I wonder a lot about how certain things were invented or conceived. Not technology – everyone knows nerds come up with that stuff. And not stuff with a “duh” answer like shoes. I’m talking about simple stuff that maybe had no previous application. For example: coffee. At the end of the day, coffee is hot water that runs through some ground up roasted beans and another filter of some kind that makes the morning bearable. I couldn’t tell you the last day I had where I didn’t drink a cup of coffee when I woke up.

Coffee has been around for centuries. But I honestly wonder who one day figured out “hey, if I take these seeds from this tree here, set them on fire for a little while, grind them up real good, put them in a bowl, then dump some really hot water in there, HOT DAMN that will make it so I can get my kids dressed and on their way to school without having a mental breakdown!” Whoever that was, hats off to that guy or gal.

LINKS!

• If you’re into the ins and outs of MLS’s relationship with the USL, here’s an interesting explainer on how different teams try to handle their players’ development and involvement in The Most Prominent Second Division in the World(TM).
• Shaun Francis will be out this weekend for Louisville City as he’s been called up for Jamaica’s friendly against Trinidad & Tobago. Speedy Williams wasn’t called in for this camp, which only includes one game.
• If you follow the Rovers or like to keep tabs on youth soccer development in general, here’s a list of PDL products plying their trade in the U.S. and Canadian professional ranks in 2018.