🚨EXCL: 🟣🇫🇷🇨🇮 #Ligue1|

🤝 VERBAL agreement reached between Toulouse and Kansas City for the transfer of Yann Gboho.

✍️ Contractual agreement also reached between the MLS club and the player.

❗️But OL has positioned itself in recent hours and does not rule out recruiting him in addition to Keito Nakamura

W @DahbiaHattabi @sebnonda

I asked a question on Landon Donovan and Tim Howard’s podcasts about our recent transfer moves . They had a very cool take . Link is below 👇. Time stamp is around 1 hr 5 min. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unfiltered-soccer-with-landon-donovan-and-tim-howard/id1775998101?i=1000787159823

I wanted to see if I could find some potential signings in the three biggest areas we need. DP 10, DP 9, and a RB (preferably U22). Here's what I found. I used the database of FMRTE, FM26, FM24, Transfermarkt (along with its advanced search feature and watchlist), along with FotMob for stats.

Obviously this is all opinionated and not professionally done. Order is from most wanted to least most wanted (as I would love any of them).

DP 9

1. Chupe - 22yo striker who fits well into the mold that SKC wants with 25 goals (!) and 6 assists last season, helping Malaga get promoted back to LaLiga
2. Dion Beljo - 24yo 6'5 behemoth, who may not fit physically, but had 31 (!!!!) goals and 5 assists in 36 league games, helping Dinamo Zagreb easily win the title
3. Peter Christiansen - 26yo coming off of a 17 goal season with Viking, and has started this season with 14 goal contributions in 17 matches
4. Paulos Abraham - he came up in my research naturally, and rightfully so. 24yo and having a phenomenal season with 15 goal contributions in 19 games in the Allsvenskan.
5. Pau Victor - coming off a good year with Portuguese giants, Braga. The 24yo netted 10 goals and added 4 assists in 32 games.
6. Claudio Braga - One of the main men in the Hearts attack that almost won the league, 26yo Claudio Braga had 17 goal contributions in 38 games in the Scottish Premiership last season.
7. Ragnar Ache - The 28yo veteran had 14 goal contributions with Koln, and the season before that, he netted 18 goals for Kaiserslautern.
8. Mojmir Chytil - The 27yo had 14 goal contributions in 29 games for Czech giants Slavia and has already scored 4 goals in 5 games this season.
9. Stefen Baiaram - The 23yo Romanian had 12 goals and 6 assists last year and already has 6 goal contributions in 14 games in the Romanian SuperLiga.

DP 10

1. Nico Fernandez - the best MLS player excluding you-know-who. Nico has 17 goal contributions in 21 games, averaging a 7.96 FotMob rating in MLS play.
2. Benjamin Nygren - The 25yo Swede had 21 goal contributions in 38 games as the Scottish giants Celtic snatched the league title on the final day. He has 3 goal contributions in 3 games this year. Before his time at Celtic, He broke out at Nordsjaelland, where, in his final season, he had 17 goal contributions in 30 games.
3. Alvyn Sanches - A player at Wicky's former club, the 23yo Swiss international had 16 goal contributions in 28 games last year and has 5 in 5 this year.
4. Matteo Di Giusto - The 26yo boasted 24 goal contributions in 38 matches last year and has 3 goal contributions this year.
5. Yann Gboho - cousin of Desire Doue, the Ivorian is coming off of a season of 11 goal contributions for Toulouse and added an assist on Saturday against Brest
6. Scott Twine - The Englishman had 21 goal contributions last year for Bristol and scored his first goal this year against Birmingham.
7. Sebastian Nanasi - the 24yo Strasbourg player had 9 goal contributions in 19 games last year in Ligue 1 and had 2 assists against Lens in their previous match.
8. Luka Stojkovic - another Zagreb player, the 22yo had 19 goal contributions in 29 games, being another key contributor in Zagreb's title win.
9. Tobias Heintz - while he does play for Goteborg, he has 9 goal contributions in 18 matches and had 16 in 29 last year.
10. Thelo Aasgaard - The 24yo Norwegian midfielder had 11 goal contributions for the Scottish powerhouse Rangers last season and scored his first goal of the season against Johnny Russell's boyhood club, Dundee United.

rb (U22)

1. Kyriani Sabbe - The 21yo has a ton of high level experience, being a regular starter for Belgian powerhouse Club Brugge, and had 7 goal contributions last season.
2. Frankie Westfield - One of the best outside backs in the league, Westfield has broken into the XI at the Union and has already gotten 5 assists in 18 matches
3. Lautaro Vargas - The 21yo Argentine already has a ton of first team experience playing for Union and has played over 1800 minutes this season, adding 2 assists.
4. Elias Baum - Has 2 contributions for the German superpower Eintracht Frankfurt this year, along with a breakout year on loan with Elversberg, where he added 9 goal contributions.

That's all! Super fun and only took a day to do. Feel free to ask questions, have me look at others players, or give more info on the players I listed. COYW

I stood side by side with you all through the construction of "Livestrong Park", lol. I cheered at the rebrand (then secretly missed the quirkiness of the Wiz). I was in the stadium for our 2012 US Open Cup victory, and I froze my bum off in the 2013 Eastern Conference Final. ​That season was pretty cool. I was there for the 1-0 victory over Cruz Azul and was actually shocked at the support they brought (only to collapse in anguish in front of my tv to that 5-1 second-leg defeat). I witnessed us beat STL FC while also having season tickets to their games that year (USL was a lot of fun). I waited with bated breath hoping somehow we'd keep Erik Palmer-Brown, but knew deep down that we wouldn't. ​I still follow Busio and have high hopes for him. San Zusi, Kei Kamara, Dom Dwyer, and Johnny F'n Russell will always be kings to me. And watching the pitbull himself, Roger Espinoza, in his prime? Well, that was a thing of beauty.

​I moved away for a job opportunity a decade ago, but I still followed everything. Yes, I've witnessed the downfall week after week in recent seasons, but hey, these new additions are really amping me up? A few years ago, I moved within 15 minutes of FC Dallas's stadium. I actually had tickets to Peter's last game but couldn't make it. Still beating myself up about that. To be honest, I miss the gameday atmosphere and plan to get season tickets, but you have to know I could never ever cheer for them over SKC. Even in our darkest moments, I know it will make the return to glory all the sweeter.

​At this moment it feels so dirty, yet I'm hoping the stink will erode over time. Love you guys. I just want you all to know, regarding my side piece, that this isn't you, it's me. And I'll be at the game this weekend in my blue hoops.

I leave you with this, a quote from one of SKCs more famous fans: "Why do we fall? So that we can learn to pick ourselves back up." - Batman

​Sincerely,

A conflicted fan, bleeding blue until the end

I am SO hype to have this. I will do an update when I get it framed. Last game I was really close to getting capembas jersey so extremely happy to get one this time.

I tried to post both of these today in the Cauldron Facebook group and was rejected both times, it took an hour or more for both rejections so I don't think it was an auto mod type thing. For a group with like 2 posts a week they sure don't like adding to the conversation.

If I had known this area was essentially a jungle gym for kids I wouldn't have bought second half season tickets. I would think parents would at least teach sports watching etiquette/traditions. Instead it just turns into a baby sitter while the parents don't pay attention or a field trip for massive groups of youth teams. Lessons learned I guess. I pony up for more expensive seats next year.

I don’t think I’m alone in not being overly ecstatic that we’ve used AI for our last tifo (and I believe the ignite the blue hell one). I was wondering how designs are created and submitted and if it would be possible for fans to submit potential designs? Just want to see something more creative than the tifos that AI has come up with.

Trying my hand out at tactical analysis and breakdowns. Any feedback would be appreciated. Visually, tl/dr, more graphics, sources, ect.

I know that it's the popular thing to do to rip on my man Shapi. He's an easy target. I'm here to tell you why you're wrong.

He's not flashy. He's not big or fast. He only has one foot. He's an angry elf. But the stats tell the story of a guy who does the yeoman's work, and I respect that.

He's in the top 92.4% of the league in successful passing percentage at 88.7%.
He's THE TOP of the league in successful dribbles at 80%.
He's in the top 90.7% of the league in duels won.
He's in the top 94.9% of the league in areal duals won even though he's an elf.
He's in the top 75.4% of the league of fouls won
He's in the top 74.6% of the league in defensive contributions
He's in the top 94.9% of the league in defensive clearances

He's an inverted winger. We've asked him to play there, as a true wing, as an outside mid, as a false nine, as an attacking mid, and as a fullback. Whatever you need The Angry Elf to do, he goes in and does his job to the best of his ability.

He's feisty. Yeah, sometimes he lets his temper get the better of him, but was there a player on the field that looked more pissed off to be losing than Shapi? Early in the year when everyone looked shell shocked and like they'd checked out The Angry Elf was out there pissed off about it. He showed more fight than anyone on the field.

His friend from his old club gets his contract bought out and what does he do the next week? Starts at the 10. Records the second highest match rating on the field with a 6.8 and comes home to all of you saying we can't believe he's on the roster. For the whole year, he's got the 6th best match rating of anyone on the team while playing out of position nearly every game.

The man has limitations, yes. Who among us does not?

What he has done for this team deserves our gratitude despite those limitations and the craptacular season.

Show The Angry Elf some respect. He's earned it.