Welcome to the Footy Fix newsletter, delivering you the best news and stories in the world of American soccer!
This week, we got stories on Maya Yoshida voicing his unhappiness over decrease in his salary, LAFC’s Armenian fan group speaking out against signing Cengiz Ünder, Tyler Adams looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup, and much more.
Plus, professional soccer could be making its way to Pico Rivera, California. So let’s dive in!
This week’s stories
Maya Yoshida on his frustrations over pay cut and MLS rules.
Eric Wynalda breaks down MLS’s power shift and Don Garber’s “impossible” change.
Los Armenios speak out against signing Turkish player Cengiz Ünder.
Chase Adams is very confident heading into the U-17 World Cup.
A deep dive into Angel City FC’s coaching staff and what their credentials say about NWSL’s accountability efforts.
Christian Pulisic responds to being called “LeBron James of soccer”.
Pro soccer is coming to Pico Rivera, California.
Kevin Paredes speaks about his injury issues.
Tyler Adams on expectations and pressure at the 2026 World Cup.
Tim Howard opens up on why soccer wasn’t fun for him.
First Marco Reus, Now Maya Yoshida Speaks Out
LA Galaxy captain Maya Yoshida’s base salary in 2024 was $800,000, less than six of his teammates. After helping the Galaxy win the MLS Cup, he was rewarded with a pay cut.
And Yoshida is far from happy. “That’s BS,” he said via LA Times.
“It’s very unfair, to be honest. I became a champion and my salary is less. Everybody knows this shouldn’t happen.”
The Japanese, who played in the Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga, and three World Cups, had better offers from elsewhere. But he chose to comeback to the Galaxy this year because of his daughter.
“This is very complicated,” Yoshida said. “I don’t want to change my daughter’s school. The last couple of years, she’s changed every one, two years to a new environment. Which is very sad for her, she’s getting older.”
“It was a difficult decision to be honest. It’s hard to compromise your financial [situation] but we’ll see. I need to earn money outside of soccer.”
The 36-year-old doesn’t blame the Galaxy, he blames MLS rules instead.
“[MLS] needs to grow up financially because the salary cap, it’s different compared to the salary in Japan,” Yoshida said.
“A non-DP player has nothing different. That is the key: no money, no one comes.” “
The better the contract, [that’s where] the player goes. That’s why the Middle East is popular now. That’s why China was very popular like five years ago.”
“That’s how capitalism is, and I was thinking America was a very, very capitalist country.”
Finally, the veteran center-back is unhappy to see a young center-back like Jalen Neal having to leave.
“The fans want to see the player who grew up locally and succeeded in the club. This is very normal,” Yoshida said.
Neal, alongside Gastón Brugman, Martín Cáceres, Mark Delgado, and Dejan Joveljić, left the Galaxy this winter. Yoshida’s Galaxy teammate Marco Reus has also said he doesn’t understand the rules in MLS after losing few key players this winter.
🔥 New Unleashed Episode: The MLS Power Shift 🔥
Eric Wynalda is back, and he’s not holding back.
In this week’s episode of Unleashed, Eric reveals details from his 2018 meeting with Don Garber, where he challenged MLS leadership on the league’s schedule. Back then, Garber called the change impossible. But now? 28 out of 29 MLS owners are on board. So what changed? And what does this power shift mean for the future of the league?
This is a conversation every MLS fan needs to hear. Watch the full episode now on GOLZ TV.
Los Armenios Say No to Cengiz Ünder
LAFC Supporters Group called Los Armenios, which represents Armenian fans of LAFC, released a statement against potentially signing Turkish player Cengiz Ünder.
The statement spoke about how LA is home to the largest Armenian diaspora in the world, and given the history between Armenians and Turks, a move to bring in a Turkish player would be seen as a direct disregard to Armenians.
It also said many in the Armenian community will boycott the season if LAFC sign Ünder.
LAFC President John Thorrington’s mother is Armenian and he grew up in California. So the Armenian community is hoping he would understand their feelings and concerns.
Ünder is a former Roma, Marseille, and Leicester player who currently plays for Fenerbahçe.
Chase Adams is Ready for the U-17 World Cup
Chase Adams helped the U.S. qualify for the U-17 World Cup by scoring 11 goals in the two qualifying games he played. He’s very confident about heading into the U-17 World Cup, saying the U.S. can beat any team.
“We have great things coming for us. We are all ecstatic about what we can bring, what we can do,” Adams told U.S. Soccer after beating Cuba.
“We think we can beat anyone in the world. I don’t think there is a team where we go into a game and we don’t think we are the favorites.”
“[These qualifiers] show that we have the talent. Also we are excited and hungry.”
The 16-year-old also made headlines from a CBS Sports interview a few days ago, where he said the U.S. U-17s can win the World Cup. He even said they can dominate big teams like England, Spain, Brazil, and Argentina. Adams is on a mission to break records.
He scored 10 goals in the U.S. U-17s’ 22-0 win over the U.S. Virgin Islands despite suffering food poisoning 48 hours before. His idol is Erling Haaland, someone he’s being compared to because Haaland also scored nine goals in a game against Honduras during the U-20 World Cup.
Adams was already being called “baby Haaland” because he resembles the young Haaland. And it’s not just because he’s also tall and shares a similar look as the young Haaland. He also plays in a similar way, even down to the way he runs.
Expect big things from the striker.
⚽ How Does Angel City FC’s Coaching Staff Measure Up? ⚽
The NWSL has made strides toward accountability, but with the Safe Soccer Clearance Program still voluntary, how do Angel City FC’s coaches stack up? A deep dive into their qualifications, licensing, and the lingering questions surrounding league standards.
👉 Read the full article now on GOLZ TV.
Christian Pulisic on “LeBron James of Soccer”
Christian Pulisic was asked about what he thinks of being called LeBron James of soccer.
“[People say] ‘Oh he’s nowhere near where LeBron is’. I… don’t think that either,” Pulisic said to Sports Illustrated.
“It’s just a funny meme, and that’s it.”
“I’ve heard of it a lot. When we were in Saudi Arabia, a random kid shouted that to me, but that’s just typical. It doesn’t bother me.”
The “LeBron James of soccer” became a viral sensation thanks to a Pawn Star episode in 2021. It is now 2025, but that meme isn’t dying down anytime soon.
More Professional Soccer Teams in California
Professional soccer is coming to Pico Rivera, California along with a stadium.
Last week, the City of Pico Rivera announced it is partnering with the USL to bring professional men’s and women’s soccer to Pico Rivera.
A day later, Mayor John R. Garcia and the USL CEO Dan Holman signed a negotiated letter of agreement at a ceremony at City Hall.
They’ve agreed to explore the development of a state-of-the-art entertainment district with a new stadium to host both men’s and women’s teams.
Apart from the stadium, the district will also include retail spaces, dining spaces, public gathering areas for community events, and improvements to infrastructure enhancing accessibility and transportation.
Kevin Paredes’ Injury Issues
The last competitive game Kevin Paredes played was in that 4-0 loss to Morocco in the Olympics. He got injured in Wolfsburg’s pre-season and has been out since.
He’s been working hard at the gym and in treatment room, but it’s far from easy being injured for this long.
“At first, I didn’t even believe it. I had no pain and I didn’t want to accept it,” Paredes said in a recent interview with The Athletic.
“I was just thinking, ‘There’s no chance I’m out that long’.”
“I was questioning everything. Players told me they had seen a change in me. I’m normally the positive guy and they can tell when you change.” “
But I need to be that positive person [again] for my teammates. Remaining positive and going to the gym every day are the only things I can do to help myself.”
Let’s hope Paredes can return to action soon and get back to the level he’s shown in the past. Still only 21, he is the future of the USMNT.
Tyler Adams Looks Ahead to the World Cup
Tyler Adams spoke to Telemundo on the USMNT’s expectations for the 2026 World Cup.
“The pressure is there. You don’t want to let the American people down because if there’s one thing Americans do, it’s turning up for a sporting event in America,” he said.
“We know the pressure we put on ourselves and the expectations we have, we just need to rise up to the occasion at the right moment.”
“There’s a long way to go before the World Cup, although it feels like right around the corner.”
“A lot of guys could be playing at a new club, a lot of guys could be not playing at all. Like there are so many variables that go into success at a World Cup.”
“But we have a lot of time to continue to develop. It’s important that we take every camp we have extremely serious. The tournament in the summer, using that as preparation to continue to build the identity we want to build.”
“Most importantly, we just want to leave the American people proud. I know we can do that with the way we play.”
Tim Howard Says Soccer Wasn’t Fun for Him
Former USMNT goalkeeper Tim Howard opened up on why soccer wasn’t fun for him.
“Soccer at a certain point— it wasn’t fun anymore,” Howard said to former USWNT goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris in her Wide Open podcast. “I don’t mean that to sound dour.
Ultimately, in order to achieve greatness on the level that you and I did, it has to become this no holds barred, dark business.”
“The fun is out of it, it becomes a competition. And so what I, in a very sadistic way, enjoyed was the competition. It was the fierceness of it.”
“Would I say it’s fun? No because I compare fun with laughing, being jovial, and ha ha. Like pure enjoyment.”
“That wasn’t what soccer was for me. It was competitive and I love to compete. In fact, I don’t do a lot of things now with my friends because I know I just can’t do something. I’m going to compete and I’m going to lose friends.”
“So there was never really any fun. I loved it, I’d do it all over again but for me, it was always chasing greatness.”
Harris completely agreed. She said she understands exactly what he’s saying but she doesn’t think other people would understand it and it’s powerful how he’s willing to share that.
“People only see the successful beauty of sports,” Harris said.
Howard played 121 games for the USMNT, including two World Cups. He spent 13 years in the Premier League with Everton and Manchester United. Meanwhile, Harris played 25 games for the USWNT and was a part of two World Cup winning teams. She spent her careeer in NWSL, Germany, and Sweden.
Enjoying Our Newsletter? Tell Your Friends!
If you like what you’ve read, then make sure to share this with your friends, family, and whoever you know that loves soccer as much as we do.
GOLZ TV community is small, but is growing. With your help, we can grow even faster ahead of the World Cup that’s coming up next year.
Have a great Tuesday!