Photo: Garrett Field
EDITOR’S NOTE: Here’s the next in our series of fan posts, courtesy of Union fan and PSP reader James Scharnitz. (He wrote this prior to the Union’s win Tuesday against D.C. United.)
Where has the DOOP gone?
Which clubs come to mind when you think of sellout crowds, championship aspirations, and a world class football atmosphere. Barcelona? Chelsea? AC Milan? Those are the typical answers you would expect. But each of those was present here in Philadelphia in 2011.
Walk the PPL Park lots today and you’ll be hard pressed to find any glimmer of hope for the current Union squad. As a season ticketholder and a member of the Sons of Ben, I continue to see the despair firsthand. Leaving the River End after a 93rd minute loss to San Jose, I had no choice but to accept the fact that this is no longer the team the city of Philadelphia fell in love with.
With the Union’s two most recognizable faces, captain Danny Califf and forward Sebastian Le Toux being shipped off to Chivas USA and the Vancouver Whitecaps respectively, this team bears little resemblance to the one that resided near the top of MLS for the entirety of the 2011 season.
Now that mediocrity has set in with the majority of the Union supporters, many of us are left to ask, “What’s next?” The answer on the top of most fans’ minds is to fire manager Peter Nowak. Need evidence that the relationship between Union fans and the manager has gone sour? Just listen to the chorus of boos that accompany the announcement of Nowak’s name at every home match, or take a stroll through the SoB tailgates. But firing the manager may not be enough to salvage a respectable finish to this season.
We as fans (and season ticketholders especially) deserve to have our voice heard, and Philadelphia fans are not shy about their feelings. With over 20 league matches remaining, the season may not be lost yet.
But major changes are needed to bring the DOOP back to PPL Park and possibly salvage a playoff berth, after all. An active summer when it comes to transfers may be just what the Union need to solve their problems, in particular the fact they can’t manage to score goals.
With international faces like Henry, Beckham, Keane, and Marquez now residing on relatively successful MLS clubs it seems time that the Union follow suit and go after a big name talent. Will this ever happen here in Philadelphia, and can such a player make a big enough difference to save the 2012 season?
Only time will tell.
But one thing I’m sure about is that Philadelphia is ready to DOOP again.
It’s gone to Vancouver. And Chivas. And Columbia.
Ill be there to support the team and all that, but you are right. This is no longer the team we fell in love with.
I think a playoff berth is wishful thinking. The best I can hope for is that the Union has the resemblance of a team by the end of this season. And I dont mean, a whole new team, new players, new coach…I just mean a squad that looks like they know each other on a very basic level.
Playoffs? I don’t need or care about that.. I just want a team that at least “looks” like they are leaving it all on the field every game… I don’t care if the Union have a winning season, I just want a team that respects me (a season ticket holder x5) by giving it thier all every minute of every game. That means a coach plays a consistant best XI, and players play like they give a sh*t.
Hell, last year the Union had a terrible summer, but we still cheered b/c we were convinced that they gave it thier all… and there was hope… now… except for a few starters (too few now that Califf and LeToux gone) and players I know are chomping at the bit but on the bench, the DOOP is gone…
Hope is want keeps fans on the edge of thier seats…
(sigh)
damn..
Hope is WHAT keeps fans on the edge of thier seats…
Apparantly its gone to Portland now to.
Mwanga for PErlaza
Should have waited four more hours to post this, then you could have added the Mwanga trade to it as well…
Having grown up going to and watching English Division One and then as it became, the Premier League, I spent many years watching the waxing and waning fortunes of all of the big teams. Heck, I even witnessed Manchester United’s fall to Division Two in 1974, at the hands of a former hero, Denis Law.
Managers come and managers go – but what remains constant is typically the loyalty of the fans. You don’t switch teams – if you are an Arsenal fan (as I am), you are always an Arsenal fan.
I’m in the Philly area now – I’m a Union fan. Like many, the froth has gone from the top of the beer since the first season, and most certainly since our relatively successful second season. However, although many of us do not know the financial machinations behind the moves thus far this season, as fans we would expect more communication.
Every good team has a spine – Lehmann, Toure, Henry in the Arsenal unbeaten 2004 season; Cech, Terry, Lampard and Drogba at Chelsea and many more. We’ve lost our spine. Mondragon, Califf, LeToux – we are spineless and the rest of the body is following suit.
We need now for management NOT to be spineless and communicate the intentions – we’re moving the deck chairs around but not getting a better view. In fact, to quote LMFAO, everyday we’re shuffling.
I’d like to here from management what the plan is, what the vision is and where THIS squad is expected to take us and who is our leader.
+1
This summarizes my feelings better than I did on the board the other day. We as supporters/fans need to demand the management give us some guidance as to why this is occurring and if not demand new management. It works all over the world at many levels and there is no reason it can’t here.
This is all true im with the U till I die!
“the froth has gone from the top of the beer since the first season”
Love this. Great line.
We got an email from a reader saying the following:
Can you get this guy to write a fan post:
https://phillysoccerpage.net/2012/06/06/fans-view-where-has-the-doop-gone/comment-page-1/#comment-16327
Maybe the season ticketholders should ask Nick Sakiewicz where the doop has gone. Nick has let Nowak gut this team in a little under 6 months.
Maybe when the stands are empty by September, Nick & Company will show Peter the door. If not, you’ll see a lot of empty seats come March 2013….permanently empty seats.
Um the doop has a chance for silverware this year… I will gladly take a last place this year and next year for the USOC. I WANT SILVERWARE!!!