Breakfast Links - September 9, 2022

It’s finally Friday after a short week due to Labor Day, finish strong! Here are today’s Breakfast Links.

Houston

The Houston Dynamo seem to have given up on the season and the project all together that after firing Paulo Nagamura and his staff. Now, Kenny Bundy will take over for the remainder of the season. Bundy will be auditioning to most for a new role, probably elsewhere, at the end of the season. His first task will be to face off against Nagamura’s old boss, Peter Vermes and Sporting Kansas City. It will be a showdown between the worst teams in the Western Conference. Mathematically, Houston is still pushing for playoffs, 3 points are the only way now. The match is to kick off at 7:30 PM at PNC Stadium. Vamos Dynamo!

The Houston Dash will also be playing at home this weekend as they will be facing off against the league newbies in Angel City FC. The ladies are still in the hunt for their first ever playoff appearance and the race is nearing the stretch with only 4 games remaining on the Dash calendar. The game will take place at PNC Stadium on Sunday at 6:00 PM. Come out, bring the atmosphere and help the ladies push for the playoffs. Oh, and make sure to snatch a Maria Sanchez bobblehead while you are at it. DTFO!

Houston Dynamo 2 earned a spot in the inaugural MLS NEXT Pro playoffs with 2 games remaining in the season. Now the boys will be without their faithful leader and head coach Kenny Bundy as he has moved to the first team. Surely, the players will play out the rest of their season for him. On Sunday they will be facing off against Colorado Rapids 2, with the match set to kick off at 7:00 PM from the University of Denver Soccer Stadium. Dale Dyna Dos!

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

Major League Soccer

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Orlando City SC have their first-ever trophy as a Major League Soccer club, winning the 2022 US Open Cup Final on Wednesday night, 3-0 over USL Championship side Sacramento Republic FC at Exploria Stadium behind Facundo Torres’ second-half brace and Benji Michel’s game-changing substitution.

The MLS Disciplinary Committee has suspended Vancouver Whitecaps FC forward Lucas Cavallini an additional three games and issued him an an undisclosed fine for violent conduct in the 53rd minute of Vancouver’s match against Nashville SC on August 27. The three-match suspension will be in addition to the automatic one-match suspension for the red card he received during the game. Cavallini served the first of his four-match suspension during the Whitecaps’ match on September 4 against the San Jose Earthquakes. He will also be unavailable for Vancouver’s next three matches on September 10 against the Colorado Rapids, September 14 against the LA Galaxy, and September 17 against Seattle Sounders FC.

Atlanta United’s 2022 season has not gone to plan and certainly has not gone quietly. It continues to go from bad to worse. The latest lowlight for the Five Stripes came on Wednesday when the club suspended star forward Josef Martinez for one game due to “conduct detrimental to the team.” Head coach Gonzalo Pineda admitted the next day that there have been “multiple cases or situations” of “bad behavior” with the club legend. “This time we felt it was the right time to take action,” Pineda told local media at training on Thursday.

MLS NEXT’s third season of play will begin on Saturday, Sept. 10 and will feature 628 teams competing in nearly 8,000 matches over a ten-month calendar. Over 13,000 players from the country’s leading 137 clubs, including all 29 MLS academies, will play in up to six age groups: U13, U14, U15, U16, U17, and U19.

Around the World

Manchester United got off to a losing start in the Europa League as Real Sociedad held on for a 1-0 win to beat them in Group E action on Thursday night at Old Trafford. A moment’s silence was held prior to kick-off to pay respect to Queen Elizabeth II, who died on Thursday at the age of 96, with UEFA saying in a statement ahead of the match: “UEFA and European football are truly saddened by the passing away of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, one of the world’s most-respected figures.”

Chelsea have announced Graham Potter as their new manager, replacing Thomas Tuchel, who was sacked on Wednesday. Potter, who joins from Brighton & Hove Albion, becomes the 30th manager in Chelsea’s history — the first managerial appointment under new American owner Todd Boehly, who sacked Tuchel after 100 games in charge. He joins Chelsea on a five-year deal, with sources telling ESPN that Chelsea have paid a fee in the region of £16 million to release him from his Brighton contract.

Fans travelling to the 2022 World Cup will not be able to take alcohol for personal consumption into Qatar, with the head of the country’s safety and security committee saying that “specific measures” are in place to take action against anyone attempting to smuggle liquor in their luggage. Although alcohol is strictly restricted in Qatar — drinking in public can lead to fines of up to 3,000 riyal (£720) or prison sentences up to six months — it can be purchased inside hotels, and the supreme committee in charge of the tournament has agreed to make beer — provided by World Cup sponsor Budweiser — available at stadiums and in fan zones during the World Cup, which begins on Nov. 20.

The Europa Conference League game between Nice and Cologne kicked off almost an hour late after crowd trouble erupted in the stands at the Allianz Riviera stadium in southern France and left one in critical care on Thursday.