Photo: Daniel Studio
Philadelphia Union
RTVNH reports (crappy Google translation here) that Earnie Stewart finished his tenure at AZ on Thursday ahead of joining the Union as Sporting Director at the start of the new year. Stewart says, “I look forward to my new challenge.”
At the Union website, Tranquillo Barnetta talks about leaving the Bundesliga to join the Union and some of the challenges he’s faced on the field and off. He really does seem like a good dude.
Also at the Union website, info on the team’s annual toy collection drive and holiday event at PPL Park.
Bethlehem Steel FC
The Bethlehem Steel FC open tryout took place on Sunday with nearly 300 players participating. Head coach Brendan Burke said, “I’d love to have five to ten players come into our winter training so we can see how they interact with our first team players and how they interact with our top academy players and from there, hopefully, two or three of them will make their way into preseason.”
Burke says the team’s preseason will most likely begin on February 1.
Burke also reaffirmed the team will be part of a system that begins with the academy and leads to the first team. “It’s definitely a part of the machine, absolutely, that’s why you see all the first team staff out here today, and the academy staff out here today. We’re all on the same page. We’ll mirror what the first team does. The tactics that [Earnie Stewart], and [Jim Curtin] and [Chris Albright] settle on is going to be our direction as well.”
Reports at WFMZ and Brotherly Game. Video at The Morning Call and WFMZ. Photo gallery at The Morning Call.
Philadelphia Union Academy
The Union Academy hosted local counterparts Continental FC Delco on Saturday. The day began with the U-17/18s coming from behind after Dontrim Namani scored in the 23rd minute to draw 1-1, thanks to an 85th minute goal from Jerren Nixon, who entered the game in the 75th minute. The U-15/16s then posted a comprehensive 6-1 win with Issa Rayyan scoring a first half brace, substitute Kalil ElMedkhar scoring a second half brace, and Byron Josue Monge and Justin McMaster scoring individual tallies in between. James Simpson scored the lone goal goal for the visitors. The day finished with the Union U-13/14s recording a comprehensive victory of their own, winning 5-1 thanks to a hat trick from Michael McKeown, and goals from Jason Aoyama and Brendan Hasson. Jackson Temple scored for the visitors.
The U-15/16s and U-17/18s close out 2015 with the Nike International Friendlies in Florida, with the U-15/16s (7-2-3, second in the Atlantic Division) facing FC Golden State on Dec. 4, LA Galaxy on Dec. 5, and Vancouver Whitecaps on Dec. 7. The U-17/18s (9-1-3, second in the Atlantic Division) face Houston Dynamo on Dec. 3, Georgia United on Dec. 4, and FC Dallas on Dec. 6. The U-13/14s (7-1-3) are off until Dec. 31 when they host Bethesda-Olney at the Union training grounds in their final game of 2015. The teams return to US Soccer Development Academy play in March after the winter break.
Local
The CB East boys team (26-0-0) is the 2015 PIAA Class AAA state champions, defeating Seneca Valley 2-0 on Saturday with goals from Brian Gilligan and Evan Vare. Recaps at The Inquirer and The Intelligencer.
The Haverford School won the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association title, defeating Malvern Prep, 1-0. At Brotherly Game, Matt Ralph notes Union Academy players Shane Bradley and Conor Bradley play for Haverford.
In Delaware, Salesianum defeated Charter School of Wilmington 2-0 on Saturday to claim their sixth straight DIAA Division I title. Recaps at Delaware Online and WDEL.
The CB East girls team (24-1-1) fell 2-1 to Upper St. Clair in the Class AAA state championship, Emma Loving scoring the lone goal for East. Recaps at The Inquirer and The Intelligencer.
Villa Joseph Marie fell 1-0 in the PIAA Class AA championship game to Erie’s Villa Marie. Recap at The Inquirer.
The Germantown Academy girls team won the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association title, defeating Episcopal Academy, 1-0.
After defeating St. Lawrence 2-0 on Saturday in the Sweet 16, the Haverford men’s team fell 1-0 to SUNY Oneonta in Sunday’s NCAA Division III sectional final.
The Franklin & Marshall men’s team lost 1-0 to No. 1 Calvin in Saturday’s NCAA Division III Sweet 6 round contest.
Crystal Palace co-chairman Steve Parish has confirmed “talks are in an advanced stage” with 76ers owners David Blitzer and Josh Harris to buy into the club.
MLS
The first leg games of the conference finals kicked off on Sunday. In the Eastern Conference, the Crew’s Justin Meram scored nine seconds after the kickoff — the fastest goal in MLS playoff history — and Kei Kamara added another goal in the 85th minute to give Columbus the 2-0 win. The teams meet at Red Bull Arena on Sunday at 7:30 pm (FS1).
In the Western Conference, Portland Timbers were leading 2-0 thanks to goals from Liam Ridgewell and Dairon Asprilla (it was a gorgeous goal from Asprilla) before David Texeira cut their lead in half in the 65th minute. In the the 91st minute Nat “The Beard” Boucher scored another for the Timbers to complete the 3-1 win. The teams meet again at Toyota Park on Sunday at 5 pm (ESPN).
At Philly.com, Jonathan Tannenwald has an extensive transcript of Don Garber’s comments during a panel discussion at BlazerCon.
In related news, Garber has apologized after some ill considered remarks he made when discussing promotion/relegation resulting in some justified objections. Garber said, “If you’re investing billions and billions of dollars, which we are now at about $3.5 billion invested in 20 years, to build something in Kansas City and they have a (bad) season, to think they might be playing in Chattanooga in a stadium of 4,000 people on a crappy field with no fans, makes no sense.” You will recall NPSL side Chattanooga FC has drawn more than 18,000 fans to the league’s last two championship finals.
FC Dallas winger Fabian Castillo to Club America?
Steven Gerrard to international players considering a move to MLS: ““If people think they can come here just to have a holiday and retire, they are going to have a mistake.”
The Miami Herald reports, “David Beckham’s push for a soccer stadium in Miami may be drawing opposition from the local Republican Party.”
Whether or not San Antonio Scorpions will play another season in the NASL remains unknown. The team’s presenting sponsor deeproot Funds says it hasn’t heard from team owner Gordon Hartman for “six to eight weeks.” If the team does not continue, the investment group says it is done with soccer.
US
Carli Lloyd to The Trentonian on her long-range goal against Japan in the World Cup final: “If you don’t try it, you never know what’s going to happen. But I was feeling pretty good that day and when it came off my foot, I knew I couldn’t have hit it anymore perfectly than I did.”
Lloyd says the USWNT is focusing on the Olympic qualifiers: “I know it’s still called the victory tour, but we’re really turning our attention to the Olympics and Olympic prep, because we have that coming up in February. There’s only so much celebration you can do after a World Cup.”
SI talks to Vincent Volpe, the American owner of La Havre, about hiring Bob Bradley: “It’s hard to imagine that he was available.”
Elsewhere
FIFA announced today, “The adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee chaired by He has today opened formal adjudicatory proceedings against Joseph S. Blatter and Michel Platini based on the final reports submitted by the investigatory chamber.”
Reuters reported over the weekend, “FIFA ethics investigators called on Saturday for sanctions against president Sepp Blatter and European soccer boss Michel Platini, dealing a fresh blow to Platini’s bid to succeed Blatter as head of world soccer’s governing body.”
PA Sports reports the sanctions “will be for bans of several years based on four potential ethics code breaches: mismanagement, conflict of interest, false accounting and non co-operation with or criticizing the ethics committee.”
Blatter says he was close to death during his recent hospital stay: “I was really between the angels who sing and the devil who stokes the fire. It was the angels who sang.” Blatter also says he regrets not retiring after the 2014 World Cup.
Blatter says of Michel Platini, “Platini is an honest man. If he comes back, he will be elected. And then [if] he comes back, I will return too.”
Soccer fans in Turkey are saying the boos that were heard during the minute of silence before the start of the Turkey-Greece game that was meant to pay respect to victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris were directed at the terrorists, not their victims.
Fan violence over the weekend in Germany, England, and Greece. Idiots, all.
What kind of person tries to punch an eagle?
How do Academy players play high school soccer? I thought that was verboten?
Bradley’s got an exemption. Don’t you know?!
I did not know. I guess that’s good for them and sucks for their opponents.
The system changed while they were in process, recruited under the old assumption that they could do both and then after admission the ruling against doing both was handed down.
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Had they been forbidden to play for their school, the ban would have violated the idea behind the ex post facto provision in the powers prohibited to Congress in the Constitution. The usual layman’s phrase covering the rectification of that generic problem is “grandfathered in”.
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No question there was an advantage to Haverford; at times the soccer their Varsity played was beautiful to watch. I suspect our friend el pachyderm would have enjoyed watching it when it was at its best. I certainly did the few times I managed to see them in person.
So Stewart is in town now? Or on the way soon?
Or, hopefully, taking a vacation and recharging for the hard work ahead….
We do need to give the man time to move his family, find a house, finds schools, figure out where the drugstore and the supermarket are located.
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I remember a line from the old TV show West Wing that the President’s wife signed up knowingly for the scrutiny of life in politics, but that their children lacked that same degree of choice. We might want to give consideration to Mr. Stewart’s family. His children are changing countries, no easy when younger and newer to the process.
probably reason for the 5 weeks ahead of the Jan 1.
i’m sure he’s getting reports, players available via drafts, sketching out a plan of action, but not day-to-day stuff. the US holiday season lends for a nice light-duty transition period.
not expecting much in the way of player and staff news between now and 1/1.
Just good to know that he is around since the team has to decide what players they are not resigning before free agency/re-entry draft lists are due. Since the lists are made public on Dec 7th I imagine they are due to the league by maybe Dec 4th or so.
I think Don Garber is a total clown. Guy thinks he’s been appointed king of US soccer, and the commoners should never dare to question him.
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That Earnie Stewart wrapped up at AZ is the best bit of Philly pro sports news in 6 weeks. Literally. Since Sakiewicz and Amaro got fired. The last good Philly sports news before that? Hmmm……um……..well…..Eagles made the playoffs 2 years ago?
The last Philly team to win a home game was the Flyers on Oct 24…
The Union won on 10/25.
I stand corrected. For some reason I was thinking that game was the prior weekend. Should have looked up the schedule and checked.
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In any case, almost a month. It is very hard to be a sports fan in this city right now.
Agreed, it’s a barren wasteland of losses and broken promises right now.
I don’t recall it ever being this bad. I’ve seen some bad teams, but never every one at once. Closest might be that 1988-89 area.
Was great fun watching Haverford College play this weekend! Unfortunately they could not finish their many chances and it caught up with them in overtime when they got beat on a corner, even though they were a man up. So unfortunately the better team is not making it to the final 4 of Div III…
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Haverford’s many unproductive corners reminded me of the Union. The ball was driven in at high speed but every time too close to the goalie. They should have changed it up!
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F&M got beat in the sweet 16; not sweet 6.
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Little Aoyama is killing it for the Union U14; one of his older brothers is playing for Amherst who did make it into the final 4.
Sepp Blatter wishes he retired in 2014 after the world cup, then says he’ll be back if Platini gets elected? The guy may never go away.
Yeah it’s disgusting how non-chalant he is about how he’ll just come back. Makes me sick.
re:: fan violence and an eagle.
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Sadly the world has gone mad again – once more lost its morals. I think it is time again for public displays of punishment- threat of humiliation as deterrent. I’m for harmony and joined consciousness living. But there are those wayward souls and reprehensible among our civilization who need to be made examples of.
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Tar and feather
Flogging
Stoning
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What have we become.
Hey, the Flyguys won last night.