MLS

This story should be about another tactical masterclass from Rafa Benitez or the staggeringly good form of 21-year-old midfielder Sean Longstaff or the brief but spirited cameo from record signing Miguel Almirón, but instead it’s about a ridiculous bit of goalkeeping from the usually excellent Martin Dúbravka.

Newcastle traveled to the Molineux on Monday night sitting above the drop zone on goal difference. With Wolves flying high in seventh, this match represented a daunting fixture for Benitez’s men.

Having been in the rumor mill for a few days and teased on social media, the Marco Fabian transfer to MLS was officially announced Friday afternoon: The Mexico international is heading to Philadelphia.

It started with Atlanta United. It continues with the Seattle Sounders. Soon we hope to see MLS fan-friendly food prices at concession stands across the league.

Atlanta United broke the mold when Mercedes-Benz Stadium opened in 2017 with concession prices that were actually affordable, even lowering prices for the stadium's second season. The idea was simple: Cheaper prices for food and beverages mean more people in the seats and more people buying concessions.

The prices offered up are almost unheard of in the United States: 

David Beckham will become the first player honored with a statue at a Major League Soccer stadium. 

Beckham — a player with just 118 appearances in the league — is getting the highest honor a club can bestow upon a player, as the LA Galaxy are planning to unveil a statue of the midfielder before the MLS season opener against the Chicago Fire on March 2 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. 

Following his $26 million transfer from Atlanta United to Newcastle United, expectations are high for Miguel Almirón on Tyneside. A large part of that is because St James’ Park has been desperate for an inspirational attacker to idolize, but also because the club sits only two points above the drop zone — a predicament that’s thanks in large part due to a haul of only 21 goals in 25 games (the second-worst total in the division).

Last night, after 120 minutes of scoreless action on the field, the New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams on penalty kicks in Super Bowl LIII. Jared Goff had the opportunity to bring his team level from the spot, but he blasted his effort over the crossbar, and New England’s Rex Burkhead stepped up and calmly buried his penalty to put the game away.

Being the lowest scoring game in Super Bowl history, this is an apt metaphor. We’d just have to insert punters Ryan Allen and Johnny Hekker into the exercise as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, respectively. 

The North American SuperLiga was a cool idea that never really got the traction it maybe deserved, canceled after four years in 2011. According to recent reports, a revamped SuperLiga could be coming back as early as this year.

Bayern Munich has signed 17-year-old Real Salt Lake academy product Taylor Booth on a three-and-a-half-year deal, according to Sports Illustrated. Booth is a member of the USMNT U-18 team, and he was a part of the U.S. squad that advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2017 U-17 World Cup.

The recent big-money sales of players like Matt Miazga, Alphonso Davies and Miguel Almiron are no flash in the pan for Major League Soccer — this is now the trend rather than the exception. With the league’s top academies now producing talent fit for first-team minutes — as well as the shift toward buying young foreign talent with an eye toward developing and selling them on for a larger fee — expect to see MLS clubs make even more noise in the transfer market over the coming years.