Brotherly Game Daily Links: Aaronson top MLS 22 Under 22

Philadelphia Union News

Brenden Aaronson tops MLS 22 under 22 list; Mark McKenzie finishes third
Aaronson beat out LAFC midfielder Brian Rodriguez and teammate Mark McKenzie to get the top spot in this year’s MLS 22 Under 22. Aaronson was 7th and McKenzie 16 on the list in 2019. McKenzie was No. 21 in 2018.

Takeaways: Top of the Table Clash against Toronto
With what could be the Philadelphia Union’s biggest match of the regular season slated for Saturday night against Toronto FC at Subaru Park, Head Coach Jim Curtin addressed the media about how the club is preparing for the Eastern Conference. Here are a few of the key takeaways from the presser.

Why Anthony Fontana missed out on 22 Under 22
At the moment he doesn’t beat players off the dribble, is a below-average chance creator (only four key passes in 440 minutes as an attacking midfielder is, uh, not great!), and is an “adequate” at best defensive presence. It is obvious that more work needs to be done.

MLS News

Timbers and Sounders play to a 1-1 draw at CenturyLink Field
The Timbers allow another late goal to drop two crucial points in the race for the top spot in the Western Conference.

Armchair Analyst: Revisiting one big question (again) for each MLS team
Bear in mind that all of these were A big question, not necessarily THE big question.

Crew, Jonathan Mensah agree to multi-year contract extension
In total, Jonathan has played 95 regular season games for Columbus and was twice named the team’s Defender of the Year (2018, 2019). He also took home the Black & Gold’s Humanitarian of the Year award in 2017.

LA Galaxy not ready to give up on Chicharito despite Chivas exit rumors
Chivas sporting director Ricardo Pelaez recently opened the door to a move for Hernandez, suggesting he could be an option in an interview with Azteca Deportes.