#Chicago Red Stars

Hello, and welcome to the weekly L.A. Times soccer newsletter. I'm Kevin Baxter, The Times' soccer writer, and today we wonder why LAFC assistant Ante Razov isn't yet a head coach, go over the Galaxy's recent struggles, break down a diverse MLS player pool and look at the two Southern California expansion teams that are at the top of the National…

The Chicago Cubs front office and ownership promised to make a splash this winter in free agency. Does Cody Bellinger and Jameson Taillon count? It's a start, but many of the Cubs faithful, as well as the media, firmly believed that the team would go after one of the elite shortstops that owned the market at the beginning of December. Of Xander…

Last year's star-studded free-agent shortstop class is followed by another one, possibly even better than the previous. This one includes four of the top-10 players in fWAR among shortstops, including Dansby Swanson, who ranked second (6.4). Swanson is one of the best defensive shortstops in the game, ranking second in defensive runs above average.…

Hello, and welcome to the weekly L.A. Times soccer newsletter. I'm Kevin Baxter, The Times' soccer writer, and today we look at LAFC and the Galaxy finding their way to the postseason; Angel City missing out on the National Women's Soccer League playoffs; and Qatar's continuing struggles to prepare for an unprecedented flood of visitors for this…

There is so little between Arsenal and Tottenham this season that every little decision will count as they square off this Saturday (watch live, 7:30am ET on USA Network and online via NBCSports.com) in the north London derby. [MORE: ] Mikel Arteta and Antonio Conte have overseen superb starts to the season for their teams, with the Gunners top of…