Union pep rally today at City Hall starting at noon.

Tom Veit said yesterday that more than 25,000 tickets have been sold for tomorrow’s home opener against DC United. This is a tremendous start. With ticket sales for the game capped at 38,000, there are still plenty of seats available if you haven’t already gotten yours. You can get yours here. If you haven’t yet purchased season tickets, the Union president also said that fewer than one thousand of the 12,000 season tickets that have been set aside remain available. You can get yours here. What are you waiting for?

If you have more word power than financial power, Soccer By Ives is giving away tickets for two club seats for tomorrow’s game. All you have to do is tell SBI why the Union means so much to you in 250 words or less.

Joe Biden will be joined by the legendary Walt Bahr in the first kick ceremony ahead of the game tomorrow.

WYSP’s Gordon has an awesome new Union podcast called Union Sound. In the latest installment Union goalkeeper Chris Seitz, Danny Califf and Tom Veit are guests.

Noting that “a lot of animosity between Philly and DC this week” with the trade of Donovan McNabb to the Redskins, Danny Califf says the Union are “not going to back down physically from any challenges.” Damn straight!

Fred, who missed the Sounders game serving a suspension from last season, is ready to face his former team tomorrow.

Our preview is better but concludes the match will end in a 1-1 draw.

Philadelphia Atoms, NASL champs in 1973.

The first thing my girlfriend said when I told her I got her a ticket for home opener was “who are the hotties?” Apparently she is not alone in wondering this.

MLS has increased the size of team rosters from 24 to 26 players to encourage the signing of homegrown talent who have been in a club’s youth development program for at least one year. “Rosters will now be made up of 20 senior players and 6 “protected” players. The latter do not count against a club’s $2,550,000 salary budget, giving the club’s a clear incentive to cultivate talent through their youth development academies.”

The Bleacher Report looks at the start of the WPS season, which will begin on Saturday when Washington Freedom and Boston Breakers kick off the league’s second season. The Independence hosts Atlanta Beat at the John A Farrell Stadium in West Chester at 6pm. They also look at the “dynamic goalkeeping duo” of Val Henderson and Karina LeBlanc of the Independence. You can get tickets for Sunday’s game here.

Women’s Soccer Weekly looks at the Independence roster.

US Soccer Players and soccer365 talk to WPS commissioner Tonya Antonucci.