Short takes
Jon Marthaler's soccer short takes
February 2, 2019 at 1:59AM
• Seattle may love soccer, but it couldn't hold on to its pro women's team. Seattle Reign FC has been forced to vacate dilapidated Memorial Stadium in Seattle and couldn't strike a deal to play at CenturyLink Field, the home of the Sounders and Seahawks. With no other stadiums in town that met U.S. Soccer Pro League standards, the club has been forced to move to Tacoma and shorten its name to Reign FC.
• Atlanta United finally completed its attempt to sell star attacker Miguel Almiron, giving the Paraguayan to Newcastle United for $27 million and smashing the MLS transfer record. The sale is a boon not only for Atlanta but for the league's effort to be seen as a shop window for big European clubs, making it much more attractive as a destination for players.
• The U.S. men's national team made a successful start under new manager Gregg Berhalter, drilling half-strength Panama 3-0. Former Minnesota United striker Christian Ramirez scored in his first national team appearance, a thrill for the many Minnesota fans who were sad to see the longtime Loon traded to Los Angeles FC last season.
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Minnesota started only two strikers against Seattle, leaving Sang Bin Jeong and Joseph Rosales to provide the width behind Teemu Pukki and Kelvin Yeboah.
