Union
The Union scored two goals in Week 27, one from McInerney and one from Le Toux, and both have been nominated for goal of the week. Cast your vote here. And be quick about it. Voting ends Thursday at midnight and, as of this writing, Steve Zakuani’s goal is the leader.
David Beckham says he is “looking forward to the passion of the Philadelphia fans and I know they all won’t be shouting for me.” Bright lad, that one is.
Beckham thinks the effort MLS is making in developing an academy system is a step in the right direction. “MLS fans need to see American players, people they can relate to. There are good, young players coming through this league and I believe that will continue with the emphasis on homegrown talent.” He’s brilliant, I tell you, brilliant!
Rodriguez and Lindsey named to WPS Best XI
After being eliminated from the playoffs after the draw with Houston on Saturday, MLSSoccer.com realizes things haven’t been all bad for the Union. The Goalkeeper blog (stupid name) at Philly.com backs this up with numbers, showing the first year record of each MLS expansion team.
Cristian Arrieta scored for Puerto Rico in Monday’s 2–0 Caribbean Cup win over St. Martin.
Independence
Amy Rodriguez and Lori Linsdey to be named to the WPS Best XI for 2010.
Rodriguez talks about her role on the national team being traded from Boston to Philadelphia, and the impact she has had here in this profile.
Rodriguez and Heather Mitts will be among the 18 players suiting up for the US tonight at PPL Park.
Local
The Penn men’s team opened Ivy League play with a 1–0 away victory over Cornell. Travis Cantrell scored in the 89th minute.
The Penn women’s team also topped Cornell over the weekend, 3–0. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to keep that road momentum going and lost on Sunday to Army, 1–0. Kerry Scalora was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week for the second week in a row.
UNC Wilmington gave Drexel their first home loss of the season, beating them 1–0 on Saturday. Drexel hosts George Mason tonight at 7pm at Vidas Field.
Drexel women’s keeper Nicole Sinclair made nine saves in Sunday’s 1–1 away draw with Northeastern. On Friday, Drexel hosts Wiliam & Mary, followed by Old Dominion on Sunday.
The Temple men’s team outshot La Salle 17–9 last Saturday but lost 1–0. They face Saint Joseph’s this Saturday.
Tyler Witmer was named Philadelphia Soccer Six Co-Player of the Week for his two goals performance against Rutgers last week. La Salle’s Ryan Richter shared the honor and was also named La Salle’s Student Athlete of the Week after scoring two game-winning goals last week . Richter was also named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week. Teammate and keeper John McCarthy was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week.
The Temple women’s team lost its first Atlantic 10 match-up away 2–1 against George Washington on Friday but bounced back with a 1–1 away draw with Richmond on Sunday. They host Saint Joseph’s on Friday.
MLS
Toronto FC fans are balking at renewing their season tickets
A losing record in MLS, elimination from the CONCACAF Champions League, and a rise in the price of season tickets is causing many Toronto FC fans to think twice about renewing their tickets.
The LA Times says that David Beckham has had less impact on the popularity of MLS than the horse Zenyatta has had on reviving the fortunes of horse racing. Beckham can take solace in the knowledge that, because he is not a horse, he was not put down when he broke his ankle. Or when his Achilles tendon exploded. Maybe the SoBs can come up with a quick Zenyatta-based chant for tomorrow night. “Hasta Zenyatta, David”? No? Oh well.
WPS
More on the possible impact of the new Western New York WPS team, set to join the league in 2011. The piece wonders if the new team could be the Philadelphia Independence of 2011. Never I say, never!
NASL/USL
SBNation looks at the upcoming Division 2 playoffs.
A yet to be named team from San Antonio will join the NASL in the 2012 season.
US Open Cup
Seattle Sounders win the US Open Cup for the second year in a row, defeating Columbus Crew 2–0. Aside from the FSC commentators (I’m talking to you, Chris Sullivan), it was an entertaining match and I had a good time it. Hopefully the Union will take this tournament more seriously next year.
US
CONCACAF has announced the schedule of the qualifying rounds for the Women’s World Cup. The US is in Group B and will play Haiti on October 28, Guatemala on October 30 and Costa Rica on November 1. All of those matches will take place at the Estadio Unidad Deportiva in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. The top two teams from Group A and Group B will meet in the semifinals on November 5 in Cancun with the Championship and third place match taking place there on November 8.
Below are highlights from the USWNT’s 2–1 victory over China on Saturday in in Kennesaw, GA. The USWNT are at PPL Park for Round 2 tonight. The Inquirer talks to the team ahead of the game. Tickets are still available for tonight’s Round 2 7pm kickoff at PPL Park. The match can also be seen on ESPN2.
Has US soccer turned a corner? MLS Insider comments on a recent piece in When Saturday Comes, the British magazine and website that is a personal fave of this anglophile. WSC bemoans Scotland not capping Stuart Holden and wonders if snobbery was the cause.
The next time someone gives tells you soccer is doomed to fail in the US, mention this: David Hill, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of FOX Sports Media Group, has joined the USA Bid Committee to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup. When the capitalists are on board, you’re doing something right.
CONCACAF
CONCACAF has formally requested to be included in the 2015 Copa America.
Elsewhere
The Liverpool board has agreed to the sale of the club to Boston Red Sox owner John W, Henry New England Sports Ventures group. The sale could go through as early as next week. Or, the deal could takes to go through. Current owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks stand to lose as much as £144m because the deal does not include payment of loans they made to the club. Liverpool supporters are reacting with “cautious optimism” at the possibility of one Yank replacing two. More on John W. Henry here.
The president of Bolivia retaliates after being fouled in a friendly by kneeing the player who committed the foul in the groin. Note to self: Don’t mess with the president of Bolivia.
Cover photo by Paul Rudderow.
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