Paul Pogba transfer rumors: Real Madrid not willing to match wages from Manchester United

If Paul Pogba plans to leave Manchester United for Real Madrid during the summer transfer window, then the World Cup-winning central midfielder might be forced to take a pay cut. According to ESPNFC on Tuesday, the Spanish club isn't prepared to match his wages at Old Trafford of $378,000 a week, which could halt any potential move.

The report said those close to Pogba think he'll push for a move away from United if the club doesn't make the Champions League, with Real Madrid seeming like the most logical choice from a financial standpoint. United is currently in sixth place in the Premier League, three points back of fourth place with two games to go. The Red Devils travel to West Yorkshire for a date at Huddersfield town on Sunday -- stream on fuboTV (Try for free). 

Zinedine Zidane is looking to rebuild Real Madrid in the post-Cristiano Ronaldo era, having returned to the club this year after Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari failed to find stability. Manchester United reportedly plans to reject any offer for the French star.

Real Madrid could use some flair in the midfield to pair with Luka Modric, and Pogba is a logical option if he does become available, though the financial side makes things complicated. Real Madrid is currently in third place in La Liga and will go without a trophy this season after winning the Champions League the last three seasons.

Pogba is having a fine season with United and has scored 16 goals, six more than any other season in his career. Real Madrid is expected to chase the likes of Eden Hazard of Chelsea and Inter Milan's Mauro Icardi this summer.

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Soccer! Major League Soccer keeps growing

The MLS board of governors, meeting Thursday in Beverly Hills, voted to expand to 30 teams "in the coming years." The league currently has 24 teams, with Miami and Nashville scheduled to join next season and Austin, Texas, in 2021. That makes MLS, which has added 17 teams since 2005, the fastest-growing league in North American professional sports.

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Feeling right at home: Junior transfer Elle McCaslin adds scoring punch for St. Charles East

St. Charles East junior Elle McCaslin has experienced an eventful last nine months.

She arrived in St. Charles as a transfer student from Canton, Michigan as a standout two-sport athlete.

Then McCaslin had to deal with the challenge of coming back from a torn left ACL suffered while playing basketball.

The injury was fully diagnosed in June and she underwent surgery in August. Her narrative took another unpredictable turn with an accelerated recovery that allowed her to join the Saints basketball team in February.

"It was faster than anybody said, and I just worked on it," McCaslin said.

The forward has made an imoressive and seamless transition to soccer, utilizing her 6-foot height to become a prominent offensive target for St. Charles East (12-3).

She scored two goals in the Saints' 3-0 victory over Hinsdale Central in group play of the Naperville Invitational on Saturday at Naperville North.

McCaslin has scored a team-best 19 goals and fueled a potent attack that has scored 64 goals in 15 games.

"I give it all to my team," she said. "They all believe in me and ability to score and they give me great balls to finish. I think as a player, my best qualities are patience and knowing when the right to do something is."

With her basketball background and exceptional size, McCaslin has an intuitive sense of how to use her length and athleticism in order to optimize her scoring chances.

"She uses her size for separation when having the ball and when not in possession," St. Charles East coach Vince DiNuzzo said.

"She uses her size to hold players off. She is a physical presence, and we try to pressure in the opponent's half and she also works defensively when we need her there."

In the age of specialization, McCaslin has discovered ways to make the two sports combine and play off each other and have the best of both.

"In basketball, I am mainly a defensive specialist, shot blocker and rebounder and that has definitely helped me a lot with my quickness, endurance and conditioning," McCaslin said.

"I use my size well to play against shorter defenders and win the ball on corners and free kicks."

Basketball was also crucial because it began the process of bonding with her new teammates and community. Moving in the middle of high school is daunting. The two sports eased the process.

"I knew a couple of the girls on the soccer team from basketball," she said. "I have moved a couple of times, just figuring out how to talk to people and getting to know them, I have just found bonding and hanging out with each other is the best way."

Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.

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Soccer: Anderlecht raided in transfer cash probe

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgian police raided the offices of Anderlecht and the national football association on Wednesday in relation to a money laundering investigation involving agents and player transfers.

FILE PHOTO: Britain Football Soccer - Manchester United v RSC Anderlecht - UEFA Europa League Quarter Final Second Leg - Old Trafford, Manchester, England - 20/4/17 General view before the match Action Images via Reuters / Jason Cairnduff Livepic/File Photo

A spokeswoman for the Brussels club told public broadcaster VRT that Anderlecht was cooperating fully with the probe and a spokesman for the Belgian FA told Reuters that police had taken away documents relating to transfers from its headquarters.

"(The raids) concern money laundering and a group of criminals, in particular questions are being asked about the transfer of one or more players," the federal prosecutor said in a statement.

It said the investigation also focuses on the suspicious actions of one or more agents and concerned events prior to 2016.

VRT and other local media said prosecutors were looking into transfers made before a 2017 change of ownership at Anderlecht and had also raided an agent's office in the capital.

Among the transfers being probed, the media said, was the sale of Serbia striker Aleksandar Mitrovic to Newcastle United in 2015. The Premier League side politely declined to comment.

The prosecutor's spokesman had earlier on Wednesday said that the raids were not linked to the wide-ranging "Footballgate" probe into match-fixing and fraud which rocked the domestic league last year after the national side's third place finish at the World Cup.

The raids come at a miserable time for Anderlecht, champions in 2017 and historically Belgium's most successful club.

Dismal form has prompted a fan revolt that saw them fined and docked points this month when crowd trouble forced a match at arch-rivals Standard Liege to be abandoned; they then fired coach Fred Rutten after just 13 games in charge.

The two-times holders of the Cup Winners' Cup and 1983 UEFA Cup winners are on the verge of failing to qualify for European competition next season for the first time in 55 years.

Reporting by Clement Rossignol and Foo Yun Chee; Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Christian Radnedge and Toby Davis

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Soccer! Major League Soccer keeps growing

The MLS board of governors, meeting Thursday in Beverly Hills, voted to expand to 30 teams "in the coming years." The league currently has 24 teams, with Miami and Nashville scheduled to join next season and Austin, Texas, in 2021. That makes MLS, which has added 17 teams since 2005, the fastest-growing league in North American professional sports.

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James Rodriguez Edges Closer to Real Madrid Return After Niko Kovac Makes Transfer Decision

​Bayern Munich manager Niko Kovač has given the all-clear for the club's decision-makers to pass up the opportunity to sign Real Madrid loanee James Rodriguez on a permanent basis at the end of the season.

The Colombia international has had a mixed time in Bavaria since arriving on a two-year loan deal in 2017, struggling to establish himself under Carlo Ancelotti and current manager Kovač, but thriving under legendary boss Jupp Heynckes last season.

Bayern Munich can make James' move permanent at the end of this season if they meet Real Madrid's €42m clause - which is on top of the €13m loan fee - but Marca report that returning to the Spanish capital is back on the cards.

© Lars Baron/GettyImages James Rodriguez,Keylor Navas

It had appeared that James' career at the Santiago Bernabéu would officially be drawing to a close this summer, having failed to live up to expectations following his performances during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The 27-year-old made 111 appearances for the club during his three years, scoring 36 goals and claiming 40 assists, before Europe's biggest club's cued up to sign James in a loan deal away from the Spanish capital.

Bayern Munich eventually won the race and he would go on to be one of the Bundesliga's best players during his first year at the club, but a change in management has seen the playmaker fall back down the pecking order.

Manager Kovač is said to see a clash with James' style compared to what he's trying to implement in their team with the likes of Corentin Tolisso and Leon Goretzka.

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Transfer Rumor Roundup: Man City preparing $79 million bid this summer; Bale to leave Real Madrid

Pep Guardiola has identified the successor to Fernandinho, and he's convinced Manchester City to break the bank to acquire him.

[READ: JPW's Premier League picks]

Per a report in The Telegraph, Manchester City is preparing a transfer bid of nearly $79 million to sign Atletico Madrid central midfielder Rodrigo Hernandez Cascante, better known as Rodri. In his first season in Madrid, the 22-year-old has made 28 La Liga starts along with six in the UEFA Champions League, anchoring the second-place Atletico Madrid midfield.

In addition to his defensive duties, he's also scored a pair of goals this season.

If true, Rodri's transfer will break Man City's previous record when it signed Riyad Mahrez from Leicester City for almost $78 million.

100% – Rodri Hernández (22) & Koke Resurrección (20) has successfully completed all his passes in the #EibarAtleti's first half (42 of 42 on aggregate). Knob pic.twitter.com/NHG9JRynyH

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) April 20, 2019

Fernandinho continues to be a world class holding midfielder, but coming up on 34-years old, he's surely coming up on time when he won't be able to cover as much ground as he used to. With Rodri in tow, Fernandinho can slowly take a reserve role in the team, or move to another club for one last big contract.

Here are some more transfer rumors from around Europe:

Bale to leave Madrid. Is this time for Real? 

There have been many predictions that Gareth Bale would transfer out of Real Madrid over the past few season, but it feels like this year has reached a breaking point.

With Cristiano Ronaldo out, Bale finally had his chance to prove he could be a world class winger or striker. Instead, he failed miserably to live up to those standards, and while he's had a decent season, it's not even up to his own standards. Now that Zinedine Zidane is back, who doesn't rate Bale as a top-class player, it appears this summer will be the one in which Bale departs. That's according to a report by Marca, which says that Madrid will attempt to find an offer for Bale and even could let him leave on loan with the option to buy.

Unless Bale takes a major pay cut, there are few places that would take him back. If he does take a pay cut though, one could easily see him returning to Tottenham or joining another club like Manchester United.

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The Sports Highlight Of The Day Is This Scottish Dog's Soccer Mastery

There are many dogs out there in the world who can fetch, or can, say, run after a kicked soccer ball and pounce on it while their owner yells, "Look, she's playing soccer!" None of those dogs are nearly as cool as this Scottish pooch:

Two-footed. Powerful dribbler. Can pick a pass from anywhere. Great header of the ball. This dog is ready to become a talisman for whichever team is wise enough to snap him up on the transfer market.

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Football transfer rumours: Niklas Sule to Manchester United for £50m?

© Rex Shutterstock Manchester United target Niklas Sule (right; although given the success of United's recent defensive signings, possibly left)

Ah, Bank Holiday Monday. A lie-in. The prospect of a breakfast a grade or two up from the usual. Perhaps the pub at lunchtime? Perhaps. A hint, just a hint, of peace and quiet.

NOT FOR THE MILL! Transfer tittle-tattle is very much like a surprising number of countries around the world in that it doesn't really do public holidays. How can the Mill rest when yet another "New Messi" has just shimmied into view?

Related: The Dozen: the weekend's best Premier League photos

Manchester City are the club hopeful of signing young Thiago Almada from Vélez Sarsfield in a £20m deal. He's Argentinian and he's talented so obviously he's already been dubbed the "new Messi" despite a) not being the "new Messi" and b) that fact that the actual Lionel Messi is still doing a very good job of being the actual Lionel Messi, new or old. If City do seal the deal he'll head off to Girona for work permit purposes because Modern Football.

Across the city Manchester United want Niklas Sule to be the cornerstone of their new defensive unit. Bayern Munich aren't too keen on that prospect but an offer in the region of £50m might improve their disposition towards the idea.

In the umpteenth instalment of our regular Championship-Players-With-The-Surname-James-Being-Targeted-By-Premier-League-Clubs-Beginning-With-B section, Brighton want Reece, who has been impressing on loan from Chelsea at struggling Wigan, while Bournemouth are planning a swoop for Swansea youngster Dan – but it'll take at least £12m to prize the winger out of south Wales.

Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United are engaged in a four-way tug of war over Ajax's Moroccan sensation Hakim Ziyech. Arsenal and City have an arm each, Liverpool and United a leg apiece and now Bayern Munich are awkwardly trying to find somewhere to put their hands. Putting their hands on £25m would be a start.

Arsenal also want Brazilian youngster Gabriel Martinelli. Which is nice. And Hoffenheim's Kerem Demirbay is being lined up as a replacement for Aaron Ramsey. Sure. Fine.

Internazionale, Paris St-Germain and Bayern Munich have formed an orderly queue outside Old Trafford and are waiting for Romelu Lukaku to be shown the exit door this summer.

And Liverpool are pondering moves for Lille striker Nicolas Pepe and Bayer Leverkusen's Julian Brandt.

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Soccer: Nagatomo nabs first goal for Galatasaray since 2018 transfer

Japan defender Yuto Nagatomo (C) celebrates with his teammates after scoring his first goal for Galatasaray in the Turkish top-flight team's 3-1 win over Kayserispor. (Kyodo)

ISTANBUL (Kyodo) -- Japanese defender Yuto Nagatomo returned from injury to score his first goal for Galatasaray since his transfer last year in the Turkish top-flight team's 3-1 win over Kayserispor on Saturday.

The 32-year-old Nagatomo, who completed a transfer to Galatasaray in June after being loaned to the club by Italian side Inter Milan six months earlier, scored his side's third goal in first-half injury time.

Playing his first game since Feb. 24 due to a ligament strain, the left back ran onto a cross and headed it home.

"It took two whole months to come back," Nagatomo said. "Frankly, it was pretty tough. I'm grateful to the manager, the coaches and the team doctor."

In the Belgian first division, Japanese forward Daichi Kamada scored his 15th goal of the season off an assist from compatriot Takahiro Sekine in Sint-Truiden's 1-1 away draw to Eupen.

Wataru Endo and Takehiro Tomiyasu each played full matches for Sint-Truiden. Eupen striker Yuta Toyokawa was withdrawn goalless midway through the second half.

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Gregg Berhalter’s rebuilding of U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team features stop in Cleveland during 2019 Gold Cup

CLEVELAND, Ohio â€" Gregg Berhalter has only been on the job as head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Soccer team for a few months. But he knows the added pressure on the job as compared to years’ past.

The U.S. did not qualify for the World Cup, ending a streak of seven consecutive appearances. The former Columbus Crew SC coach has been tasked with getting the team back on track. They will be in the 2026 World Cup when the U.S., Mexico and Canada share hosting duties.

But for now, it’s about getting to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. And finding the players to help take them there starts this summer in the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

“This is the first time this group will have the opportunity to compete in a tournament,” Berhalter said. “It’s going to be a good measuring stick for who we are, and what we need to continue to work on.

“We do feel a great responsibility as a nation to get back to where we believe we belong. But that’s also a fuel, you know. It also motivates us. It motivates us to be better, and motivates us to sacrifice more and try to make a team that the fans will be proud of.”

One of the stops for the USMNT during the Gold Cup will be FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland on June 22, where it will play Trinidad & Tobago. The last time these two teams met in competitive action, the U.S. lost, 2-1, which cost it a spot in the World Cup. Also in the USMNT’s group in the Gold Cup are Guyana and 2018 World Cup qualifier Panama.

“We need good competition,” Berhalter said. “We have three teams from the hex in our group. We’re the only team that has more than one in a group. It’s a difficult group. But we’re certainly looking forward to it. And this level of competition is only going to improve us.”

Berhalter’s task is to harness the tremendous amount of young talent in the USMNT system and turn it into a group that can compete on the world stage.

The most prominent of those players is forward Christian Pulisic. The 20 year old is already the face of U.S. Soccer, and has done impressive things at Borussia Dortmund in Germany. Berhalter is already eager to see the next stage of Pulisic’s development, which will take place at Chelsea after agreeing to buy him from Dortmund for $73 million, the most expensive transfer of an American player.

“The EPL (English Premier League) is, I would argue, the best league in the world,” Berhalter said. “So he’s on the world stage now, playing for a top club.

“For him, the key is going to be to get playing time, to get on the field and competing. He’s got an amazing skillset. He’s a talented player, and I’m excited to see what he can do.”

Pulisic is not the only talented young American soccer player, but he is probably the most established. He has made 25 appearances and scored 10 goals with the USMNT. But Pulisic is also a bit of a trailblazer. Like him, most of the next wave of players who could make the USMNT are working on their craft in Germany.

Red Bull Leipzig midfielder Tyler Adams, in particular, is one of the more interesting young players. He played for three seasons with New York Red Bulls and appeared in 74 matches in all competitions before being sold to RB Leipzig. He has nine appearances with them, including seven starts, and has a pair of an assists for a club that is third in the Bundesliga.

“Tyler is a product of having a very clear developmental pathway,” Berhalter said. “He went from the youth academy in New York Red Bulls to their USL team, to their first team, to Germany in a matter of two and a half years. And it’s been a great progression.

“Tyler in particular, he’s a guy that is level headed. He’s very calm, he’s focused on the process. And I think he’s going to be a guy who’s a key contributor for years to come.”

Adams, along with Schalke’s Weston McKennie and Werder Bremen’s Josh Sargent, are players who will be key elements towards the USMNT’s return to the World Cup.

The key to Berhalter’s success will be how he and U.S. Soccer will develop more young players. He said U.S. Soccer and MLS are still working on improving their development system, and an idea of his is instituting a level of play between the academies and first team.

“There seems to be a void in that â€" not in all clubs â€" but in some clubs that really prevent guys from getting difficult games,” Berhalter said. “I think the best way to develop is to play in challenging games. And we need to make sure that we have challenging games available for our kids.”

The June 22 match in Cleveland is actually the second of two matches Berhalter’s team will play in Ohio this summer. The team will play in a friendly vs. Venezuela on June 9 in Cincinnati. So it gives Berhalter two opportunities to coach in Ohio once again.

“I really enjoyed my time in Ohio,” Berhalter said. “Ohio is a great sports state. And, you know, to play in both those cities, it’s gonna be a good experience. I know there’ll be people from Columbus traveling to both of those games.”

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Soccer: Benitez wants Newcastle to be more competitive in transfer market

Soccer Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Everton - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - March 9, 2019 Newcastle United's Ayoze Perez celebrates scoring their third goal with team mates Action Images via Reuters/Ed Sykes

(Reuters) - Newcastle United must loosen their purse strings in the pursuit of players who can help unlock the full potential of the Premier League club, manager Rafa Benitez said.

After guiding Newcastle to a 1-0 league victory at Leicester on Friday, Benitez said the club had to be more competitive in the transfer market if they were to get closer to the top six.

The Spaniard's contract with Newcastle ends in June and past disagreements with club owner Mike Ashley over transfer strategy frustrated him enough to consider his future at the Tyneside club earlier this season.

"I have been trying to win titles everywhere, in different countries. We have to have a team who can compete," the 58-year-old former Liverpool, Inter Milan and Real Madrid manager told Sky Sports.

"This city, the club has potential. It's massive. I'm not looking to spend 200 million pounds ($261 million), but doing the right things.

"You can do everything right with your tactics but the other team has one player that can make the difference. You would have to pay 30 million pounds to buy a Leicester player."

Paraguay forward Miguel Almiron became Newcastle's record signing in January in a deal that British media reported was worth around 21 million pounds.

Victory against Brendan Rodgers's side lifted Newcastle to 13th in the table with 38 points from 34 games. They host Southampton in their next match next Saturday.

($1 = 0.7645 pounds)

Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon

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LIVE Transfer Talk: Real Madrid want €130m or Paul Pogba for Gareth Bale

The transfer window for Europe's biggest clubs is closed, but you can click here to review all the deals. Transfer Talk will continue to scour the world's media and set correspondents loose to see what's on the agenda for the summer.

Jump to: Kovacic to Chelsea | Burnley's keeper clearout

TOP STORY: Real Madrid name Bale price tag

The end of Gareth Bale's time at Real Madrid appears to be near, with AS reporting that Real have named their price for the Wales international and put Premier League clubs on alert.

So what will it cost to land the 29-year-old? The report says suitors should come to the table with €130 million if they want to sign the winger, who has helped Madrid to four Champions League titles since joining in 2013.

A return to his former club Tottenham or a move to Manchester United appear the two likeliest destinations.

AS says "Madrid would be happy to discuss swap options to move Bale on" and potentially bring in Paul Pogba from Old Trafford.

All this comes on the heels of fairly non-committal comments from manager Zinedine Zidane about Bale's future.

Asked whether the Wales international would be at Madrid next season, he said: "We will see. Gareth is a Real Madrid player, with two years left on his contract."

LIVE BLOG

23. 30 BST: That will do it for tonight's edition of Transfer Talk LIVE. We hope you enjoyed following along to all the transfer gossip and remind you to check back shortly for more rumours and rumblings from around the world of football. Goodnight!

23.10 BST: With rumours swirling that Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera are set to leave Man United, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed one player that will definitely be exiting Old Trafford this summer.

Antonio Valencia, who has been at United since 2009, has reportedly been told he will not to be returning to Old Trafford by Solskjaer.

The 33-year-old has played just eight times for Man United this season and will likely need to take a step down a level in terms of his next if he expects to be a first-team starter at this stage in his career.

22.20 BST: Major League Soccer's Portland Timbers are reportedly closing in on signing a Latin American striker.

According to the Record in Mexico, via MLSsoccer.com, Portland are interested in Necaxa hitman Brian Fernandez, an Argentine who has set Liga MX alight since arriving this year from Racing Club.

Fernandez, 24, ranks third in Liga MX over the past two seasons in goals with 15 and has previously spent time in Argentina, France and Chile.

Portland's search for a new striker has been a drawn-out process but it sounds as if we could be finally approaching the finish line.

21.24 BST: Man United to offer a forgotten first-team member an unlikely new contract?

Reports in Italy claim that Man United are prepared to offer full-back Matteo Darmian a new contract in order to try and keep him at the club.

Darmian, 29, has made just six appearances this season for the Red Devils and has been widely linked with a return to Serie A, specifically with Inter Milan.

20.48 BST: Sadio Mane to Real Madrid?

A report in El Confidencial claims that Real Madrid have two transfer lists one for affordable tagrets and one for luxury targets, with the Senegalese's name on the latter list. The report adds that Madrid would only pursue the player if Mane made it known of his intentions to play for Real Madrid.

Reports indicate that the 27-year-old Mane would cost more than €150 million, with Man United's Paul Pogba another name on the 'luxury target' list.

20.12 BST: With Arsenal chasing Bournemouth playmaker Ryan Fraser, the Cherries face a tough dilemma.

Hold on to Fraser and risk losing him for nothing next season (his current contract expires in 2020) or cash in now on the Scot with his value at an all-time high?

Fraser has six goals and 10 assists for Bournemouth so far this season, his 10 assists ranking third in the Premier League behind only Eden Hazard and Christian Eriksen.

Mirror Sport understands there are no fresh contract talks between Fraser and Bournemouth, with the dynamic winger content to let his contract wind down.

The 25-year-old has ambitions at playing at a bigger club and when asked earlier this month about the links with Arsenal replied:

"It means you are are doing something right.

"They are a huge club, a massive club."

19.43 BST: Everyone seems to be enjoying life at Villa Park lately with Aston Villa having won seven straight games and now up to fifth in the Championship.

Scott Hogan, now on loan at Sheffield United, is one player who isn't loving life with Villa at present, the Republic of Ireland striker having endured a largely barren two years since arriving from Brentford in 2017. Rumours are his Villa nightmare could soon come to an end with fellow Championship side Bristol City interested in taking a flyer on the 26-year-old

Hogan scored 21 goals in 33 games for Brentford between 2015 and 2017 but has scored just seven in 56 for Villa in the same tier

19.07 BST: Wolves to splash the cash on £36 million-rated midfielder?

Twenty-four-year-old Morgan Sanson of Marseille is the rumoured player, despite reports in France that the former France Under-21 international is happy at Marseille.

Sanson has four goals and four assists fin 28 games for OM and is a player the club rate extremely highly and hope to hold on to. That said, If Marseille, currently fifth, do not qualify for Europe, the club could opt to sell Sanson, one of the club's most-prized assets, to recoup some of the money.

Either way, as Wolves showed last summer, the new kids on the block are not afraid to pay up for a player they value.

18.31 BST: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney and now... Andy Carroll?

Recent reports have linked the West Ham and England man with a move to MLS and specifically the New England Revolution.

The 30-year-old Carroll has fallen behind Javier Hernandez in the pecking order at the London Stadium and is out of contract at the end of the current season.

Don't get too excited Revs fans, as a club spokesperson told MLSsoccer.com on Thursday that the club is "not interested" in signing the hulking centre-forward.

So Carroll to America seems to be off... for now at least.

18.02 BST: Shifting across the Atlantic for a few moments...

Atlanta United have acquired striker Bienvenue Kanakimana from Czech side MFK Vyskov on loan with an option to buy.

The 19-year-old recently led the Burundian Premier League in goals with 23 and has played for Burundi up to Under-23 level. Kanakimana likely won't crack Atlanta's first team for a while but could be one to monitor for the future.

17.25 BST: We mentioned earlier that Man United are expected to lose Ander Herrera on a free transfer to PSG this summer. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Co. may have zeroed in on a potential replacement if a report in the Evening Standard is to be believed.

The paper writes that Everton's Idrissa Gueye, who was linked heavily with a move to PSG in January, could be recruited to replace Herrera in central midfielder.

Gueye could also be had for a decent price, as recent estimates indicate he could be prised from Goodison Park for around £30 million.

16.47 BST: Attacker Wilfried Zaha has sparkled for Crystal Palace this season, and chairman Steve Parish has said the club has to keep moving forward in order to have a chance of keeping him, the London Evening Standard reports.

15.56 BST: Crystal Palace are among three Premier League sides interested in prolific Birmingham striker Che Adams, according to the Telegraph, which adds that Southampton and Burnley could also make a bid.

15.01 BST: Arsenal were linked with Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Christopher Nkunku during the winter transfer window, and reports in France suggest they could be preparing to make a move for him at the end of the season.

14.32 BST: Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt has been linked with every big club in Europe, and his manager Erik ten Hag has told Suddeutschen Zeitung he'll definitely be departing in a few months.

"There's zero chance Matthijs de Ligt is staying at Ajax," he said. "There are so many clubs interested in him. He will leave us this summer, but I don't know whether he'll join Bayern or Barcelona."

13.57 BST: Burnley manager Sean Dyche has said he could offer veteran striker Peter Crouch, at the club on a short-term deal, a contract extension. "He's certainly done enough to be in our thinking of what he can do," Dyche told a news conference. "You can see he's got the competitive edge it takes to stay at the top level."

13.23 BST: Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus will scrap it out for the signature of Lyon midfielder Tanguy Ndombele in the summer, the Mirror, citing reports in France, says. It adds that Ndombele could cost up to £90m.

12.53 BST: Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said he will continue to pick Ander Herrera for the rest of the season despite the Spaniard nearing an Old Trafford exit.

Sources have told ESPN FC that the midfielder is expected to leave on a free transfer in the summer and is close to committing to Paris Saint-Germain.

12.27 BST: Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool and Everton are all interested in Ajax winger David Neres, Bild reports.

11.39 BST: Inter defender Milan Skriniar's agent has said Atletico Madrid were interested in signing him when he was at Sampdoria, "but now there's nothing," while despite rumours of interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona, "there are no negotiations open."

10.53 BST: Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will turn his attention away from Crystal Palace right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka after being impressed with the form of Diogo Dalot, the Sun reports. It says Solskjaer "would prefer not to have two youngsters in that position" and could instead look to Paris Saint-Germain's Thomas Meunier.

10.26 BST: Eintracht Frankfurt coach Adi Hutter has said he expects Benfica youngster Joao Felix, who has been compared to Cristiano Ronaldo, to be on his way to a big club soon.

Attacking midfielder Felix, 19, became the youngest player to score a Europa League hat trick as Benfica beat Frankfurt 4-2 in Lisbon on Thursday.

"He is a rare talent for Portuguese football and for Benfica," Hutter told reporters. "If he continues to play the way he is, he will not be at Benfica for very long."

10.00 BST: Toni Kroos wants to leave Real Madrid, according to AS, which says such a move could free up space for Paul Pogba or Christian Eriksen, "both very much players to Zidane's taste."

But the player himself has had something to say about it.

09.21 BST: Ajax left-back Nicolas Tagliafico has confirmed he would like to play in the Premier League one day.

The Argentina international is a reported €20m target for Atletico Madrid and Arsenal and, asked about his future, told TyC Sports: "I think the Premier League is the biggest and hardest competition in the world. Being a young football player, you always want to play in Europe and end up playing in the best leagues like the Premier League."

08.56 BST: Neymar's father has been speaking about his son's future and says that, contrary to rumours, Junior is keen to stay at PSG rather than moving back to Barcelona.

He told RMC Sport: "The PSG contract is long. We are only in the second season and even that is not over yet. We have a contract and that is not even at the halfway stage. You need to be relaxed. These sorts of exit rumours will always exist -- you cannot have a player like Neymar without the people and clubs that dream of signing him.

"The supporters can sleep easy -- today, Neymar does not want to leave PSG. He wants to continue in Paris, get back on the pitch and help the club to win titles."

08.30 BST: Diario As reports that Atletico Madrid will have to pay Ruben Dias' release clause of €60m to acquire the Portugal international this summer.

Atletico are in the race to acquire the Benfica centre-back, also a reported target for Manchester United and Juventus, who scored in Benfica's 4-2 triumph over Eintracht Frankfurt in Thursday's Europa League quarterfinal first leg.

Dias is just one of the defenders Atletico are monitoring, with the club having announced the departure of Lucas Hernandez to Bayern Munich for his €80m release clause, while Uruguay centre-back Diego Godin is expected to leave on a free at the end of the season.

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ESPN FC's Shaka Hislop breaks down the latest transfer rumours, including: Ruben Neves, Adrien Rabiot, Antonio Valencia and more.

PAPER TALK (by Stephen Wright) Chelsea transfer ban to determine Kovacic future

Chelsea will sign midfielder Mateo Kovacic on a permanent deal in the summer if their appeal against a transfer ban succeeds, according to CalcioMercato.

FIFA imposed a two-window ban in March over breaches of rules over the signing of overseas under-18 players..

The club began an appeal on Thursday, with Kovacic set to become a long-term Chelsea player should the ban be overturned.

But if Chelsea's appeal does not succeed, they will be resigned to letting Kovacic return to Madrid.

Goalkeeper clearout at Burnley?

With Tom Heaton currently above them in the pecking order, both Nick Pope and Joe Hart could leave Burnley in the summer, the Mail reports.

Pope has found game time hard to come by since Heaton's return from injury, with Hart being dropped after some uncertain performances.

Bournemouth are understood to be among the clubs interested in Pope, while Anders Lindegaard could return to Burnley as their backup option.

Tap-ins

- Teenage Barcelona target Luka Jovic, on loan to Frankfurt from Benfica, isn't ready to join Barca at this stage because of fears he would not get game time, his father has told Bild.

- Everton loanees Andre Gomes and Kurt Zouma will stay at Goodison Park next season if Marco Silva gets his way, according to the Telegraph.

- ESPN FC sources have said Ander Herrera will leave Manchester United for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer -- but L'Equipe says Arsenal are making a last-ditch effort to keep the midfielder in England.

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The World's Biggest Soccer Clubs Find A 'Smarter' Way To Scout Transfer Targets

Polish striker Krzysztof Piatek was signed by Genoa in Italy's Serie A after a scout found him on Wyscout. Now playing for AC Milan, he is said to be valued at nearly nine times the €7 million Genoa paid to sign him. (ASSOCIATED PRESS Photo/Luca Bruno).

Matteo Campodonico's eureka moment arrived in the messy office of a sporting director at a "top club" from Italy's Serie A.

"I was with the sporting director and the (club) president called him and asked him to watch, once again, a player they were thinking of buying," Campodonico told me in an interview.

"In front of me, the sporting director could not find the DVD of the player, because at that time sports directors had thousands of DVDs of players on their desk. They decided not to buy the player because they could not find the DVD.

"At that moment I thought 'ok let's create a super database where you have all players in the world and you can access videos in real time'."

Campodonico is CEO of Wyscout, a digital platform for the soccer industry that collects and analyses video and performance data from players and matches across the world.

Wyscout founders including CEO Matteo Campodonico (center).

Wyscout

The journey that led the former business analyst to a sporting director's disorganized desk started in 2001. Campodonico and a friend began a "Sunday hobby" of recording and analyzing local amateur soccer matches in Italy.

After showing a DVD of their analysis to a coach at professional club Genoa, the pair began working with other teams in Italy.

"We just continued doing our thing but one day I realized the match analysis space was fully covered by other companies. But the recruitment and scouting areas were still not digitalized," Campodonico said.

Roma manager Claudio Ranieri using Wyscout while he was manager of Leicester City.

Wyscout

"The decision to buy a player was still based on watching DVDs, sometimes provided by the player's agent. It was a big space to change the process for the clubs."

From that initial hobby, the first version of Wyscout was launched in 2004. Today, there are profiles of more than 550,000 players on the database.

It is used by more than 1,000 soccer clubs in 100 countries, heavy hitters like Manchester United, Barcelona and Juventus, as well as international federations and governing bodies like FIFA and UEFA.

"The concept is: we must have any 90 minutes played anywhere in the world. Starting from La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and going to lower divisions. We collect 2,000 games a week from every part of the world," Campodonico said.

"We buy video from the rights holder for this scope. Of course, there are leagues that give us these videos, because they want to be scouted. There are clubs that send us their videos.

"At the beginning we just collected video, today we collect and analyze video. From every video we select more than 2,000 events. We have data that means with a click you can ask the system 'show me an under-18 player that has played more than 80% of minutes, made 80% of accurate passes and made at least one assist this season'.

"This is the potential of big data."

In the competitive global market of soccer transfers, any advantage is valuable.

Genoa, the first club to work with Wyscout, have the platform to thank for uncovering a player who, at the very least, has made them a tidy profit. An agent using Wyscout found Polish striker Krzysztof Piatek, then playing for KS Cracovia in his homeland, and alerted Genoa to his potential.

"Genoa bought him for €7 million and in the summer they sold him to AC Milan for €35 million," Campodonico said.

"AC Milan now claim his value is €60 million."

Such is the level of detail in Wyscout's analysis (300 soccer analysts select video clips and compile data based on 10-15 player "actions" each match), individual professionals have also seen the benefits.

"We have players like (Giorgio) Chiellini using it and (Virgil) Van Dijk," Campodonico said.

"The professional players are interested in preparing for a game. Sometimes it's not enough what the coach is telling you.

"Ajax play Juventus in the Champions League. If I'm a central defender for Ajax, I will watch every single game of (Cristiano) Ronaldo, every single move. I need to train my mind on what Ronaldo is doing."

For Campodonico, Wyscout is an example of a data-driven approach to decision making that will inevitably become more important for soccer.

"For me the next big innovation is data. When we started, scouting was made by video and by watching. In the future, scouting will be based on analysis – on data, on artificial intelligence, and so on," he said.

"In terms of scouting and data analysis, I think we are just at the beginning. Consider that today very few clubs have a data scientist inside the team. I am 100% sure that in five years, every football club will have a data scientist."

However, he still sees the role of the traditional scout as essential in the decision to bid for a player.

"Traditional scouting will always be in the market. But if you are a professional scout, before going to a game you must study.

"Imagine you want to scout the number 10 of a team. You go to a game and maybe the number 10 is sick or plays poorly. If, before going, you have seen that player play 10 games, you arrive with an idea.

"I think today the modern scout is combined. Scouting on video, with data, and then scouting live."

Wyscout, which uses a tiered subscription model, has revenues of €13 million, Campodonico said, and is growing at between 20% and 25% a year. The company employees more than 500.

The business' next challenge is expanding the number of leagues, matches and players it covers, and providing more detailed stats and footage.

"We want to go deeper. We want to educate the clubs to change their minds, to change their processes, to understand the potential," Campodonico said.

"Wyscout means democracy in football – any club can find new talents in a faster way. It's just a matter of understanding and realizing that."

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Soccer insider notes: A look at Ibrahimovic's future with the Galaxy, USMNT injury news and more

It's a busy time on the American soccer scene with Major League Soccer in full swing, and it's going to be an even busier summer with the United States women's national team in the World Cup and the men's team in the Gold Cup. So what are the latest rumblings around U.S. Soccer and internationally? Here's what to know:

Galaxy hopeful of new deal with Ibrahimovic

What Zlatan Ibrahmovic does after this season is anyone's guess, but the Los Angeles Galaxy plan to sit down with him after this season to discuss another deal, according to sources. 

I'm told Ibrahimovic only wants to commit a year at a time, and the 37-year-old probably doesn't have more than 2-3 seasons left in him, despite his unbelievable fitness. Even with his age, you can't deny his ability and impact. In his first season with the Galaxy, he had 22 goals in 27 games. So far this season, he's got four goals in three games. 

He's enjoying life in Los Angeles and the Galaxy are off to a quality start, sitting third in the Western Conference. The Galaxy are hopeful in re-signing him he stays healthy, and if the team makes some noise in the postseason, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him sign another one-year deal to try and bring a title to the city. But if he does leave, I have an idea who they may target (more on that below).

Pulisic and McKennie injury updates

Borussia Dortmund and USMNT star Christian Pulisic returned to training on Wednesday, but he's still considered limited. He only began working with the ball on Tuesday and is yet to fully return to a complete training session. Sources tell CBS Sports they are confident he'll return to the field before the end of April, but his return to training from the muscle tear is a positive sign that he could be back sooner rather than later. 

As for Weston McKennie, it didn't look good for him in March when he was injured on international duty. There was an immediate concern he could possibly be out for this summer's Gold Cup, but that's not the case at all. A source close to Schalke tells CBS Sports that he is indeed progressing well and is expected to return in the coming weeks -- and that's huge because his team needs him. Schalke is five points clear of relegation but far from safe.

Another source told CBS Sports that his specific timetable to return is around 3-4 weeks, but I've also been hearing he could potentially come back in two weeks if all goes well. 

The good news for USMNT fans is he's expected to be perfectly fit for the Gold Cup in June.

Berhalter eyeing Galaxy's Corona

Joe Corona, 28, who signed with Los Angeles Galaxy back in March, could find himself back with the national team before long. USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter attended training Wednesday morning, sources told CBS Sports. Berhalter has already called up his teammate Sebastian Lletget, but Corona is a guy he's keeping an eye on, according to a source. He's a high-energy player who is also versatile. He can help by pushing forward but also has the ability to get back and help defend. The source said Berhalter wants to see Corona a play a bit more and that he's someone he is keeping in mind. 

This Boca Juniors player could be next South American star in MLS

One big name to keep an eye on in regards to a future MLS transfer is that of Argentina national team striker Dario Benedetto of Boca Juniors. The star striker has been fantastic since joining Boca in 2015 after a move from America of Mexico. He's got 43 goals in 67 games for the Argentine giants, and rumors are swirling that he could be on his way out of Boca in December if a big enough transfer fee comes through. 

A source close to the 28-year-old vet told me that he is intrigued by Major League Soccer, while admitting that Europe is the more attractive option. The Los Angeles Galaxy have shown interest in the past, and it makes perfect sense because current coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto was the one to sign him to Boca Juniors back in 2016, and it's safe to say he knows him well. They have a great relationship, and he could be a target if Ibrahimovic isn't re-signed by the team next season, though he wouldn't come cheap. Boca Juniors likely values him around $12-$16 million. 

The interest is there from the Galaxy, but any pursuit will depend on what happens with Ibrahimovic. 

USWNT's Morgan the key to World Cup repeat

As Alex Morgan goes, so does the USWNT. She's got 100 international goals in 71 games, and in those matches the U.S. has never lost. That's 61 wins and 10 draws. Morgan already has a winning percentage of 93 percent with the national team, but the fact that the team is unbeaten when she finds the net obviously details her importance. 

If she puts together a quality tournament in France, there's no reason why the U.S. can't repeat. 

YNT player to watch

One player who has been receiving rave reviews is Christian Cappis of Dutch club Hobro IK. The 19-year-old Texas native is a central midfielder who plays for the U.S. U-20 team coached by Tab Ramos. He's got future USMNT player written all over him if his progression continues. I've been told he's really impressed his coaches for numerous reasons: He's got really good footwork and vision, he covers so much ground in the middle of the pitch and he's a high-character guy who puts his team first. Each team needs one of those guys who loves to do the dirty work and can simply be a menace in the middle, and he's a player with a bright future to keep on your radar. Here he is scoring the second goal in the U-20 MNT's 2-1 win over Japan in Spain:

You can watch the United States men's national team, MLS and more on fuboTV (Try for free).

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CORRECTED-Soccer-Spurs hat-trick hero Lucas reminds Pochettino of his qualities

By Ken Ferris

LONDON, April 13 (Reuters) - Tottenham Hotspur's Lucas Moura has not played a major part in their season so far but the Brazilian's stunning hat-trick in a 4-0 victory over Huddersfield Town on Saturday showed he is ready to step up in the absence of the injured Harry Kane.

Forward Lucas struck his first treble since moving to Europe and joining Paris St Germain in 2013 as Spurs cemented their position in the Premier League top four with a thumping win over the already-relegated visitors at their new stadium.

He fired their second goal in the first half with a low drive, after Victor Wanyama had opened the scoring, and found the net again with two deadly strikes in six minutes near the end of a match Spurs always looked like winning comfortably.

The 26-year-old Lucas was understandably all smiles at the end and even brought his one-year-old son Miguel on to the pitch after the final whistle to the delight of the home fans.

"It was very emotional for him," manager Mauricio Pochettino, who made seven changes to his team, told reporters. "It's his first hat-trick in Europe. It's a nice moment for him to share this with his son and his family.

"When you have 25 players they need to have the opportunity to play. I'm happy for Lucas. His hat-trick is going to help his confidence. We have a very tough period ahead. We need all the players and with confidence it's going to be better."

Lucas, who started out playing for Sao Paulo and has 35 caps for Brazil, joined Spurs from PSG in the 2018 January transfer window for a reported fee of 25 million pounds ($32.70 million) with Pochettino hoping his electric pace would unlock defences.

After scoring twice in a 3-0 win at Manchester United in August he seemed set to light up the English top flight this season but although the Brazilian has made 27 appearances in the Premier League this term many have been off the bench.

On Saturday, he provided a finishing masterclass that impressed Pochettino as Lucas staked a claim for a more regular starting spot, especially with Spurs talisman Kane sidelined for several weeks with an ankle injury.

"I have no words to explain this moment," Lucas said. "I'm happy first for my team. We did very well today with a good performance and, of course, to score my first hat-trick here in the new stadium with my family and son here... I am so happy."

A place in the starting lineup against Manchester City in Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg, which Spurs lead 1-0, would ensure he keeps a smile on his face.

"Now we have a good battle in Manchester; we need from now to recover for this game and prepare very well," he added. "It will be so hard there but if we play like we did today we can go there and get a good result and we can qualify."

($1 = 0.7645 pounds) (Reporting by Ken Ferris; Editing by Clare Fallon)

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Soccer Study: Analyzing Brad Smith’s Sounders contract and MLS loans

Editor's note: This story is one in an occasional series by Seattle Times reporter Jayda Evans pulling the curtain back for a look at what she's learning in her first year on the Sounders beat. By chronicling her access, exploration and explanation, we hope you might learn something in the process, too.

The Sounders' dip into soccer's loan game has been hardest on Thor.

The French bulldog was left home in Bournemouth, England, a coastal resort city 107 miles southwest of London, when defender Brad Smith signed last August to play for the Sounders.

"It's a shame," said Smith, who left his native Australia for England at 14. "His breed wouldn't allow him to fly into Seattle. He could only fly into L.A. and then it would be a drive, which is like 20 hours, and I didn't want to put him through that."

Smith's matter-of-fact nature about leaving the 2-year-old pup with friends — and his  home empty — comes from an odd security in uncertainty. His Sounders contract is a short-term loan, where AFC Bournemouth still maintains Smith's rights, but the Sounders are paying about half of Smith's $1.14 million salary ($564,364.67) to have him play in Seattle.

The deal is yet another in Major League Soccer's continued attempt to be regarded among the world's best. League commissioner Don Garber first announced in 2013 his goal to reach elite status by 2022 and continues to trumpet the dream like a morning affirmation.

In 2016, a former New York Red Bulls coach, Jesse Marsch, who is  currently an assistant for RB Leipzig in Germany, told Sports Illustrated it's "not impossible, (it's) improbable." That's a fair assessment, especially considering the U.S. men's national team failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

MLS being on par with some of the world's best, such as the Premier League (England), Bundesliga (Germany), Serie A (Italy), La Liga (Spain) and Ligue 1 (France), in three more years seems a tad lofty.

But then there's Smith, a 24-year-old left back who began training professionally at age 14 with Liverpool of  the English Premier League. That league is ranked among the best in the world, with a market value of $9.71 billion, according to transfermarkt.us.

Within the past 13 months, MLS signed Premier League stars Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Los Angeles Galaxy) and Wayne Rooney (D.C. United). They tore up the league, with Ibrahimovic finishing as the third player in MLS history to score 20 or more goals and register 10 assists in a season while Rooney, a five-time Premier League champion, helped a flatlining club spark a playoff run.

But those players are in their 30s. And Seattle's last English Premier League player, Tyrone Mears, was 31 when he signed. Smith coming here as a rising player with talent good enough for the best and seeing value in MLS says a lot.

It also strikes immediate concern because his loan expires June 30. It's natural to immediately count up the games and wonder about strategy with that deadline — and Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer is quick to point out the team's depth with Nouhou, a talented 21-year-old who made his professional debut in 2015 in Cameroon.

"I'd like to know where I'm going to be and I'm enjoying my time here, so it's difficult," said Smith, whose fiancee and newborn are in Seattle with him. "I felt I was going to go out on loan this year regardless of where I was. I needed to go out and get some games and get some minutes (because) in training, you can only do so much tactical and physical. At the end of the day, you improve by playing games. That's where I had a hold. I improved a lot at Bournemouth, technically and stuff, but I wasn't getting the minutes I needed. Coming out here to get the minutes, I definitely think I'm improving and getting confidence with this team, which is really good."

Part of the reason Smith felt comfortable coming to MLS is the league's four-year contract to broadcast matches on Britain's Sky Sports in 2015. He'd watch on TV and was impressed with the Sounders' crowds. The Sounders averaged about 40,000 fans per game in 2018, which can compete with the English Premier League's mid- to lower-tier teams. Bournemouth has the EPL's smallest stadium at about 11,500 seats, compared with CenturyLink Field's typical reduced capacity of about 41,000 for soccer.

When asked about the mental aspect of having a looming date of when you could be recalled by Bournemouth, Smith turned the topic to one I'm trying to avoid in taking over the Sounders beat — basketball.

"I love basketball," he said. "So, vice versa, we don't have the whole trading thing in England. That's a bit different for anyone who's from Europe. That's what's hard. Especially for the people who've been traded. You find out you've been traded and that's it. I think it's quite strange, and it happens in all of the sports in the U.S. It would be hard because if you've settled somewhere and then the next day you get traded, what if you bought a house? It's not like that in England. You're on loan and you're going back."

Suddenly, loans appear more civilized.

And MLS needs them, along with transfers, to reach an elite status on the global scale. With Smith, the Sounders bought into the global market, but their aim is to have a player like expected first-team signee Danny Leyva, a 15-year-old midfielder groomed in their academy system, be of value to loan out internationally, where the Sounders would be paid. There's no immediate plan to loan out Leyva, but it's an option for Sounders general manager Garth Lagerwey.

"If with Danny Leyva we determine there's no spot for him, it doesn't make any sense for him not to play," Lagerwey said. "Then you're going to loan him out to say, 'Hey, you're not going to develop with us, but you can develop over there.'"

Last winter's start to MLS transfer window was the hottest ever for the league as a record amount of its players were sent out to leagues across the globe, the biggest signing being New York midfielder Tyler Adams' reported $3 million sale to RB Leipzig.

"It's a reflection that the league is getting younger and we're becoming more of a participant in the global marketplace — becoming a league of choice," Lagerwey said. "Younger players are seeing this as a gateway to their development."

And Thor will just have to wait.

Jayda Evans: 206-464-2067 or jevans@seattletimes.com; on Twitter: @JaydaEvans. Jayda Evans covers the Sounders. She offers observations, critiques, and occasional offbeat tales. Evans also has written a book on the Storm and women's hoops titled, "Game On!"

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Soccer stars to attend Warwick sports facility's grand opening

Daniel Axelrod Times Herald-Record @dan_axelrod

WARWICK – Christian Fuchs said he felt "love at first sight" late last year in Warwick.

The English Premier League defender wasn't gazing at his wife, Raluca Gold-Fuchs. He was touring The Yard sports complex at the former Mid-Orange Correctional Facility, just before he and Raluca bought it out of bankruptcy for $4 million in November.

Now, the couple is improving the newly renamed Hudson Sports Complex, hatching ambitious plans, and prepping for a June 1 grand opening with a charity scrimmage featuring international soccer stars, following a late January soft opening.

They want to make the site a local mecca for youth sports, including soccer, lacrosse, baseball, football and other sports, while offering free and paid multi-sport camps and clinics.

Plus, they want to host adult soccer games, teach elite American junior soccer players using Fuch's English Premier League-based curriculum, and lure international pros looking to train.

"These are top-notch folks," said Warwick Supervisor Michael Sweeton. "They're super smart, and they've got the resources to create an incredible facility and bring an international spotlight to the Town of Warwick."

So far, the couple has invested $300,000 into remodeling and expanding the site, adding lights for night play, and working on a domed 32-yard-by-74-yard outdoor soccer field. Eventually, they plan to turn an overgrown baseball area into a grass soccer field to accompany two existing outdoor and two indoor synthetic turf fields.

"It's unlimited how much more we want to spend," Gold-Fuchs said. "I don't think investing in the property will stop for a very long time."

Christian Fuchs, 33, and Raluca Gold-Fuchs, 41, have already made the Warwick sports complex home for Christian's Fox Soccer Academy, which also operates in England, Manhattan, and Westchester and Dutchess counties. It's named after the former Austrian National Team captain – "Fuchs" translates to Fox in English – and the Leicester City Football Club's fox mascot.

Fuchs has played in the English city of Leicester, where he helped the team win an improbable Premier League Championship in May 2016, since a free transfer from the Schalke Football Club in 2015.

As for teaching youth soccer, Fuchs said he was inspired, five years ago, after being disappointed with his then-6-year-old son's American soccer training in Manhattan.

"Our experience of having American kids come to the U.K. is that they're great athletes, very physical, but their big issues are with tactical awareness, positioning, decision-making, how to react and how quickly to make decisions," Fuchs said.

He's already spending his spare time, two or three days a month, in New York, traveling to Warwick to better the sports complex and teach soccer. With a Manhattan home nearby, Fuchs sees Warwick as a convenient, bucolic base from which to spread his love of soccer.

"The first time I saw (the Warwick site) live, I literally fell in love with it," Fuchs said. "It's simply an area where I want to spend every day at a training facility, with the lake, the fields and the feeling you have when you enter the facility."

daxelrod@th-record.com

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Liga MX transfer news: The latest rumors and chisme in Mexican soccer

© Hector Vivas River could turn to Barovero

Marcelo Barovero could make his return to River Plate this summer, according to TNT Sports Latin America .

With the chances goalkeeper Franco Armani will leave after the Copa America increasingly high with suitors in Europe and Colombia, Los Millonarios would move to bring Barovero in again. The Argentine goalkeeper currently plays with Monterrey but is on loan from Necaxa.

Kuri sets price for Veracruz

Veracruz owner Fidel Kuri wants $50 million for the club, according to MedioTiempo .

The Tiburones Rojos are set to be relegated but could pay a 120 million peso (around $6.25 million) fee to keep their spot in the first division.

The Mexican federation and other club owners don't want that to happen if Kuri still owns the club, but he's willing to sell. A group of businessmen from Monterrey are interested in buying but have been put off not only by the asking price but by the debt the club currently has on the books.

PSV, Ajax to battle for Alvarez

Both Ajax and PSV have spoken with people close Club America and Mexico defender Edson Alvarez, according to De Telegraaf   

PSV is hoping to move quickly, but Ajax could more easily pay Las Aguilas' asking price of €10 million (£9m/$11m).

Able to play center back, defensive midfielder or even right back, the versatile 21-year-old also has been the target of interest from Celtic and Ajax but PSV has a long history of signing Mexican players. The report indicates there also is interest from Serie A with Inter, Atalanta and Fiorentina keeping Alvarez on the radar.

Earlier this year,  Eindhoven Dagblad reported PSV was high on the defender but had lost interest in signing Monterrey attacker Rodolfo Pizarro. The report noted, however, that the interest that previously existed for Rodolfo Pizarro has died out since the former Chivas playmaker made his move north to Monterrey.

Herrera heading to Atletico

Hector Herrera has reached an agreement to join Atletico Madrid and is set to sign a five-year deal with the club, according to Marca .

Last month, Portuguese newspaper   O Jogo   reported Herrera had been convinced of Diego Simeone's vision and was ready to join Los Colchoneros.  The Mexico midfielder is set to spurn Inter after the Italian club's long courtship, along with Roma and Milan opting instead to play in La Liga. Herrera's Porto contract expires this summer, allowing him to move on a free. 

Cardona shoots down River links 

Pachuca attacker Edwin Cardona took to Instagram to shoot down a link to River Plate.

A graphic appeared online that claimed to feature a quote from the former Boca Juniors No. 10 in which he said he was open to the possibility of stepping in for his injured countryman Juan Fernando Quintero with Los Millonarios. Cardona noted that he never spoke to anyone about potentially going to River and that he's presently focused on Pachuca.

Napoli holding off United for Lozano 

Napoli is working to sign Hirving Lozano as Manchester United steps up its interest in the player, according to  Gazzetta dello Sport .

In the winter, Il Mattino  reported that Lozano's agent Mina Riaola and the Serie A side had an agreement but Napoli wasn't yet willing to meet PSV's $40 million asking price. Now, Manchester United is stepping its interest and working with Rialoa, spurring Napoli to attempt to lock things down before another club swoops in to sign him.

The 23-year-old PSV player has stood out since moving abroad from Pachuca and garnered attention from a number of top clubs.

America may part ways with Menez

Club America is considering parting ways with midfielder Jeremy Menez this offseason, according to  Esto .

The Frenchman still has six months remaining on his contract with Las Aguilas but his recovery from an ACL injury was followed up with another injury, and America is considering setting the player loose early to free up an international place. 

Bundesliga club interested in Santos defender

Werder Bremen is keeping a close eye on Santos Laguna right back Jose Abella, according to Televisa .

The Bundesliga side is interested in the defender, who could command a transfer fee of 3 million euros, though it's also looking at other options in the Americas. 

La Maquina looking at Fernandez

Cruz Azul is looking to get ahead of others in the race to sign Brian Fernandez, according to  Record .

Necaxa is open to selling the Argentine in the summer but already are bumping up the starting point for offers from $10 million to $12 million. The 24-year-old has eight goals so far this season, putting him second in Liga MX.

FMF pursuing LA Galaxy's Alvarez

Efrain Alvarez is in line for a Mexico call-up, perhaps as soon as this summer's Gold Cup, according to ESPN .

However, the United States remains an option for the 16-year-old, who made his MLS debut and had an assist for the LA Galaxy in 2-1 win over the Chicago Fire.

Chivas ready to play hardball for Macias

Chivas are in no rush to sell forward Jose Juan Macias to Leon, according to  Record .

Currently on loan with Leon, Macias has four goals in five matches. However, Chivas have put a price of $15 million on the 19-year-old to join Leon full-time after the season.

The high clause was inserted in part because of Grupo Pachuca, which owns Leon and Pachuca, driving a hard bargain and demanding $8 million for goalkeeper Rodolfo Cota in the 2018 Clausura.

Cruz Azul considering move for Milan midfielder

Cruz Azul is looking to bring in AC Milan midfielder Jose Mauri in the summer, according to  Sport Mediaset .

The 22-year-old has played in only four Serie A matches this season and is set to leave the club on a free after the season concludes.

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Saints notebook: Carroll College football adds transfer safety Cyle Watts, school holds Halo Awards

HELENA â€" The Carroll College football team added transfer safety Cyle Watts to its 2019 recruiting class.

Watts broke the news on Twitter Sunday afternoon saying, “Thank you to all the schools that recruited me, and even a bigger thank you to my family for standing by my side through the ups and downs. With that being said, I will be continuing my education and football career at Carroll College.”

Watts spent last season at Reedley College in Reedley, California, where he played in nine games and recorded 10 total tackles. Prior to Reedley, Watts was at NAIA Warner University in Lake Wales, Florida, but said he didn’t like the culture so he decided to transfer.

“I just think Carroll is the best program for me,” Watts said. “It just felt like family”

Watts, who graduated from Alonso High School in Tampa, Florida, joins defensive backs Brian FauntLeRoy and Matt Kvech in an already deep secondary.

Starke, Taylor recognized at Halo Awards

Jenna Starke and Jonathan Taylor took home the St. Sebastian Award at the second annual Halo Awards Saturday night.

The St. Sebastian Award goes to to the top two student-athletes that exemplify Carroll College the most in athletics, academics and throughout the community.

Starke, a Helena High graduate, is a junior on the volleyball and a servant leader with College Christian Fellowship. She also volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Rocky Mountain Care Center.

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Taylor is planning to graduate this spring and has done mission trips to Brazil to build churches and schools while coaching soccer clinics. He has also coached inner-city youth soccer in Chicago and was a student leader with the College Christian Fellowship.

Other awards handed out included Match Burnham winning Male Player of the Year, Hannah Dean winning Female Player of the Year, Matt Wyman and Anna ApRoberts winning Most Outstanding Scholar Athletes, the women’s basketball team being recognized for most community involvement and Catie Nygren winning the Saints Spirit Award.

Also, former football coach Mike Van Diest was given the Carroll Athletics Servant Leadership Award.

Two track and field freshmen qualify for nationals

Carroll College freshmen Shamrock Campbell and Noah Majerus qualified for nations at the WAR meet in Spokane, Washington, this past weekend.

Campbell, who is just weeks removed from playing point guard during the Carroll men’s basketball NAIA Tournament run, finished with a distance of 14.31 meters in the triple jump.

Majorus also finished second in the 800 run in 1 minute, 53.56 seconds.

The Saints’ next track meet is Saturday in Missoula.

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'He's a great player' - Emery hails Barcelona's Umtiti amid Arsenal transfer talk

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has heaped praise on Samuel Umtiti, labelling him a "great player", amid speculation the north London outfit could move for the Barcelona centre-back

As reported by Goal, Barca are willing to listen to offers for Umtiti this summer as they look to raise funds to sign Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt.

Watch Premier League in August 2019 | Soccer Live Streaming | DAZN CA

Umtiti has spent much of the season recovering from a knee injury and has fallen behind Clement Lenglet in the pecking order to partner Gerard Pique.

Arsenal have been one of the club's linked with the 25-year-old - along with Manchester United - and Emery has not been backward about expressing his admiration for him.

"He's a very good player," he told RMC Sport of the former Lyon man. "France has a lot of very good footballers who are playing abroad.

"The French league is a very attractive market for a lot of teams.

"I've always had French players in my teams. At Valencia, Sevilla, PSG and here at Arsenal.

"I've always been able to count on those players."

Another player who Emery is full of praise for is Mesut Ozil.

The midfielder had been linked with a move away from the Emirates amid disquiet in some quarters about his attitude and impact on the field.

And an act of petualance when the German threw his coat after being substituted in Sunday's 1-0 defeat at Everton, addied to speculation he is not happy at the club.

But his manager said: "He works very hard, plays really well and helps us a lot. I'm happy to have him."

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Soccer: Klopp defends Spurs transfer inactivity under Pochettino

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Champions League - Round of 16 First Leg - Liverpool v Bayern Munich - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - February 19, 2019 Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp reacts during the match Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine/File Photo

(Reuters) - Tottenham Hotspur's stance in the transfer market should be applauded and manager Mauricio Pochettino deserves more credit for not investing in his squad during the last two windows, Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp has said.

Spurs are the first team in the Premier League era not to sign a player in consecutive transfer windows but despite the lack of fresh faces they are on their way to finish in the top four for a fourth consecutive season.

"In England, the country of transfers, if you don't do transfers then that's a really big headline," Klopp told Sky Sports ahead of Sunday's league visit of Spurs.

Pochettino's side were able to keep up with big-spending rivals Liverpool and Manchester City in the title race up until February, but have since dropped to 15 points off the top.

Tottenham's new 62,000-seater stadium could prove to be a financial burden, with early estimates that it would cost around 700 million pounds ($913 million) having jumped towards one billion pounds according to British media reports.

"I'm sure Mauricio Pochettino would have loved to have added but the players, but the first team of Tottenham is difficult to improve," Klopp added.

"From that point of view, if you have the right team together, you don't have to be too busy in the transfer market. But the players you have you can improve as well. Maybe they are better than the boy you wanted to buy.

"I respect their way a lot. At the end we all have to make our own decisions. I don't know why they did it, but most of the time if you don't make transfers it is because of money."

($1 = 0.7667 pounds)

Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge

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It's time to better legislate soccer's transfer market, which is dishonest at best and harmful at worst

The rules on tampering, or tapping-up, the practice of poaching another soccer club's players when their contracts aren't expiring, are quite clear.

"A club intending to conclude a contract with a professional must inform the player's current club in writing before entering into negotiations with him," stipul ates Regulation 18.3 in FIFA's rulebook. And even then, the current club must consent if the contract isn't in its final six months.

And here's the Premier League's wording on the matter, per Section T of its rules: "A club shall be at liberty at any time to make an approach to a player with a view to negotiate a contract with such a player … if he is an out-of-contract player; or in the case of a contract player, with the prior written consent of the club to which he is contracted."

Yet these rules are rarely enforced, and the gray area of flirting with a player without technically negotiating is largely left unaddressed.

Which is what gives us the barely regulated transfer market fueled by winks and hints and back-channel communication between agents and sub-agents and intermediaries. Of coaches sending thinly veiled messages through the me dia, or suggestively congratulating opponents after games.

All the cloak and dagger makes for great drama and spectacle, but it's also one of the soccer's most damaging issues.

It makes for a charade that is at best dishonest and at worst harmful. It needs to be handled.

Here, we turn to Zinedine Zidane and Paul Pogba. France's best playmaker of the past and its generational midfielder of the present. World Cup champions both, having led their nations to the highest accolade in soccer in spite of the controversy surrounding them. In Zidane's case, it was a bit of a dirty streak that led to occasional red cards and a national debate in France over the place of second-generation immigrants in the national team. In Pogba's, it's that showmanship and apparent aloofness that can give some the wrong impression about him.

Zinedine Zidane seems to be openl y recruiting Manchester United's Paul Pogba. Why is it allowed to go unpunished? (Reuters)

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At any rate, Zidane manages Real Madrid, newly re-installed after resigning over the summer and now with a great deal of power and leverage, as the team's savior following a disastrous first three-quarters of the season. Pogba remains at Manchester United, where he was, for a time, the wo rld's most expensive player. He's never entirely convinced his critics over there, in spite of semi-frequent evidence of his genius and a broken-down relationship with his now-fired coach, Jose Mourinho.

Zidane wants Pogba in Madrid.

Pogba wants to play for Zidane.

"All players dream of playing for a club like Real Madrid," Pogba said a month or so ago, according to AS. Then, last week, he repeated ambition of eventually playing for Real and Zidane.

"I like him a lot, that is nothing new," Zidane responded a few days ago, per ESPN. "I know him personally. He is a truly different player. Few players can do what he can. He is a midfielder who can defend, attack, do everything. But he is not my player, he is at Manchester. He has always said that, after Manchester, Madrid has always interested him. So when his experience at Manchester ends, why not come here to Madrid?"

When his experience at Manchester ends. Whenever that may be … *wink wink*

That forced n ow-permanent United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to address the rumors and to downplay what Pogba said, insisting that he was just being polite.

"I've had my chat with Paul and we're fine," he said, via the Guardian. "He's going to do his utm ost here because he knows I'm very fond of him as a player and a person and he is important for us. There is no issue. … Paul's happy here, he's going to be a big part [here]. I've said before you like to build your team around him and that hasn't changed at all."

Story continues

These open overtures, these negotiations without negotiating, plainly break the rules. But Real almost certainly won't be punished. Such discipline is exceeding ly rare. But this is nevertheless how the outlines of potential deals are sketched. Pogba's superagent Mino Raiola, for his part, has already gotten word out that he expects 10 percent of what would almost certainly be a nine-figure transfer fee. Of course.

It's the lack of transparency in the market, the lack of enforcement of rules that are unambiguous, that make it such a cesspit of graft, manipulation and shady characters.

It's also what allows agents and a coterie of intermediaries to drain enormous sums of money out of the sport, often for having done very little. When there isn't just one club making an approach to another and a player agent working out a contract when a fee has been negotiated, you enable all sorts of profiteering.

A shadowy netherworld of dealers and fixers, who have previously trafficked underage players and outright extorted players and clubs, kicks into gear. And this global meat market has , on occasion, even proved dangerous.

The travel arrangements following the late Emiliano Sala's transfer from Nantes to Cardiff City were sketchy at best. (Associated Press)

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When Argentine striker Emiliano Sala was sold from Nantes to Cardiff City in January, the little private plane that would plunge into the Atlantic as he traveled to complete his transfer was arranged by a string of connections in this Byzantine network of agents – that is no longer even licensed by FIFA, as it once was.

According to ESPN's reporting, a well-known agent who had no involvement in the deal arranged a plane for Sala through his son, who actually played for Cardiff himself. The son then booked return flights through a pilot who often did these kind of jobs, but who then delegated the actual flying to a second pilot. Sala was alarmed by the ri ckety airplane and was, as it all tragically turned out, right to be.

Certainly, there's no telling if a better-regulated market would have saved Sala. That's probably a stretch. But the point stands that a cleaner transfer system would weed out a good amount of the sketchy figures and operators.

There's a model for this. In Major League Baseball and the NBA, players, coaches and executives simply aren't allowed to recruit anyone from other teams, whether publicly or privately. In a recent memo to players, the NBA reiterated that, "Conduct that interferes with contractual employment relationships is prohibited." Those kind of Zidane-Pogba exchanges wouldn't be permissible.

The punishments are modest in North American sports, but it creates a clear framework for what's allowable and what isn't. In the NFL, there's even an anti-tampering rule barring interviewing of front office members of other teams if they have roster-decision powers. It doesn't always work – tampering has been rampant in the NBA lately – but at least there's an effort to get it under control.

A little more oversight on transfers won't clean up a pervasively crooked sport like soccer, but it's a start. And it would do right by the players.

The rules are clear. Now let's abide by them.

Leander Schaerlaeckens is a Yahoo Sports soccer columnist and a sports communication lecturer at Marist College. Follow him on Twitter @LeanderAlphabet.

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MLS cult heroes: The players who stood out for reasons other than soccer

In its 24th season, Major League Soccer is a relatively young league. It lacks the history of its contemporaries in Europe and South America, or even its rival sports in North America.

Yet in that span of time, there have been a handful of players who have transcended the league's limitations, players whose reputations have been woven into the fabric of MLS folklore. ESPN FC asked its contributors which players never quite established themselves as superstars on the pitch, but whose personalities made them cult heroes to all who watched them.

Fredy Montero | Forward | 2009-2014, 2017, 2019-

Why he's a cult hero: Seattle's first MLS iconMLS clubs played for: Seattle Sounders, Vancouver Whitecaps

Seattle was a soccer-crazy town, searching for a cult hero. Fredy Montero arrived on loan in 2009 and immediately took up the mantle.

He thrived in the dark, rainy, cold climate, very different from his native Colombia. Finding the back of the net translates across borders. Montero scored nine goals in his first nine preseason games, then tallied the first and third goals in the club's MLS franchise history and won the league's Player of the Week for his efforts in the debut and Player of the Month for the inaugural month of the campaign. In total, he'd score 47 goals in four seasons for the Sounders, still atop the team's MLS goals chart.

Fredy Montero established himself in the first years of the Seattle Sounders' MLS existence. Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

He did little things, too, such as honoring Venezuelan Felix Hernandez's perfect game during a goal celebration in August 2012. Montero's uneven play and long, drawn-out loan and transfer saga hurt his standing some, but once a cult hero, always a cult hero. He bounced around after leaving Seattle -- Colombia to Portugal to China. Now, of course, the three-time MLS All-Star is back in MLS, playing for the loathed Vancouver Whitecaps. As if the Cascadia Cup needed any more drama.

-- Noah Davis (@noahedavis)

Why he's a cult hero: The homegrown ZlatanMLS clubs played for: LA Galaxy, Chivas USA, Toronto FC, San Jose Earthquakes, Colorado Rapids, Chicago Fire

There's a little bit of Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Alan Gordon. The height's about the same, as are the free-flowing locks. Both players produced goals upon goals upon goals; Zlatan's 500-plus far outpacing Gordon's 76, obviously, but if your Major League Soccer team needed a last-ditch tally, the target man from Long Beach, Calif. was your guy for a decade and a half. (He was also an underrated passer, his deft touch to Eddie Johnson that produced a game winner in Jamaica and helped the United States qualify for the 2014 World Cup serving as a shining example.) And they both found team success, Gordon winning MLS Cups with the LA Galaxy in 2005 and 2014, a Canadian Championship with Toronto FC in 2011, and the Supporters' Shield in 2012 with the San Jose Earthquakes.

But the closest similarity is the joy with which they played and the fun they had, on and off the field. Soccer is a serious business, a high-pressure job. It's also a game. Gordon recognized these competing realities, delivering between the lines, appreciating the success the former sixth-round pick made through his effort, desire, heart, and skill, and letting fans enjoy the ride along with him.

Alan Gordon became an MLS folk hero through his timely goals and larger-than-life personality. Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports

For proof, look no further back than 2015 when Gordon, along with Dan Gargan, starred in a web series in which they, among other things, hung out in a hot tub and got Sebastian Lletget to teach them how to take a selfie. Perhaps in retirement he can bring the show back, starting with a certain Galaxy star from Sweden?

-- Noah Davis (@noahedavis)

Steven Lenhart | Forward | 2008-2016

Why he's a cult hero: The blue-collar Bash BrotherMLS clubs played for: Columbus Crew, San Jose Earthquakes

One half of the San Jose Earthquakes forward duo known as the "Bash Brothers," Lenhart was the kind of player who drove opponents absolutely nuts with play that straddled the line between physical and dirty. Former LA Galaxy and current Atlas defender Omar Gonzalez said of Lenhart, "You just get checked by Lenhart or something. It's just dumb s--- like that happens every time, and that's not the way the game should be played." Another rival manager once derisively referred to Lenhart as "the checking line."

But Lenhart was adored in San Jose, with his blue-collar ethos meshing perfectly with the fans that occupied Buck Shaw Stadium, the team's amenity-free home at the time. This was especially true during the magical Supporters' Shield-winning season in 2012 when Lenhart, fellow Bash Brother Alan Gordon, and that year's league MVP Chris Wondolowski, led the Quakes to an astonishing 72 goals. Lenhart's style was no frills, pure physicality, with his prowess in the air helping him score 10 goals that season. More importantly, he created loads of space for the stealthy Wondolowski.

Steven Lenhart's blue-collar play endeared him to the San Jose Earthquakes faithful. Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

That year witnessed Lenhart at his peak, with injuries limiting him to 35 league appearances across the next two seasons, and no appearances at all in the two years that followed. But San Jose fans will long have warm memories of a player who sparked the Quakes to a brief revival.

-- Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle)

Clint Mathis | Forward | 1998-2003, 2005-2010

Why he's a cult hero: The swashbuckling SouthernerMLS clubs played for: LA Galaxy, New York/New Jersey MetroStars, Real Salt Lake, Colorado Rapids, New York Red Bulls

After "Waldo," and before "Deuce," there was "Cletus."

Clint Mathis arrived on the MLS scene in 1998 when he was drafted by the LA Galaxy, where his Southern drawl from his Georgia upbringing saw teammates hang the nickname "Cletus" on him. He was a rising talent when a midseason trade to the MetroStars in 2000 -- so that the Galaxy could get their hands on Mexico international Luis Hernandez -- put Mathis' career into overdrive, and revealed a player that American fans hadn't often seen.

He was a brash, swashbuckling, fiercely competitive performer who scored some jaw-dropping goals, including a half-field slalom through the Dallas Burn defense in 2001 that earned him that season's Goal of the Year award. He was quintessentially American in a manner similar to what Eric Wynalda provided in the preceding decade, someone who could deliver the unexpected and then tell everyone about it.

Clint Mathis was one of MLS' most fierce, outspoken competitors. Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Mathis was never quite the same player after tearing his ACL in 2001, but he still managed to provide some magical moments, ones that were later replicated by Clint Dempsey. There was the goal that the Mohawk-adorned Mathis scored in the 2002 World Cup in a 1-1 tie against hosts South Korea, a result that helped the U.S. progress to the knockout stages.

Later, during a stint with German club Hannover 96 came the most "Cletus" moment of all. Upset that he hadn't started a match against Schalke, Mathis came off the bench and scored, and then ran over to manager Ewald Lienen and pointed at an imaginary watch on his wrist, as if to say, "You should have put me in the match long ago."

Mathis bounced around MLS in his later years, although he was part of Real Salt Lake's MLS Cup-winning side in 2009. Yet his style and personality, for both club and country, made him beloved everywhere he went.

-- Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle)

Roger Levesque | Forward | 2003-2005, 2009-2012

Why he's a cult hero: Scrapping his way into Seattle loreMLS clubs played for: San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders

Levesque managed a feat very few players have over the course of modern MLS history: He made the move up with a lower-division club who jumped to MLS, then stuck around for more than brief cameo. Levesque earned the love of Sounders fans as a reminder of where the team came from and because of his knack for scoring goals in big moments. Despite never being a regular with the club post-MLS move, or even being sure of a contract from year to year, Levesque scrapped his way to a place in Sounders lore.

Levesque scored against Portland -- often enough to elevate a player into the Seattle sports pantheon -- and made his goals count with inventive celebrations that will long outlive the man. Levesque's "tree chop" celebration (assisted by Nate Jaqua) after scoring 48 seconds into a 2009 U.S. Open Cup match against the Timbers in Portland is one of the most epic trolls in the rivalry's history. His "scuba diver" celebration against the Red Bulls, in the only multi-goal game of Levesque's MLS career, got international run.

Roger Levesque was among the most beloved Seattle Sounders in the club's formative years in MLS. Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

Levesque played the game with an infectious joy. His success at the second-division level prior to the Sounders' MLS move meant he might have extended his career, and scored more goals, if he left Seattle. But he stayed, taking the role offered, and made the most of it. There's nothing fans love more than a player who shows a love of the club and leaves it all on the field. That was Levesque.

-- Jason Davis (@davisjsn)

Tommy McNamara | Midfielder | 2014-

Why he's a cult hero: Unconventionally flashyMLS clubs played for: Chivas USA, New York City FC, Houston Dynamo

The Legend of Tommy Mac began at Chivas USA, a team that drifts further and further into American soccer mythdom with each passing year. In a team wheezing its way toward an ignominious death, McNamara was a bright spot that burned white hot: unconventional, flashy, with a haircut more typically seen on aging '80s rockers than modern soccer players, McNamara provided a few moments of creative magic before a knee injury ended his season after just six appearances.

McNamara's status as a cult hero followed him to New York City FC after Chivas USA's dissolution. McNamara is a New York kid and fit in perfectly with the idea of the new MLS club as the team of the blue-collar Bronx. Even when McNamara cut off his trademark mullet, he remained a beloved figure that fans pushed to get more time.

Tommy McNamara quickly became a legend at New York City FC. Adam Hunger/USA TODAY Sports

McNamara's status as one of the last two original NYCFC players (the other being David Villa) when he was let go last year will keep him in the hearts of New York fans even as he now plays for Houston. The magic of McNamara is his skill level is just high enough to charm the fans, while not crossing over into full-blown must-start stardom and the demands that status brings. It's a good gig if you can get it, and is the sweet spot where cult heroes live.

-- Jason Davis (@davisjsn)

Juan Toja | Midfielder | 2007-2008, 2012-2013

Why he's a cult hero: The magical mulletMLS clubs played for: FC Dallas, New England Revolution

The mullet. It evokes memories of the 1970s through the '90s, especially in the world of soccer. But after Y2K, the mullet was mostly just a memory, exorcised by buzz cuts and ponytails. Yet one man had the courage to bring it back, and he did so in glorious style in 2007 in MLS.

All hail Colombian midfielder Juan Toja, whose season and a half at FC Dallas is still fondly remembered by the Texas faithful. A player who looked straight out of a 1989 North Texas mall dressed in a denim jacket bearing a Metallica patch on the back, the follically endowed Toja inspired Juan Toja Wig Night, plus a good amount of ribbing from teammates in the training session prior.

Juan Toja's hair and creativity captures the imagination of MLS. Rick Yeatts/MLS

He was also a really good player, known to get physical, while also playing inch-perfect passes on the field. A two-time All-Star in 2007 and 2008, Toja had eight goals and three assists in 43 games with Dallas, before returning to the league in 2012 with the New England Revolution, with whom he played 23 games.

Yet while the hair was flashy and its style matched the panache of his soccer, his personality was much more understated and modest, thus endearing himself to others even more, giving him MLS cult-hero status.

-- Arch Bell (@ArchBell)

Digital Takawira | Forward | 1996-2000

Why he's a cult hero: Capturing the innocence of MLS' early yearsMLS clubs played for: Kansas City Wizards

It is only fitting that one of MLS' early cult heroes was a man whose name was synonymous with the year. The Digital Revolution began to take hold in 1996, and so it was only natural that the first-year league boasted a player by that name: Digital Takawira of the Kansas City Wizards.

However, the Zimbabwean striker hardly played at the 28.8K dial-up speed that was typical of the time. His quick movement and reactions in front of goal made him the perfect poacher in four seasons with the Wizards. He suited up in the franchise's first game back on April 13, 1996, and scored its first ever goal, which would be followed by another 29 over the course of 100 regular season and playoff matches.

Digital Takawira had a name and a presence that encapsulated the early years of MLS. Stephen Dunn /Allsport

Most memorable, though, was his goal-scoring celebration, the "Digital Crawl." After scoring, Takawira would get on all fours and start walking as teammates joined in, grabbing Takawira's ankles and forming a human caterpillar.

While opponents and rival fans didn't take kindly to it -- he claimed that Algeria fans hurled cans at him during an international match -- it was just the type of fodder that embodied the awkward yet innocently fun early days of MLS.

-- Arch Bell (@ArchBell)

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