The Danny Califf trade saga is finally complete.
The Union’s captain is going to Chivas USA with Michael Lahoud and allocation money coming the other way.
Photo via AP
Lahoud was drafted #9 overall by Chivas in 2009. He notched 1 goal and 3 assists in 23 games (17 starts) last season. This season he has been an afterthought, logging only 54 minutes over two matches. At 5’8″, Lahoud is a smallish addition to the crowded Union midfield. At this point, it’s difficult to see him stealing minutes from any of the players currently in the midfield rotation.
From the rumors that circulated hours before last weekend’s match against New York, to Peter Nowak’s press conference announcing an imminent deal, to Chivas USA’s incredulous response to Nowak’s presser, to the announcement today that Chivas was dealing Heath Pearce to New York for Juan Agudelo, it has been a chaotic end to Danny Califf’s time with Philadelphia.
And that doesn’t include any of the controversial events that had littered Califf’s final season with the Union before he was dealt.
Califf and Union head coach Peter Nowak gave conflicting stories about the defender’s knee after he was held out of the team’s home opener against Colorado. While both sides said there was no rift between them, the timing of this trade – combined with the lack of a ready-made replacement on the Union roster – suggest the deal was more than just a good business opportunity.
The man who embraced the nickname Bearfight was coming off his best year with the club but had been in and out of the lineup in 2012. He was a deserved fan favorite, always making a trip around the stadium after a match to sign autographs, take pictures, and thank the supporters.
More to come.
NOWAK OUT
That should be the next River End tifo.
I had one in the stands with me last match, but after the good performance (despite the loss), I couldn’t bring myself to fly it.
A midfielder…. great
That’s “Allocation Money.”
Just when you though that our management couldn’t possibly possibly get any worse; they trade for another midfielder.
Who is 5’8″ tall
NOTHING this front office does now will surprise me. Le Toux was indeed a surprise to just about everyone and I, personally, felt like i was finally over it (hate to bring-up his name again, sorry). This just makes me laugh and shake my head. Now, on to the next drama- http://delcotimes.com/articles/2012/05/17/news/doc4fb4c8472222e407327323.txt?viewmode=fullstory
It’s all bureaucratic bullshit, my man. There will always be someone who wants a bigger slice of pie. Politics and football…no good.
Wow, makes me wonder if the Union will survive
Chivas just robbed the Union.
I can’t wait to see who Nowak gives away for nothing next.
They really did, unless we can use that allocation money for a quality signing in the summer. Califf for a midfielder. On top of that, one who doesn’t outperform our current middle. Now seems like a good time for the supporters to tell Nowak that his time is up. Let him turn around to see that the whole section, behind the bench, is holding signs reading ‘NOWAK OUT’!!!! He has turned our club, that was on the verge of being a solid contender, into a muddled mess of midfielders and allocation money.
I’m going to pass on the US Open Cup and let management know why.
Boycott with our dollars — even if they are not magic bean allocation dollars!
Can someone close to Califf or SLT ask for a name of a Philly/Chester charity that they like that is NOT connected to the Union Foundation?
I’m going to send the money I would have paid the Union (including the $6) there.
Lahoud will probably vie for time as RB, especially with Williams becoming the other half of the CB pairing. Nowak did say this deal would give the team defensive options … probably the one thing that came out of his mouth yesterday that was remotely true.
Does it count as giving the team options if you subtract one as you add one?
Seriously? Everywhere I heard said Lahoud is a MF, nothing about him being able to play defense at all. The last thing we need to to play more players out of position.
This is exactly the point. The team is weakened by playing people out of position. The fact that they sign another MF is further confirmation that the deal was about offloading someone who had the nerve to challenge Napolean’s authority.
It only really makes sense if Nowak is gonna go ahead and give the 3-5-2 another go
We hereby acknowledge:
1. We are outworked by a blog. Regularly.
2. We wish we were as good as Chris Vito.
3. Even we, the biggest Nowak jock sniffers around, acknowledge that it’s time for him to go.
Love,
The Hacks
if this is actually the two of you mad props for acknowledging all of this
The arrogance of the club to think that we can’t figure out that the real reason LeToux and Califf were traded is because they dared to challenge Napolean’s absolute authority. They trot out BS like, “we are going to get younger” which is code for we are cheap, and we are looking at defensive options and then sign a smallish midfielder that may get converted to RB. Napolean clings to this idea that defenders are easily moved across the back line and that midfielders can play at the back just as good as named defenders. Unless he is gone and the philosophy of the club changes before ST renewal, I am out for next year.
First off, “Hacks”, no idea who you are and I hope you are not reffering to this site as a blog. these guys work their tails off on this site.
Second, the first time we all boo’d Nowak upon his entering the feild it got alot of press. If there is one thing we know it is this…
When Philly fans boo, the whole country listens for some reason. When we cheer, not so much. Our mouths in the River End are best heard by a giant BOO everytime Nowak enters or exits the field.
If we continue to boo him for long enough he WILL get fired.
He has made a God damn joke out of our team
The other way to get noticed is for everyone to enter the stadium at about the 10th minute. Particularly the side along the river so the TV cameras have a good shot at empty seats.
I like where you head is at Santas
FIRST 10 MINUTE NO ONE GO TO YOUR SEATS FOR NEXT FEW GAMES.
PSP BOYS, THIS WILL BE UP TO YOU TO CROSS PROMOTE WITH BROTHERLY GAME, ETC.
Califf has been removed from the roster on the team website, but Lahoud has not been added. Hopefully another trade is in the works that brings us something we actually need. For me, Nowak has until August to get us into a winning rhythm otherwise it’s time to clean house. The season is not over yet and firing him now won’t accomplish anything because he’s already completely disassembled the team and is rebuilding a new one. I want to fire him because he has failed, but I’m nervous because I believe firing him would mean the entire organization would have to be rebuilt. Nowak hired, played and is likely friends with Alecko Eskandarian, John Hackworth, Diego Guitierrez, Josh Gros. Firing Nowak could lead to a mass exodus from the organization. At this point in the season firing him would mean rebuilding an entire organization during the middle of the season. I’m not saying it will happen, but lets see if somehow Nowak throws together a winning team by August. If not, fire him then and start the rebuilding. Let’s not throw the towel in on the season yet, though I don’t see how this team and organization will be successful this season.
I somewhat agree. I say at this point its pointless to change coaches mid-season. The season is most likely lost. The Union must look for and find a good replacement. And make that replacement at the end of the season, August seems about right. Give the new guy an opportunity to adjust to the team and the personel so he can have a head start on the off season.
I’VE been trying to keep telking myself “wait till the end of the season and see were the chips fall” before i start calling for heads to roll, i’ve seen to many sports franchises do that. But that voice is starting to have to get louder and louder, and repeat it more times in my head with every loss(BOTH GAMES AND PLAYERS)
The difference is that managers are often sacked for failing to win with the players that they assembled. Nowak is failing because he assembled a great team and then traded them all away because of personal conflicts with players.
FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO READ THIS I JUST POSTED THIS ON THE UNION WEBSITE AND TO THE HEAD OF FAN SERVICES….I DOUBT WHETHER THEY WILL CARE BUT I FELT LIKE RANTING
You guys have to be kidding me.
Let me get this all straight.
1) You finally get us the soccer team we desperately wanted in Philadelphia, and then you put it in the ghettos of Chester
2) You field an exciting, competitive team for two seasons then blow it up and get rid of all players the fans have a liking for…making us into one of the worst 2 or 3 franchises in the league
3) You mis-read the politicians of Chester and now have your backs up against the wall from a tax perspective “putting you out of business over time” as Nick has been quoted
4) Your “coach” plays favorites, discards players he doesn’t like, has a TOTAL disregard for fans and has a generally pissy demeanor
5) You trade away your two most popular players ever and DONT EVEN GET PLAYERS IN RETURN! (Don’t give me a second rate mid-fielder for Danny Califf)
6) Your owner is basically a working class guy who made good in real estate of all things and now Forbes says he lost much of his worth in the real estate crash
7) Although you claim sell-outs the crowds are getting smaller and smaller this year compared to previous years
8) Even your big claim to fame “Sons of Ben” has no leadership at the games anymore and MANY other groups have been formed and will eventually take over the River End
…am I missing anything here?
I am a financial person who pays very close attention to this team, and from my perspective you are:
1) Broke
2) Misguided by lawyers
3) This looks like only the beginning of your player “fire sale” and increasing costs to fans.
Aside of a small minority of real soccer people in the Philly area you are leaning on ALOT of casual fans (basically dad’s bringing their kids to games), and by the look of the crowds they are already starting to do other things with their weekends.
You boys better get something going in the right direction and fast. I am on the chat boards and blogs for the team all the time and I can tell you that even your core base is very pissed right now.
– An extremely disappointed founding member and season ticket holder (and I will be again next year)
KMc
You should be President/CEO/Coach
Don’t have a problem with Chester, just how far away it is. Other than that, spot on
Well Said!
The team had some good momentum to gain popularity in the area and they squandered it.
I wrote Nick a letter on Tuesday that is fairly close to what you said except for the part abotu Chester. I got a very “party line” response from the VP of Marketing and Communications that says “I can say that our strategy remains to consistently provide the best possible play-of-game on the field, with an eye on the long term. One of our top priorities is and always will be to put a team on the field each year that has a real chance of competing for a MLS Cup title. While we may have had a stronger start last season, we did not finish where we wanted to be and it is our responsibility to fans like you to take steps that will ensure better results”
Not buying it.
I’ve got Brian Carroll in the Philadelphia Union Dead Pool.
Nonsense, he’s a Friend of Nowak with pre-Union credentials. Shaenon, Mwanga and Keon are the next to go.
I think Hackworth would take the job in a second, loyal to Nowak or not.
I’m not too worried about the club’s overall health and longevity because it’s clear that Nowak is controlling player personnel. Plus that Amusement Tax is only proposed, and I don’t see it garnering much support.
But Nowak is a polarizing figure, and his reputation for locker room drama precedes him. Combine that with this piss-poor record, and something has got to give.
I never thought I could hate two words as much I hate the combination of “allocation” and “money.”
Because we really need another attacking midfielder!!!!
Oh, he’s an attacking midfielder…YES!!!!!
This is insane! They walked away like bandits.
They got a good defender from the Union to replace another they lost in a trade with NY in which they got a good, young forward.
While we have a back line with a huge whole in it and another midfielder we just don’t need. Insane! The defense was the only thing that functions on this team and they took it apart.
This is clearly an ego trip for Nowak, as all suspected. If Califf did not ask to be moved, then its Nowak jeopardizing the well being and success of this team on his personal power trip.
I say, its time for very large signs to go up during games, especially nationally televised games, calling for the ouster of Nowak.
A suggestion for the next article on PSP (if I may) is one discussing coaches that could replace Nowak.
Lahoud will be available for selection on Saturday.
It sounds like “Allocation Money” is totally meaningless. I actually thought we might be loading up to spend cash on an import (not a dp since I know we don’t do that.) But now I’m concerned that my optimism was misplaced!
Lord help us if Valdez gets hurt, accumulates too many yellows, or gets called away for int’l duty. What then? Keon Daniel at CB? Or perhaps Pete will play both Farfans on the back line. C’mon this is busch league.
…and wouldn’t it be a blast to be a Chivas supporter today? Ballsy move.
Nowak is probably pissed that he had to take back a player. I’m sure he pushed very, very hard for allocation money only. I’ll bet that was the 72 hour hold-up to the trade!!!