Royal Roundup: Texas soccer teams step up to help

The penultimate weekend of February leaving us only 40 more days before the MLS regular season stars! We are anxiously awaiting the schedule to be revealed so we can start picking games to go to (since of course there will be reduced capacity again). But first, here’s the soccer news from the weekend.

INTERNATIONAL

• Manchester City have extended their record setting winning streak to 18 after beating Arsenal 1-0 on Sunday. [Guardian]
• The women’s team from the nation of Malta has managed to jump 16 places in the FIFA standings after beating higher ranked teams in Euro 2021 qualifying. [OGM]
• Allegations of racism have also been reported in LigaMX, the most recent abuse occurred during the Club Atlético de San Luis vs Santos Laguna match last week. [FMF]

USA

• College soccer has finally resumed after start dates were pushed back, and a shortened schedule was created to adapt to the pandemic. [USSP]
• US Soccer tax documents revealed that USWNT coach Jill Ellis received a salary of nearly $750,000 with performance bonuses and a payout for winning the World Cup in her last year; however that was still over half a million less than the USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter who was paid $1.33 million. [WaPo]
• San Diego County issued a cease and desist order to San Diego Surf youth club forcing them to stop practices. The club is fighting back citing test results with no positive cases of COVID-19 [Soccerwire].
• The USWNT extended their unbeaten streak to 36 games with a 2-0 win over Brazil in the 2nd game of the She Believes Cup. [SBI] The next match is on Wednesday Feb. 24th.
• Jordan Morris suffered a leg injury on Saturday while on loan with Swansea City. [MLS][Video] Update - the injury is a torn ACL, the same injury that sidelined him in Seattle for the 2018 season. [NBC]

Photo by George Wood/Getty Images

MLS/NWSL/USL

• Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash players team up to help people in need after winter storms (video below). [NWSL] Here’s what all the Texas teams have been coping with the crisis. [MLS]
• Thierry Henry is staying with CF Montreal after English club Bournemouth named a new ‘caretaker manager’. [MRS] However Henry will be looking for a new asst. coach after Patrice Bernier stepped down to take a broadcasting position with TVA Sports. [MLS]
• Why do MLS teams seem so eager to rebrand? [Guardian]
• Every MLS team has something to look forward to in 2021 (at least according to Andrew Wiebe). [MLS]
• Several RSL (and former RSL) players have made it on the USMNT U-23 depth chart. [MLS]

FLASHBACK

• Luis Gil joins Real Salt Lake after trade with Sporting Kansas City (still called the Wizards). [2/23/10]
• The first leg of the Concacaf Champions League knockouts between RSL and Columbus Crew ended in a scoreless draw. [2/22/11]
• RSL beat the New York Red Bulls at the Desert Diamond Cup with a 75th minute goal from Paulo Jr. [2/23/12]
• RSL lost the Desert Diamond Cup final vs Seattle Sounders on a 51st minute counter-attack goal. [2/23/13]
• RSL lost the 2nd match of the Desert Diamond Cup to Colorado Rapids with newcomer Luke Mulholland making a good showing. [2/23/14]
• Veteran Tony Beltran was MOTM in a 3-1 win vs FC Tuscon in the Desert Diamond Cup. [2/22/15]
• Nostalga break - we take a look back at RSL’s 2010-11 CCL run. [2/23/16]
• What is RSL’s identity under coach Jeff Cassar? [2/23/17]

VIDEO