u/Isiddiqui

>Garber has been meeting with premier David Eby and  Vancouver mayor Ken Sim over the past two days, along with other senior government officials, while he was in Vancouver for the FIFA Congress. Garber called those talks constructive and is expected to meet again with Eby in a few weeks.

>B.C.’s Minister for Jobs and Economic Growth Ravi Kahlon told reporters in Victoria earlier on Thursday that he felt Wednesday’s talk had brought some clarity to the situation, and that they agreed to have another meeting. He felt this was a positive sign.

I thought the following was very interesting:

>While the Vegas bid is alarming, it’s also fair to point out that it is a market many have figured would be a target for the league to expand to. Postmedia understands the announcement was unexpected by the league and appears to be a ploy to get a bid in front of all other suitors for a new Vegas squad.

Wonder if that will backfire on the Gustavson's when push comes to shove.

>Atlanta United will play at Orlando in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup.

>The match will be played on either May 19 or 20.

>Atlanta United advanced to the quarterfinals by beating Chattanooga and Charlotte. Orlando advanced by defeating FC Naples 2-1 and New England 4-3.

>If Atlanta United defeats Orlando, it cannot host a semifinal because of World Cup work being done at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

>Atlanta United and Orlando have faced off one previous time in the U.S. Open Cup. Atlanta United won 2-0 in the 2019 semifinals.

The thing I found most interesting about this article is the lineup discussion:

>I wouldn’t say the full, first choice staring XI is identified for Tata Martino quite yet, but he’s certainly honing in on it. At times, the decision making behind finding that best XI for Atlanta United has been like playing a game of Battleship, just guessing, hitting, missing, and guessing again. One thing’s for sure, though: this team plays better when Matias Galarza, Jay Fortune, Cooper Sanchez, Alexey Miranchuk, and Fafa Picault, Stian Gregersen, and Enea Mihaj are on the pitch. The rest of the lineup is still figuring out if they’re sunk or not.

>Every one of those players I named have remained relatively consistent throughout the season so far, and a known constant is much better than guessing. It’s also making it blatantly obvious what roster moves need to be seriously considered as the summer window approaches.

>Alexey Miranchuk has been the most effective player on the squad this year, and his ability to play as a false 9 seems to have really unlocked some confidence in his play. I’m not sure what that means for the other two Designated Players on the team at the moment, but Tata can’t afford to move Alexey from where he’s found a groove.

>Meanwhile, Cooper Sanchez is simply playing beyond his years. He has a hunger backed by significant talent, which is arguably the best recipe for success in MLS. His tenacious run to score the second goal tonight epitomizes exactly what I, personally, want to see out of the talent moving through this team’s pipeline. Jay Fortune is another wonderful example (and a consistent one), but this match was all about young Coop. He deserved that goal, and I also personally have to thank him for finding the back of the net during a time when Atlanta was bending to a lot of Charlotte’s pressure, and thus allowing me to let some tension out of my shoulders.

Miranchuk as a False 9 has unlocked a bunch of things. So I'd really like to see us run this formation on Saturday:

Fafa - Miranchuk - Almiron

Galarza - Fortune - Sanchez

Amador/Baez - Gregersen - Mihaj - Jacob

Hibbert