Lion Links: 2/3/26

Good morning, everyone. I hope you survived the cold over the weekend and have a good strategy for continuing to do so, because it doesn’t look like it’s going to let up any time soon. The Major League Soccer season is now just a few weeks away from starting, and that means we’ve got plenty to discuss today, as usual. Let’s get into the links.

Americans in Midweek Action

It’s another busy week for American players, as there are a number of them who will be playing games during the working week. Tim Weah and Marseille host Stade Rennais in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France later today, while Alejandro Zendejas and Club America face CD Olimpia in the Concacaf Champions Cup. Tomorrow has Mark McKenzie and Toulouse playing Amiens SC in the Coupe de France, while John Tolkin and Holstein Kiel play Stuttgart in the quarterfinals of the DFB Pokal. Thursday has more cup action as Weston McKennie and Juventus host Yunus Musah and Atalanta in a Coppa Italia quarterfinal. Things then wrap up on Friday as Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United play Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.

MLS Transfer Roundup

It was an extremely busy day of transfers in Major League Soccer on Monday. The big move of the day came when the New York Red Bulls signed winger Jorge Ruvalcaba from Pumas. The Mexican international will fill New York’s third Designated Player spot and is on a contract through the 2029-2030 season. FC Dallas acquired goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois from CF Montreal in exchange for up to $350,000 in General Allocation Money. Finally, the LA Galaxy and center back Zanka have mutually terminated the player’s contract, while Inter Miami and Oscar Ustari have done the same thing.

Increasing Doubt Around Whitecaps Stadium Situation

There have been concerns for awhile now about the viability of the Vancouver Whitecaps continuing to play at BC Place, and those worries are increasing. Despite the 2026 season being right around the corner, settling on a new agreement to play at the venue is proving difficult, and the club continues to operate under a current agreement that is said to be “unfeasible financially.” In addition, while the team has been up for sale since December of 2024, Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster has said that the club’s stadium arrangement has been a stumbling block in any potential sale. He said that while they’ve had many interested groups do an analysis of the club, “The reality is that no one is interested in buying even 1 percent of this club. All of them believe the setup here — the market and the situation we’re in — is not investable.”

European Transfer Winners and Losers

Europe’s January transfer window has officially come to a close, so what clubs did well and which ones should be regretting their business, or lack thereof? Manchester City made two big splashes by signing Antoine Semenyo and Marc Geuhi, while selling Oscar Bobb to Fulham helped balance the books. Aston Villa also did well by signing Tammy Abraham as well as getting Douglas Luiz on loan with an option to buy. At the other end of the spectrum, Liverpool made a big move on deadline day by signing defender Jeremy Jacquet, but he won’t join the team until the summer. Chelsea mutually terminated Raheem Sterling’s contract after being unable to find a buyer, while they also couldn’t sell Axel Disasi, and were only able to move him on loan to West Ham.

Free Kicks

• Ricardo Pepi’s move to Fulham fell through on the final day of the window due to PSV Eindhoven’s inability to find a replacement for him.

• Gianni Infantino wants to lift the ban on Russia competing in international competitions.
• Marc-Andre ter Stegen has suffered a hamstring injury that could keep him out for over two months.
• Karim Benzema has signed a deal with Al Hilal, while N’Golo Kante has signed with Fenerbahce.
• Several Brazilian teams are reportedly interested in signing Evander.

That’s all I’ve got for you today. Vamos Orlando!