When the USA returns to its World Cup qualifying campaign, it will have in its ranks a defender deemed worthy of a $22.5 million price tag. That's what VfL Wolfsburg paid Hertha Berlin for 24-year-old John Brooks, who joins the Volkswagen-backed club after its most tumultuous Bundesliga season.

American Josh Sargent, who turned 17 in February, has put on a stunning display with three goals at the Under-20 World Cup in South Korea, where the USA will play New Zealand in the round of 16 on Thursday. He is among players born in 2000 already turning heads. Here are in alphabetical order 10 players to watch in the Class of 2000.

Chelsea is not standing still after capturing the Premier League title in its first season under manager Antonio Conte. Some time this month or in early June he is expected to sign a new contract that will extend his association with the club to 2021.

Only now will attention turn to Russia and the 2018 World Cup, and we're surely in for a rocky ride. It begins with next month's Confederations Cup -- the World Cup dress rehearsal -- and FIFA is already facing questions on multiple fronts about its Russian adventure.

The setting for the 2017 Europa League final seemed perfect for an observation as to the competition’s current place in the shop window of global soccer, as well as perceptions of same regarding participants Ajax and Manchester United, formerly giants of the game and now something less. Then a bomb went off Monday night at Manchester Arena during an Ariana Grande concert, and in the agonizing minutes and hours that followed 22 people, several in their teens and early 20s and one as young as 8, slipped away from their loved ones and left this world forever. …

Christian Pulisic was 17 years old at the start of the 2016-2017 Bundesliga season and getting playing time after Borussia Dortmund spent more than $100 million on new players seemed unlikely. It turns out, he's appeared in 42 BVB games -- and his amazing season could get even better on Saturday.

After one season, Scotsman David Moyes resigned as manager of EPL club Sunderland. The move followed the Black Cats' relegation after 10 years in the EPL and likely marks the end of Moyes' managerial career in England's top flight, a remarkable fall for Sir Alex Ferguson's hand-picked successor at Manchester United just four years ago.

Staggering sums are up for grabs Sunday when Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal vie for Champions League qualification.

Since its inception in 2007, the U.S. Soccer Development Academy (DA) had been a great success. Its success is manifested in the USMNT selection (10 DA players in a 32-man roster) along with recent success of the U-17 and U-20 USMNTs. Let us not forget the success of the U-17s and U-20 s is confined to the region, and I wish them the best of luck in their World Cup endeavors (in India and South Korea, respectively). The USMNT has still a long way to go.

His scoreless streak now at 721 minutes, U.S. striker Bobby Wood continues to have the support of his Hamburg SV coach Markus Gisdol as HSV fights against relegation from the Bundesliga.

With the Under-20 World Cup set to begin this weekend in South Korea, Ben Lyttleton at SI.com's Planet Futbol has assembled a list of the top 20 under-20 players in the world. On the list: Christian Pulisic, at No 13. What stands out is the dominance of French players: six among the first 11. We add one more to the list.

In Pep Guardiola's first season managing in England, Manchester City won't win a trophy and isn't assured even of finishing in the top four in the Premier League, but he's happy about one thing: he'll get a second chance.

Michy Batshuayi has yet to start a league game for Chelsea since leaving Marseille in an expensive transfer, but he came off the bench Friday to score the goal that snagged the Premier League title in the first season under manager Antonio Conte,

Ajax is back, for now. It's only the Europa League, but the famed Dutch club has a chance to win its first European title since it won the Champions League in 1995. (It finished second in 1996.)

On Tuesday, the same day FBI director James Comey was fired, the FIFA Council decided not to renew the terms of FIFA chief ethics investigator Cornel Borbely and FIFA ethics chief judge Hans-Joachim Eckert.