Middlesbrough have finalized an agreement to sign U.S. men's national team and Columbus Crew defender Max Arfsten. Sources told GOAL last week that the deal is worth up to $7.5 million. The move to the Championship club sees Arfsten link up with USMNT teammates Sebastian Berhalter and Aidan Morris, both of whom are also Crew products.
Major League Soccer has been rocked by a burgeoning controversy surrounding Casemiro's move to Inter Miami, with the LA Galaxy claiming the Brazilian midfielder pledged his loyalty to them just months before heading to Florida. The league has officially opened an investigation into the transfer to determine if tampering or rules violations occurred during the process.
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi has returned to the matchday squad and is among the substitutes for the Herons’ Eastern Conference matchup against the Columbus Crew. Messi hasn’t appeared for the South Florida side since Argentina’s World Cup final defeat on July 19. His international teammate Rodrigo De Paul, however, has slotted straight into the starting XI.
Lionel Messi and Co. remain favorites, but strong starts from Nashville, San Jose and Vancouver have the league nicely poised heading into a long break.
Al-Arabi
