Clint Dempsey lives! His knee injury isn’t as bad as feared, and he likely will return to play by spring, with time before the World Cup. Here’s the announcement from Fulham.

The Vancouver Whitecaps hire Tom Soehn as their first MLS technical director, a day after the Portland Timbers named Gavin Wilkinson as theirs.

Kansas City Wizards get approval for construction of a new stadium in Kansas. A significant part of the deal? Development of an 18-field soccer complex around the stadium, patterned on models in Colorado and Dallas. Philly is envious.

At least 30 from Haiti’s soccer federation died during last week’s earthquake. The soccer federation was apparently meeting when it happened.

The NASL launches a new web site. Take note of this page, which shows just how long the NASL-USL split has been in the making.

The Maryland Stadium Authority will spend $100,000 to study construction of a soccer stadium. This could be for Crystal Palace Baltimore of the USL-NASL, or it could be a play for D.C. United, who still play in RFK Stadium thanks to various stadium efforts falling short so far.

Read this great look at the politics at the African Cup of Nations from SI’s Grant Wahl (aka the guy who wrote that Beckham book).

Chivas USA loses Paolo Nagamura to Mexico but keeps three others they could have lost.