Morning everyone,

We’ve had hundreds of new readers join us over the last few weeks so it’s time to introduce ourselves again. We’re Max and Mason — two brothers who love soccer.

We write this newsletter every week to keep you updated on everything that’s happening in the world of American soccer. 1,300 words coming at ya!

• 🔄 MLS Updates

• 🇺🇸 Yanks Abroad

• 🇺🇸 USMNT Striker Pool

• 🏆️ North American Cup Competitions

• ⚽️ Goal of the Week

• 😂 Meme of the Week

MLS Updates

We’re still waiting on Atlanta to finalize a big striker signing but here’s the big moves that happened over the last week.

The NY Red Bulls have transferred Dante Vanzier to Belgian Pro League side KAA Gent for $3M. The move opens up a DP spot and there’s already speculation the Red Bulls are going after Timo Werner from Tottenham.

FC Cincinnati is filling out the final pieces to one of the league’s best rosters. They are close to signing Danish left-wingback Lukas Engel on loan from Middlesbrough. They are also in advanced talks to acquire Paraguayan international center-back Gilberto Flores from Libertad. Flores, 21, would be a U-22 initiative signing and will provide depth in the center of defense.

Minnesota United are nearing a deal to sign Owen Gene from Amiens SC of the French second division. The 21-year-old midfielder would join for around $2M and would likely be a U-22 initiative signing. They are also close to signing South Korean central midfielder Ho-Yeon Jung from Gwangju FC of the K League for around $1M.

Sporting KC are finalizing deals to sign two players from Aris of the Greek Super League. Spanish attacking midfielder Manu Garcia and Russian winger Shapi Suleymanov will join for a combined fee of $5M. Garcia, 27, who started his career with Manchester City and has played throughout Europe, will be a DP.

A little peak into the qualities Manu Garcia brings to Sporting KC👇️ 

Yanks Abroad

Plenty of goals and assists from our USMNT stars playing in Europe this week.

Josh Sargent got his first start since his groin surgery and bagged a brace in Norwich’s 5-1 win over Swansea. He was named to the EFL Championship team of the week and is back to his scoring ways in the English second division.

Ricardo Pepi came off the bench and secured a win for PSV with a great goal in transition. Pepi now has 1.45 goals per 90 minutes this season, the second-highest among players with at least 500 minutes in the top 10 European leagues. Head Coach Peter Bosz confirmed Pepi will start in the Champions League game against Liverpool today at 3pm ET.

Tyler Adams was phenomenal once again (2nd highest-ranked player in the game) and grabbed 2 assists in Bournemouth’s win against 3rd place Nottingham Forest. He’s the first American with 3 assists in 2 consecutive English Premier League games. Adams wasn’t dribbled past once either, a true wall in the midfield. Since returning from injury no player in the Premier League has more interceptions or tackles per 90 than him.

Noahkai Banks got his first-ever Bundesliga start for Augsberg just two weeks after grabbing his debut. He was superb in their win with 52/53 passes completed (98%), 7/7 long balls, 11 clearances, 3 tackles, and 6 duels won. The 18 year old has to be on Pochettino’s radar.

Christian Pulisic scored a penalty in Milan’s 3-2 win over Parma but Yunus Musah stole the show with his incredible assist to tie the game. Milan got the win but their head coach and captain had to be separated after the game.

USMNT Striker Pool

After Patrick Agyemang’s awesome performance at the January camp, it got us thinking about the USMNT striker pool as a whole. As we inch closer to the World Cup (498 days away) this group of players will come into focus.

Let’s break down our current pool and look ahead to 2026.

The Cream of the Crop:

Ricardo Pepi (22), Folarin Balogun (23), Josh Sargent (24) & Haji Wright (26)

These are the guys that will likely be on the WC squad. There is still plenty of time for other names to take their spots but these four would likely be locked in if the World Cup started today. My main qualm with this group is that none of them are excelling in one of Europe’s top 4 leagues. Sure, Balogun is in Ligue 1, but he’s not scoring consistently and has struggled to stay healthy. Pepi is our big hope here, as he’s in incredible form and is rumored to be in demand from some of Europe’s biggest clubs. If he can make a big move and continue his scoring, we’ll have a legit #9 to provide us goals on the biggest stage.

Contenders:

Jesus Ferreira (24), Brandon Vazquez (26), Jordan Pefok (28), Patrick Agyemang (24)

This is an interesting group with a possible bright young star in the making. Jesus Ferreira battled through injuries last season and is hopeful to regain form now that he’s with the Seattle Sounders. Brandon Vazquez will find permanent playing time with Austin FC after 3 goals in 16 matches with CF Monterrey. Jordan Pefok hasn’t performed at the club level this year with 17 appearances and 0 goals and has only scored one goal in 8 appearances with the US. And finally, Patrick Agyemang easily has the highest ceiling of anyone in this group and will absolutely be an option if he continues to develop.

Notable Others:

Duncan McGuire (23), Daryl Dike (24), Jordan Morris (30)

It’s doubtful that these guys will be there in 2026. Duncan McGuire is the one with a shot if he finally makes that move abroad and starts scoring consistently. Daryl Dike is finally back training as of last week, he’s been out with a torn achilles for the past 11 months. And old man of the pool, Jordan Morris, scored 13 goals in 34 appearances for the Seattle Sounders last season but I highly doubt he’ll be apart of the squad.

North American Cup Competitions

All 30 MLS clubs will participate in a North American Cup competition this year. Each MLS club will participate in a minimum of one tournament and a maximum of two in an attempt to manage workload.

Here’s the breakdown of the four tournaments:

Concacaf Champions Cup

10 MLS teams will participate in the Concacaf equivalent of the UEFA Champions League from February 4th to June 1st.

Leagues Cup

18 MLS and 18 Liga MX Clubs will participate in the Leagues Cup from July 29th to August 31st. A change from every MLS club participating the last two seasons.

US Open Cup

16 MLS teams and 10 MLS Next Pro teams will participate in the US Open Cup. It’s an absolute shame that every MLS team is not in this historic tournament. At least this is twice as many as there were last year.

Canadian Championship

As usual, the three Canadian MLS clubs will participate in this tournament.

Goal of the Week

El Tren with another one.

Meme of the Week

So there’s some drama in Miami this week…

There apparently was an argument between Raul Sanllehi, the President of Football Operations, and Messi on the team bus.

Sanllehi has since been re-assigned and Guillermo Hoyos, who was Messi’s academy coach at Barcelona is now in charge of sporting decisions. Inter Miami said the move was pre-planned but I’m not sure who’s buying that haha.

Quick Hits

• Prototypes of the 2026 World Cup ball have leaked (Link)

• LA Galaxy to unveil statue of Cobi Jones (Link)

• MLS is the 4th highest spending league in the world this winter (Link)

• Wolves are interested in signing Johnny Cardoso from Real Betis (Link)

• Atlanta United submitted a massive $18 million offer for Benfica forward Arthur Cabral. (Link)

Thanks for reading! Give us some love below please 🤟 

Max & Mason