Blue Links: CJ Sapong, Power Rankings, Diego Rubio, Josh Sargent

There is so much to keep up with about Sporting Kansas City, MLS and the rest of the world, especially with the season starting Saturday/Sunday and CONCACAF Champions League in full effect.

• Former Sporting KC player CJ Sapong got traded from the Philadelphia Union to the Chicago Fire for up to $450,000 in allocation money.
• FiveThirtyEight has SKC pegged at 3rd to start the season in their rankings.
• FiveThirtyEight has the Swope Park Rangers waaaaay lower in the USL Championship rankings.
• Sporting KC are also third in the initial MLS Power Rankings
• Johnny Russell talks about being “gutted” to not go to Celtic from Dundee United. But he ultimately was happy with his move to Derby County.
• ICYMI: Extra Time Radio previewed the 2019 MLS season and this episode includes their Sporting KC preview as well as a shout out to yours truly for my Peter Vermes interview about SKC “not spending.”
• Somehow we missed reporting that Diego Rubio signed an extension with the Colorado Rapids through 2022. Fingers crossed Krisztian Nemeth and Erik Hurtado are good and healthy and/or Kelyn Rowe is fantastic to make up for Rubio leaving.
• Jozy Altidore signed a new deal with Toronto FC that will keep him in Canada through the 2022 season. Let’s see if he stays healthy.
• USSF is looking to host a 2020 intercontinental tournament with CONCACAF and CONMEBOL. 16 teams (all 10 from CONMEBOL plus six from CONCACAF). It would be similar to the 2016 Copa América Centenario.
• 13-year-old Olivia Moultrie has turned down the scholarship she signed as an 11-year-old to go to the University of North Carolina to instead sign with an agent and Nike. Currently she can’t join the NWSL until she’s 18 (though I suspect a rule change is coming) and she likely can’t go abroad until she’s 18 due to FIFA rules.
• The U-20 World Cup starts in May 2019 and the United States got drawn into Group D with Ukraine, Nigeria and Qatar.
• I believe our own Mike Kuhn pointed this out the other day too:

• Chelsea of the English Premier League picked up a ban for the next two transfer windows. They are appealing of course. They could just play the kids.
• Taylor Twellman is reporting that Werder Bremen will announce an extension to SKC’s Homegrown claim, Josh Sargent.
• CCL bracket gets updated with the Houston Dynamo advancing and Toronto FC being bounced. SKC play Independiente if they move past Toluca on Thursday.
• Ola Kamara was linked to both New York City FC and China over the last couple days. Looks like China is the more likely destination. If I’m the near strikerless NYCFC I pay all the money to the LA Galaxy to get Kamara.
• And finally, the Seattle Sounders are dicks for stealing Inter Miami’s color scheme (and for other reasons too).

Matt Doyle breaks down Supporters Shield Chances for all 24 teams

It’s mostly what you expect. They won’t win because their lack of a number nine. They will win because they are good everywhere else, Kelyn Rowe, they have the ability to add a DP still and they play a unique system.