⚽️ Kai Wagner Being Investigated for Racial Slur

_{LAST MATCH: Union 3 - New England Revolution 1}

_{NEXT MATCH: vs. New England Revolution, Wednesday, Nov. 8 | Apple TV - MLS Season Pass}

Good morning. The Kai Wagner saga continues but this time in a way that could potentially taint his time in Chester. The German left back is under investigation for the alleged use of a racial slur against New England’s Bobby Wood. This could and should be the end of him in blue and gold if found to be true.

In the email today:

Philadelphia Union left back Kai Wagner is currently under investigation by Major League Soccer for the alleged use of a slur in Saturday's game against the New England Revolution, The Athletic reported Monday.

Per The Athletic, Wagner directed a slur typically directed at Asian people toward New England forward Bobby Wood, who is of Japanese and African American descent.

As reported, the incident was made aware to match officials by New England staff and was put into center referee Pierre-Luc Lauziere's match report. The report alleges that during an encounter between both sides in the 87th minute of the match, Wagner directed a slur in German toward Wood, who entered into an exchange with Wagner. Wood spent the first decade of his professional career playing in Germany after coming up through the youth system in Germany.

Our take: If the allegation is true, this needs to have been the last time Wagner wears a Union uniform. He is already most likely not returning to the club in 2024 and should face a hefty suspension if what is being alleged is proven.

2) 🩼 Jakob Glesnes to Undergo Surgery

The Philadelphia Union’s 3-1 victory on Saturday night left fans in high spirits, but the post-game atmosphere took a more somber turn when head coach Jim Curtin provided an update on Jakob Glesnes, the team’s resilient center back.

Curtin revealed that Glesnes is slated for surgery, scheduled for Tuesday, acknowledging the severity of his condition.

“To our fans, he’s played through one of the more painful injuries you can have in this sport because the kicking and everything that goes along with playing the center back position. He’s played through as much pain as he possibly can,” Curtin said.

The recovery will take a few weeks, according to Curtin, so it’s unlikely he’d be available until the MLS Cup final in December.

“He’s about as tough as it gets, he’s a true Viking and he wants to be out there but sometimes your body tells you and you have to listen,” Curtin said. “He wants to get back to MLS Cup and be with the guys but he has to do that now basically as a coach with me on the sideline.”

Our take: Losing the 2022 Defender of the Year is less than ideal but that only makes the offseason acquisition of Jamaican international Damion Lowe an even bigger deal than it’s already been.

3) 🗓️ Meme of the Day: How Many Days?

4) 💧 Water Cooler: Left Back

Have additional thoughts? Reply directly to this email to comment, and see if we include your response tomorrow.

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Results from our last poll: Thoughts on Playoff Format

5) 🔗 Link Roundup:

• ⚽️ Vote El Brujo for Goal of the Year.

• 🐐 Messi beat out Haaland to win the Ballon d’Or for the eighth time. He’s the first MLS-based player to claim the coveted prize, but the triumph does come largely on the back of his exploits with his country in Qatar.

• 🏆 Spanish World Cup and Champions League star Aitana Bonmatí won the Ballon d’Or Féminin.

• 📺 Todd Lewis of The Free Kick podcast breaks down the goals from Saturday’s playoff game.

The newsletter today was written by: Matt Ralph @MattRalph_ and Sean Sullivan @ssullivan

Thanks for reading!