Breakfast Links - February 25, 2022

Today is Friday which means we have an MLS match at PNC Stadium this weekend! Let’s get to the Breakfast Links…

Houston

The Dynamo open the 2022 Major League Soccer season this Sunday against Real Salt Lake at PNC Stadium. The match is set to start at 6 PM CT, and the weather is predicted to be chilly so bring a cozy jacket. Let’s hope that the atmosphere is electric and that the boys get that win. Our season preview will be on the site at 8 this morning so be sure you check back for that.

The Dynamo acquired an international roster spot from the Philadelphia Union on Thursday in exchange for allocation money. Now what could that be for....

Dash players won some more medals to add to their collections. Rachel Daly and England took first place in the Arnold Clark Cup after beating Germany. Allysha Chapman, Nichelle Prince, and Sophie Schmidt and Canada up ended in third place in the tournament after losing to Spain. The ladies will be back in Houston as the team continues their preseason preparing for the NWSL Challenge Cup.

Houston Dynamo 2 released the schedule for their first season in MLS NEXT Pro. The team will play the majority of its games at AVEVA Stadium and all games will be available to stream for free.

Make sure you check out the latest episodes of the Dynamo Theory Podcast, available everywhere you get you podcasts.

MLS

Major League Soccer teams are buzzing with optimism, unless you are Charlotte FC, as matchday 1 takes place this weekend. Apart from Sebastian Ferreira’s debut with the Dynamo, many fans will be on the look out for MLS newcomers like Douglas Costa, Xherdan Shaqiri, and Facundo Torres. The run to see who lifts the MLS Cup trophy at the end of the season starts now!

The 2022 CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals are set. New York City FC destroyed Santos de Guapiles with an aggregate score of 6-0. CF Montreal flipped the score on its head and took down Liga MX’s Santos Laguna at home 3-0, winning the series with an aggregate score of 3-1. The Colorado Rapids struggled at home against Comunicaciones even having played with a man down for over 70 minutes. The Rapids lost in penalties and exited the tournament early. Seattle Sounders became the fourth MLS team in the quarterfinals after a resounding 5-0 win at home against Motagua.

Around the World

Barcelona looked very good beating Napoli 4-2 to reach the Europa League round of 16. The draw for the round of 16 took place early this morning. The first legs a reset to be played on March 10 and the second legs fixtures to be played on March 17.

Arsenal completed a comeback win against Wolverhampton with two goals in the final 15 minutes. The winning goal was from an unfortunate own goal by Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa. The Gunners currently sit in 5th place in the Premier League standings.

Shakhtar Donetsk’s Brazilian players have appealed for help following Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The players have sought refuge with their families in a hotel in Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv. “We are here asking for your help, due to the lack of conditions in the city, closed borders, closed airspace. There’s no way we can get out. We ask a lot of support from the government of Brazil, which can help us.”