The soccer news starts with the MLS champions Atlanta United and runners-up Portland Timbers. For the technical staffs on both teams, there wasn’t a lot of time for either of them to celebrate or wonder what they might’ve done differently. By Sunday, they were announcing the players they’re keeping for the 2019 MLS season. The league moves on, with Sunday a half-day trade window where moves happened before noon. On Tuesday, it’s the expansion draft.
“In sports, things change,” Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan said. “Coaches change. Players change. There’s going to be players in this locker room that aren’t here next year. There’s going to be new players that come in. It’s part of professional sports. That’s why you savor these moments. That’s why you enjoy these moments that much more. It is what it is.”
For Atlanta, it’s also hiring a new coach. Tata Martino called time on his two seasons in Atlanta by lifting the Cup. The work it took to get there is obvious to anybody watching.
“The most satisfying thing for me is to be able to fulfill all the plans that the club presented to me at the beginning,” he said. “I think we have got the best training facilities in the league. We have got the best team in the league, so as a club, they gave the coaching staff absolutely everything you need to be successful, and that is what makes it the most satisfying.”
For FC Cincinnati, it’s about continuing the work on their MLS roster. With the quick ramp-up for the latest MLS expansion team, Cincinnati opted to sign players during their final USL season. They’ll get five more on Tuesday, with the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Patrick Brennan talking to FC Cincinnati coach Alan Koch.
Moving to FIFA, world soccer’s governing body announced that its task force met to consider the expanded Club World Cup and Global Nations League. This starts a three-month process to bring these proposals to a vote in Miami on Match 15.
“The work of this task force is another important step in the consultation process to understand the landscape in which competitions like these would be implemented and what impact they would have,” FIFA deputy secretary general Zvonimir Boban said. “The task force should provide the FIFA Council with a complete breakdown of the sporting elements to be taken into consideration when making a decision on such an important matter for the future of football.”
Inside World Football’s Andrew Warshaw relays FIFA president Gianni Infantino saying that expanding the 2022 World Cup will also be on the table in Miami. The NY Times’ Rory Smith takes issue with the relocated Copa Libertadores final.
American Soccer Now’s Brian Sciaretta on Atlanta’s win and dominant run. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Ernie Suggs with the statement the city is making to the rest of MLS. MLSsoccer’s Sam Stejskal explains the difference between Atlanta United and the rest of MLS.
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