Royal Roundup: USMNT roster named, U.S. U-23’s win first game

New owner watch: 70 days since the league took over the sale.

The U-23 USMNT team kicked off Olympic qualifying last night with a 1-0 win vs Costa Rica. All 5 of Real Salt Lake current and former players/academy products took the field. Ochoa got the start in goal, Glad and Hererra started on the defensive line. Saucedo and Soto joined the trio in the 2nd half. [SI][NBC]

INTERNATIONAL

• (Satire files) New Dead Sea Scroll fragment reveals fan’s rant against Promotion/Relegation. [Nutmeg]
• Chelsea move on to the UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals after a 3-0 aggregate win vs Atletico Madrid. [CBS]
• Dinamo Zagreb dumped Tottenham Hotspur out of the Europa League Quarterfinals with a 3-0 drubbing. [UAT]
• Gambling regulators were warned in January that now-closed Football Index was a dangerous pyramid scheme. [Guardian]
• A look at how Bundusliga’s Bayern Munich became the best-run club in the world for the last decade+. [FFT]

Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

USA

• The oldest youth soccer tournament in the US, the Dallas Cup is set to kick off on March 27th after 2020’s event was cancelled due to Covid. Several Utah, and RSL-affiliated teams are participating. [SocWire]
• Gregg Berhalter has named the 26 man roster for the March USMNT friendlies in vs Jamaica and Northern Ireland. [MLS] Berhalter explains his picks here [MLS], and an analysis of what he got right and wrong. [Multiplex]
• David Ochoa was the US U-23 man of the match vs Costa Rica. Making 9 saves and bailing out several defensive lapses. [MLS][FRS]

MLS/USL/NWSL

• US International, and MLS journeyman Michael Parkhurst has joined the group of prospective buyers for a USL Championship expansion team in Rhode Island. [USLC]
• Former RSL president Bill Manning has signed a 5 year contract extension with Toronto FC. [MLS]
• MLS coaches do have a bit more stability than their European counterparts, but many teams don’t follow the pattern. [538]
• The Oregon government have announced it will allow fans to attend outdoor sports games up to 25% of capacity for 2021. Portland Thorns announced fans will be allowed in the first game on April 9th, with the Portland Timbers following on the 13th. [Stumptown]
• For a bit of entertainment, here’s the RSL Media Day bloopers! [RSL]
• Jesse Marsch, former MLS & USMNT player turned coach for FC Red Bull Salzburg is rumored to be in talks to be the coach of Scotland’s Celtic FC. [PST]

Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images

FLASHBACK

• The CBA standoff between MLS and players goes to mediation. MLS considering the ‘nuclear option’ if players strike. [3/19/10]
• RSL withstood driving rain and a sodden field on the road to win 1-0 over San Jose Earthquakes in the season opener. [3/19/11]
• A gallery of pictures from RSL’s 2-0 win over New York Red Bulls. [3/19/12]
• Four years after joining RSL, and Alvaro Saborio remains a potent goal scorer. [3/20/13]
• Back when RSL was looking for locations to put the academy, Dell Loy Hansen had been trying to get a deal done in Oceanside California. [3/20/14]
• Kyle Beckerman sent off for a bad foul as RSL ties defending MLS Cup champs Portland Timbers 2-2. [3/19/16]
• RSL fired coach Jeff Cassar! [4/20/17]

MEDIA

• USL HQ and the USL Black Players Alliance dropped a one-of-a-kind, ultra limited-edition jersey on Wednesday with 100% of the proceeds going towards the USLBPA’s Young Investors Society Scholarship Fund. [USL] Buy it here. [USL Shop]