By CAITLIN MURRAY
A couple of Major League Soccer players will be on hand as Mexico competes in the Central American and Caribbean Games later this month.
Chivas USA striker Erick “Cubo” Torres and Real Salt Lake defender Carlos Salcedo were called up Monday to represent El Tri in the tournament, which begins Nov. 14.
The tournament is a test drive for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and the squad is skewed toward the Under-21 players that would make up an Olympic squad. It will be coached by Raul “Potro” Gutierrez.
Mexico was drawn into a group with Jamaica, El Salvador and Honduras. The event — traditionally held in between the Summer Olympics — will be held in Veracruz, Mexico, and feature 36 sporting events.
Here are some more news and notes from around the league:
GALAXY II SIGN YOUNGEST USL PRO PLAYER IN 15-YEAR-OLD LOPEZ
For 15-year-old Eric Lopez, his dreams of going pro came true a bit earlier than usual.
The Los Angeles Galaxy II announced on Monday they had signed Lopez, a Galaxy Academy goalkeeper, making him the youngest player ever to sign a contract in USL Pro. He is also the second-ever Galaxy Academy player to sign a professional contract for Galaxy’s USL Pro team.
“Eric is another example of the fully-realized player developmental system that the Galaxy have implemented,” said technical director Jovan Kirovski in a statement. “We are excited to complete this deal and keep talented prospects like Eric within the Galaxy organization as their careers progress.”
Lopez has been a journeyman of the Galaxy Academy, playing with the Galaxy U-13s to the U-18s. Lopez has spent time training with the Galaxy first team in previous seasons.
The goalkeeper is also active in the U.S. Soccer youth system, most recently earning his first call up to a U-17 U.S. Men’s National Team camp in January.
PALADINI SUSPENDED BY MLS, CREW AFTER “DOMESTIC DISPUTE”
MLS has suspended Columbus Crew midfielder Daniel Paladini due to a recent incident that the league called a “domestic dispute.”
Police were called to the scene Tuesday, but Paladini was not arrested or charged with a crime following the incident. He is banned from all club activities with pay while MLS investigates, the league said Monday.
“As soon as the club was made aware of the reported domestic dispute, we immediately notified Major League Soccer,” Crew chairman Anthony Precourt said in a statement. “We have and will continue to cooperate with the League and local authorities on this matter. We support the suspension of the player from all team and League activities until more information is available.”
Paladini, a bench player, hasn’t seen minutes with the Crew since early September. He had surgery Sept. 16 after a training injury and the recovery time was estimated at around four months.
RSL FORMALLY ANNOUNCES USL PRO SIDE, HINTS AT NWSL INTEREST
Real Salt Lake’s new USL Pro team, the Real Monarchs, is now official. RSL unveiled the team’s crest Monday, which bears a resemblance to RSL’s logo, except for a lion as the centerpiece of the crest.
The USL Pro push, which will include the construction of a new facility for the lower-division club, seems to be part of RSL’s efforts to expand their footprint in soccer. The club is also exploring the possibility of joining the National Women’s Soccer League, where the Portland Timbers operate the Thorns and the Houston Dynamo operate the Dash.
“Right now, it’s really hypothetical, because we are working on USL and focusing on the launch,” Monarchs president Rob Zarkos said Monday, adding that NWSL talks are very preliminary. “We’ve talked with everyone involved with RSL Women to give them our ideas, too. Execution isn’t quite there yet, though.”
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What do you think of Torres and Salcedo representing El Tri later this month? What do you make of the Galaxy II signing a 15-year-old to a contract? What do you think of MLS’ handling of the Paladini situation?
Share your thoughts below.