Sunday Cup-o-American soccer: Messi, chickens, and social justice

The American cup-o-soccer slept in this morning so enjoy this brunch lunch second lunch edition of the weekly look at US soccer news. This week’s news includes what it’s like to meet Messi and have no idea what he’s saying, a new face for the USWNT, chickens, and an alliance between MLS and NBA players.

Does anyone know a good Spanish tutor?

Look, I don’t want to get too excited or anything and it’s probably no big deal, but there’s an American who plays for Barcelona. He’s a real soccer player and everything and isn’t just there on trial or doing some promising stuff in their youth system. Barca paid real money for him and everyday he gets to talk to Lionel Messi. Whether or not he understands anything he says is another issue.

This is cool, but Sergino, please learn Spanish so you can tell everyone else in the US how to play like Messi.

The USWNT gets a big addition

Typically, the US Men are the ones making news about snagging a dual-national, but this time it’s the women grabbing the headline. The WNT is set to return to play later this month and a recently minted US citizen will be joining the team. Stanford Cardinal Catarina Macario was called into camp and the Brazilian-American accepted the invitation. USA Today has a look at what makes her skill set special and what the move means for the USWNT in years ahead.

Here’s the greatest tweet in the history of American men’s soccer. It is in no way ever reflected in the comments section of this website.

Once buoyed by Tyler Boyd, now there’s just a sinking feeling

I stayed up all night coming up with that pun. I’m not sorry. Tyler Boyd seemed like he might be really good. He showed up in the Gold Cup and did some good stuff for one game but then… was a bit up and down with Besiktas though he had been starting recently. Worse yet, he’s not been registered for the first half of the season with the club. Apparently, there are too many international players on the squad and tough choices had to be made. ESPN asked Gregg Berhalter what he thought about the situation and he’s not happy about it. Come to MLS Tyler, FC Cincinnati needs you.

Soccer, chickens and adaptation

Crystal Dunn has always been full of surprises for opposing players and even fans. She’s obviously a talented player who can lineup nearly anywhere on the field. But, more surprising is that she has five chickens she keeps as pets. Sports Illustrated has a profile on Dunn looking at what else she got up to during the quarantine, including how she kept up her training schedule, and shared what the growing support for the Black Lives Matter movement from others playing in the NWSL means to her. The piece is a part of SI’s highlighting women in sports.

MLS Black Players for Change partners with NBA players

Players have been at the heart of the MLS move to embrace the movement for racial equality. Their efforts have pushed the league to embrace Black Lives Matter and it doesn’t seem to be losing any steam. In fact, the MLS Black Players for Change has begun organizing and coordinating with the NBA Player’s Association. The two groups came together to create a video calling for the end of police brutality and systemic racism.