Hey friends,

Welcome to all 18 new readers this week. 6 days until MLS soccer is back. Let’s get it…

• 🌍️ MLS Supporters Group in Africa

• 🔄 MLS Stock Trading Strategy

• 👬 Messi’s New Midfield Partner

• 😂 Meme of the Week

• ⚽️ Goal of the Week

Kumasinnati

This is one of the cooler stories we’ve come across. It’s about a young man from Ghana who became a die-hard FC Cincinnati fan and started his own supporters group, Kumasinnati. Zaidan Tunechi is from Kumasi, Ghana and he’s been an FCC fan since the club was founded in 2015 as a USL team.

We asked him why he became an FCC fan instead of a big European club to which he replied, “I wanted to be different, to show Ghanaians soccer isn’t just about Europe.” Zaidan would walk over 30 minutes to a bar to watch FCC games. He said at first he had friends who mocked him for waking up in the middle of the night to watch games due to the time difference but that’s changed. Those same friends who mocked him are now a part of his supporter group and have even created their own for other MLS teams. In Ghana there are now Colorado Rapids fans, Nashville SC fans, and others.

Since his presence online grew, FCC fans came to help. Last year FCC fans pitched together to buy him TV and and an Apple TV subscription. Since then his supporters group has grown a ton. Everyone wants to come over to watch with him.

His story even gained attention from the club. Jeff Berding, the Co-CEO of FC Cincinnati was in Ghana for a project and met with Zaidan to present him an official supporters group plaque. They’re now working to get Zaidan and his friends to Cincinnati for a game.

You can support Zaidan and the Kumasinnati supporters group by purchasing their merchandise here.

Most people don’t think of the MLS as a global league but that’s changing. The MLS has players from 81 different countries and 6 continents. We’ll excited to see stories like this more often.

MLS’s Stock Trading Strategy

There’s a silent trend happening in the MLS over the last 5 or so years, and it’s becoming more prominent.

So what is it? A love affair with 24-27-year-olds. And you might guess where this is coming from - Europe. Across the pond, clubs are treating players like stocks on the trading floor. Got a player in the sweet spot of 24-27? That's great, but in four years, they're hitting the back nine of their career. And just like that, their value starts to dip. The result? A frenzy over the young guns, the 18-22 year-olds, pushing their price tags into the stratosphere. But here's the secret, the late bloomers, the ones hitting their stride a tad later, they're getting left in the dust.

Enter the MLS. Take a peek at what's happening in Atlanta with Lagerway, or at LAFC with Bouanga lighting it up. These teams are snapping up players that Europe's big leagues might pass over for being "too old." But in the MLS? They're gold. Think of Josef Martinez, Gio Dos Santos, and Diego Chara, all between 24-27 when they signed. The league's got the cash to make these moves, and suddenly, a few million doesn't just get you a player, it gets you a game-changer.

Messi’s New Midfield Partner

It’s time to get familiar with Federico Redondo. Redondo is a promising 21-year-old Argentinian midfielder whose father Fernando Redondo is a Real Madrid legend. Known for his defensive prowess, spatial awareness, and technical ability, Federico fits the mold of a perfect midfield partner for Messi.

Let’s take a look at his progress over the past two seasons with his club, Argentinos Juniors.

As you can see, Federico has developed quickly, increasing his aptitude in almost every category tracked. At such a young age Redondo has so much room to improve, especially playing alongside Messi and Busquets.

Inter Miami acquired Federico for an $8 million transfer fee, and supposedly beat Bayern Munich to this signing. One thing to note about this move is the 15% sell-on clause, which typically only happens when a club knows the player will become more valuable. If Inter Miami were to sell him in the future, the previous club, Argentinos Juniors would get 15% of the sale.

If you’re wondering how the f**k Miami can afford to continue to buy talent like this, well don’t worry we were too. And apparently it is too good to be true. Ole reliable Tommy Bogert reported that the team will have to shed salaries before the February 20th roster compliance date. Gregore, Jean Mota, DeAndre Yedlin, Sergii Kryvstov, and Robert Taylor may be moved to make the team compliant.

Goal of the Week

Sarge has hops 👀 

Tweet/Meme of the Week

LOL

Quick Hits

• Daryl Dike suffers another series achilles injury and will be out the rest of 2024 😥 (Link)

• LA Galaxy are close to signing Joseph Paintsil from Genk for around $9M (Link)

• USMNT midfielder Johnny Cardoso wins Man of the Match in win over Cadiz (Link)

• Antonee Robinson has the most interceptions in the premier league this season (Link)

• How Inter Miami fits the salary cap (Link)