Brotherly Game Daily Links: Curtin knows the risk with restarting MLS

Philadelphia Union News

Philadelphia Union Sign Academy Product Paxten Aaronson To A Homegrown Player Contract
Academy standout to officially join Union as homegrown player on January 1, 2021; 16-year-old becomes Union’s 15th homegrown signing.

Union resume regular-season games, and Jim Curtin knows MLS is taking a big risk
No matter how badly anyone wants to get back to normal — and no matter how badly Major League Soccer craves the sponsorship and TV revenue that come from resuming the regular season without a bubble — it’s impossible to ignore the coronavirus pandemic’s continuing impact.

MLS News

Armchair Analyst: Tiers of MLS v3.0 as the 2020 season kicks off (again)
It’s hard to believe, but the 2020 regular season is about to start, finally and for real. For some teams — FC Dallas and Nashville SC, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC — it already has started. In a way it’s kind of started for everyone since everyone did play those two regular-season games back at the tail end of winter, and 24 of the 26 teams played three “regular-season” games during the group stage of the MLS is Back Tournament.

Report: FC Cincinnati in talks to sign Kamohelo Mokotjo as he departs Brentford
Mokotjo, 29, has featured 13 times for South Africa’s national team and last played for Brentford FC in England’s Championship division. Predominantly a defensive midfielder, he’s out of contract after featuring in 102 matches across three seasons at the second-division club, registering six goals and seven assists along the way.

Fabian Herbers signs a new contract with the Chicago Fire
Herbers has become a favorite of new Fire head coach Raphael Wicky, who raved about the German on a conference call today.

LA Galaxy adds keeper Jonathan Klinsmann
Klinsmann, 23, was with Hertha Berlin but stuck in the reserves before joining Swiss side St. Gallen last year. He’ll be behind David Bingham in Carson.

U.S. Soccer News

USMNT could open World Cup qualifying at Trinidad & Tobago as Concacaf unveils schedule
The U.S. Men’s National Team’s 2022 World Cup qualifying journey stands a very good chance of beginning where its 2018 qualifying campaign ended painfully.

Southampton lead race for USMNT’s Weston McKennie
The Schalke midfielder is attracting plenty of interest from the Premier League, but Southampton are at the head of the queue for McKennie’s signature as they chase a deal worth in the region of £20 million.

Rest of the World News

Bayern Munich beat Lyon to set up Champions League final vs. PSG
A pair of Serge Gnabry goals set Bayern Munich on their way to a 3-0 win over Lyon in their Champions League semifinal on Wednesday night.