Breakfast Links - May 10, 2023
(image via Houston Dynamo FC)
It’s game day! Also, happy Mother’s Day to all the Mexican people! Here is your midweek update to get your morning going with our Breakfast Links.
Houston
The Houston Dynamo host Sporting Kansas City at 7:30 PM tonight at Shell Energy Stadium. The teams will be playing for a spot in the Round of 16 of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Be out there and be loud!
The Houston Dash will look to pick themselves back up after their 2nd straight loss of the NWSL regular season when they host the Portland Thorns. The match will be at Shell Energy Stadium on Friday, May 12 at 7:30 PM. Be there and show your support!
Houston Dynamo 2 are back in the H after an avoidable loss against Vancouver Whitecaps 2 this past weekend. Dos are set to play Real Monarchs at SaberCats Stadium Sunday at 6 PM.
Make sure you check out the latest episodes of the Bayou City Soccer Podcast, available everywhere you get your podcasts!
Major League Soccer
Twelve MLS teams were in action Tuesday night in the US Open Cup, with Charlotte FC eliminating 2022 winners Orlando City SC to move into the Round of 16. The New England Revolution were sent packing by lower-division opposition in the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. A youth-heavy LAFC survived a Cupset of their own before advancing on penalty kicks – one of two epic PK shootouts on the first night of the Round of 32.
CF Montréal knocked out Toronto FC in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Championship. Goals four minutes apart in the first half lifted Montréal to a 2-1 win over MLS rival Toronto at BMO Field Tuesday night.
Around the World
Champions League semis! Superb strikes from Vinicius Junior and Kevin De Bruyne in either half saw Real Madrid and Manchester City draw 1-1 in a high-quality first leg of their Champions League semifinal at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday. The Derby della Madonnina rivals AC Milan and Inter Milan square off across two legs at the San Siro, with the first scheduled for today.
Sergio Busquets will leave Barcelona when his contract expires this summer, the club announced on Wednesday, bringing to an end a spell that has seen him win eight LaLiga titles and three Champions Leagues. Busquets, 34, had an offer to extend his stay at Spotify Camp Nou, with Barca coach Xavi Hernandez expressing his desire for the club captain to remain at the club.
Manchester United's greatest players from Sir Alex Ferguson's most successful teams will be offered the chance to return to Old Trafford in prominent roles if Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani succeeds in his bid to buy the club, sources have told ESPN.
Aaron Ramsdale is close to agreeing a new long-term contract with Arsenal, sources have told ESPN. The 24-year-old goalkeeper has two years remaining on his existing deal, but the club were keen to reward him for a prominent role in their unexpected Premier League title push with a significant improvement on his £60,000-a-week ($75,735) agreement.
The National Women's Soccer League, which already has plans to expand to 14 teams in 2024, is not done growing. In a video interview with the Washington Post on Tuesday, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said that the league is angling to add two more clubs by 2026.
