open for dual-national Alejandro Zendejas. Away against Suriname (March 23) and at home against Jamaica (March 26), Mexico will close out the Nations League group stage without six players (Alfredo Talavera, Rodolfo Cota, Alexis Vega, Rogelio Funes Mori, Guardado and Herrera) that were called-up for the 2022 World Cup.
