Brotherly Game Daily Links: Union/LAFC draws biggest MLS Cup audience in 25 years

Philadelphia Union News

Philadelphia helped MLS Cup draw its biggest U.S. TV audience in 25 years
During the penalty kick shootout, 26% of all household TVs in the Philly area were tuned in to watch the local soccer team fall just short of its first championship.

MLS News

Dynamo announce hiring of Ben Olsen as new head coach
Olsen was previously the head coach of D.C. United from 2010-2020, winning 135 games across all competitions. United made the playoffs six times under Olsen and won the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup in 2013. Olsen was named Major League Soccer Coach of the Year in 2014 after United finished with 59 points, atop the Eastern Conference.

FC Cincinnati re-sign Sergio Santos to long-term deal
FC Cincinnati have re-signed forward Sergio Santos to a contract through the 2024 season, with club options for 2025 and 2026.

St. Louis CITY SC sign Swedish winger Rasmus Alm
The 27-year-old joins on a three-year contract through 2025 with an option for 2026. He last played for Elfsborg in Sweden’s top flight, where he managed 27 goals and 17 assists in 108 matches.

Molson Coors sponsors MLS-Liga MX Leagues Cup
The Coors Light tie-in is notable given that Heineken has been MLS’s official beer partner since 2014. Heineken signed a five-year extension of that partnership in 2018 that would have expired following the 2022 season, but a source said the company will be back as an MLS sponsor in 2023.

World Cup News

Chris Richards ruled out of World Cup through injury
The Alabama native made three Premier League appearances in Patrick Vieira’s squad while also totaling 90 minutes in an EFL Cup win over Oxford United in August.

Ecuador keep 2022 World Cup spot but get 2026 qualifying point deduction
Ecuador will, however, get a three-point deduction at the start of the qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup and must also pay a fine of 100,000 Swiss Francs ($101,605.36) for the “use of a document containing false information,” CAS said.

Mexico’s Jesus ‘Tecatico’ Corona officially ruled out of World Cup
The Sevilla player fractured his fibula and suffered ligament damage in his left ankle during a training session in August.

Crew’s Milos Degenek selected to 2022 World Cup roster for Australia
Degenek becomes the eighth player in Crew history to be named to a World Cup roster and the second current player alongside Jonathan Mensah with experience on soccer’s grandest stage. He is also the first player since the 2014 season to feature on a World Cup roster.