Real bummer last night, so not a lot of positivity off the bat today. We’ll look to find some as the links get compiled.

On to the news:

D.C. United falls short in 2-1 loss at FC Cincinnati: Match report- Green Line Soccer

DCU slogged to a narrow loss in Cincinnati, the city that makes me grateful for spell check, because I simply don’t think about it enough to have the correct spelling in my memory bank. The result thins DCU’s playoff hopes significantly, though qualification or disqualification is not determined by the points table permutations as yet.

Houston Dynamo FC secure contract extension for head coach Ben Olsen- Houston Dynamo FC

Ben Olsen continues to make something of his tenure in Houston, and has signed a deserved extension with The Dynamo. We wish him the best as he continues to tackle the Western Conference.

USMNT Stock Up, Stock Down: Return of Yunus Musah, Belgium Flashbacks for Chris Richards- Sports Illustrated

The truism that “It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish” holds true for these developments, (after all, the new cycle has barely tied its laces), but for those curious about the current trajectory of key figures in the USMNT setup, this article is for you. Yunus Musah has formed a dynamic partnership with Luka Modric in Milan, while Tim Weah has found a home at right fullback and is making his pace, drive, and service pay off. Seems that Chris Richards is (understandably) tired.

USWNT Stock Up, Stock Down: Trinity Byars’s Debut Can’t Be Far Off Now- Sports Illustrated

Analysis of who has momentum or work to do within the USWNT “on the bubble” group, (Giselle Thompson perhaps excluded).

FIFA ‘intends’ to answer UEFA questions but won’t ‘breach confidentiality’- ESPN

Ugh

Some interesting developments in this week’s edition of The Champions League’s league phase (they really need a name adjustment for that, but it’s what we’ve got right now). Arsenal tied Bayern Munich on a Declan Rice equalizer, PSG topped Barcelona by a score of 4-2, Napoli required a Scott McTominay brace to best Bodo/Glimt in a wild home stand shootout, Liverpool also had a wild one at home to Villareal (Alex Freeman saw minutes as a substitute), and Manchester United traveled to Italy and got levelled by Fabregas-coached Como to dial up the misery for the underperforming legacy club.

Barca condemn PSG tifo inciting ‘violence and hatred’- BBC

The image of the tifo is in the article. Given the contest’s proximity to Halloween, the use of the popular horror genre antagonist in the tifo, and PSG’s desire to cement their dominance in the tournament, I’m of the opinion Barca should not confuse their sour grapes for victimhood, and give it a rest.

History comes home as St Louis City top Columbus Crew to win US Open Cup- The Guardian

And finally, St Louis won their first ever trophy last night with a penalty kick shootout victory over the Columbus Crew. The U.S. Open Cup now means something special to the Missouri club’s fandom, and ain’t that what it’s all about?

That’s all I’ve got! One-up me in the comments, and have a great sporting day!