Brotherly Game Daily Links: USMNT to play Northern Ireland in March

Philadelphia Union News

Brazilian blessing: Timing right for FC Cincinnati to sign Brenner
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic with clubs being cautious with their spending, perhaps there was a little too much risk involved in a player of Brenner’s age and experience. But for FCC, it was just the right amount of risk with a new stadium set to open and the shine coming off a bit for a franchise that was once the hottest ticket in American soccer.

New York Red Bulls sign 14-year-old Bento Estrela to MLS Homegrown Contract
Estrela joined the New York Red Bulls Academy in July of 2019 and has appeared in 22 matches. He scored his first goal for Red Bulls Under-19s at 14 years old against Philadelphia Union II on November 7, 2020.

Who are the 10 youngest players ever signed to an MLS contract?
Estrela becomes the fourth youngest player to sign for an MLS team, and the youngest player signed since 2019. Teenage talent continues to burgeon in MLS, though still atop the list is former wunderkind Freddy Adu, who signed his first contract when he was just 14 years and 168 days old in 2004. 

Franco Escobar departs Atlanta United with an everlasting legacy
Atlanta United loans Franco Escobar to Newell’s Old Boys.

FC Dallas Homegrown midfielder Brandon Servania to go on loan in Austria
This caps what has been an interesting offseason for Servania. Things got started off over a month ago, when he was apart of a group of FC Dallas players traveling to Bayern Munich to train with the club.

Concacaf News

USMNT to play Northern Ireland in March friendly
It’s the first time in USMNT that they have faced Northern Ireland since August 1948. The Northern Irish, ranked 45th in the current FIFA World Rankings, will sandwich this game between two World Cup qualifiers they have in March, on the road against Italy on March 25th and at home against Bulgaria on March 31st.

Concacaf Champions League draw cheat sheet on MLS clubs’ potential opponents
Ahead of the draw, here’s a cheat sheet for Pot 2 teams that can be drawn against MLS clubs.