Breakfast Links - February 23, 2022

The Major League Soccer season is now just days away with games getting underway on Saturday. We will have some preview type stuff for you here on the site in the coming days but in the meantime, let’s do the Breakfast Links.

Houston

The Dynamo waived midfielder Joe Corona on Monday, making him a free agent. The club used its one offseason buyout of a guaranteed contract to remove Corona’s salary from the books as well. “Joe is a top professional with great character,” Dynamo general manager Pat Onstad said. “We are grateful for his time at the club and wish him well with the next steps of his career.” The Dynamo now have 27 players on the roster ahead of the 2022 season. We wish Joe all the best!

Dash players will conclude their time at the Arnold Clark Cup today. Rachel Daly and England will face off against Germany at 1:30 PM CT. Nichelle Prince, Sophie Schmidt, and Allysha Chapman and Canada will play Spain, with a chance to win the tournament, this morning at 8:30 AM CT. These matches are streaming on Paramount Plus.

Be sure to check out our latest podcast, getting you all set for opening weekend and the season ahead. You can find the Dynamo Theory everywhere you get your podcasts!

MLS

Major League Soccer teams are preparing for the second legs of their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals this week. New York City FC will play their home leg in Los Angeles tonight, already leading 2-0 on aggregate against Santos de Guapiles. Montreal and Colorado return home both facing 1-0 deficits. Montreal will play Mexican side Santos while the Rapids take on Comunicaciones FC.

Could this be Carlos Vela’s swan song in MLS? TUDN’s Michele Giannone revealed yesterday on the MLS Today Show that 2022 would be Vela’s last season with LAFC and a move to Europe or Miami could be next for the Mexican. Vela won MLS MVP in 2019 and has been the star of LAFC since their inception.

Rest of the World

The United States Women’s National Team and the US Soccer Federation settled their class-action equal pay lawsuit for a total of $24 million, the two sides announced. This was a monumental moment for the women and for generations ahead. Midfielder Megan Rapinoe told ESPN, “There’s no real justice in this other than this never happening again. With the settlement of the working conditions and this settlement which is contingent upon a CBA that will have equal pay going forward, there’s no other way to look at it than just a monumental win for women’s sports and women’s soccer, in particular.”

Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images

The United States Men’s National Team’s World Cup qualifying chances took a bit of a hit on Tuesday when Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie suffered a broken foot that will keep him out 8-12 weeks. McKennie was injured in Juventus’ 1-1 draw with Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League. The young American was beginning to become a constant in the Juve midfield and he will now miss the United States’ crucial final three qualifiers.