Photo: Earl Gardner
Philadelphia Union
For the first time in what seems like an eternity, the Union have had a reasonable period of rest and it will be eight days since the loss to New York when the Union host New England Revolution on Sunday evening (7pm, NBCSN). Jack McInerney says, “We’re coming off a disappointing loss, but we’re very confident and ready to get right back out there. We’ve been playing well, and we know we need to keep stringing together good results. This is a nice break, but we have to stay focused and get ready for New England, which isn’t going to be easy.”
Marc Narducci says of the New England game, “This is one of those games where anything less than three points would be unsatisfactory, especially since the Union have been better recently at home.
Goal.com predicts a Union win.
This preview notes that a Union win could put them ahead of New England—above them by three points and one goal and winless in the last three games—in the standings
One player who has been on a longer break than the rest of the team is Freddy Adu. After saying he is eager to play against New England, Adu said of the “team matter” which saw him off the roster against New York, “I think it was a little bit of a misunderstanding and I just have to move on from that. I’m ready to go. I’m good with my coaches and teammates, so all is good.”
Adu said of the trade rumors that followed his absence from the last game, “I wasn’t paying attention but then I was told by a friend of mine. I was just laughing because people don’t know why I wasn’t with the team in New York and they started speculating. I get along with my coaches and teammates. There’s no problem here at all. This is where I want to be, for sure.”
Kerith Gabriel says it’s time for the Union to reach into the back pocket and pay for some “star talent” before the close of the international transfer window on August 15 (the secondary transfer window closes today).
What do you know, TransferMarketWeb.com says that, according to Sportitalia, The Union, along with DC United and Chivago Fire, are interested in 34-year-old Atalanta striker Simone Tiribocchi.
Gabriel reports that Bakary Soumare “is a week away from regaining full fitness from a meniscus injury in his right knee,” according to Union trainer Paul Rushing.
A report at Newsworks.org notes the economic benefits associated with hosting the All-Star Game. More on the game from the Vineland Daily Journal, the New York Times, MLS Talk and Union Dues. Meanwhile, the Footy Blog calls Ives Galarcep on some propagandizing.
Carlos Valdes and Michael Farfan were both grateful for the reception they received from Union supporters at the All-Star Game.
Clifford Haines, the attorney representing Peter Nowak in his suit against the Union, says of the reasons enumerated by the club as cause for Nowak’s firing, “Basically, we don’t believe that the claims that have been made comport with the requirements made in his contract. In part, I don’t know who, what or when this occurred and when they claim it happened, so the question is, is it accurate?”
In light of the allegation that Nowak may have endangered the health of Union players, the Shin Guardian has re-run an article by Kyle Martino about the pressures on players who are injured to get “fit.”
Nowak figures in this look at the coaching carousel in soccer in the US.
Olympics
The USWNT faces Colombia on Saturday in their second group stage match at the Olympics (12pm: NBCSN, Live Extra).
Look for PSP’s recap of Thursday’s opening games in the men’s tournament later this morning.
The AP reported on Wednesday that some 1.6 million tickets have been sold for the men’s and women’s tournaments at the Olympics with some 500,000 remaining. In comparison, 1.4 million tickets were sold for Euro 2012.
Someone in New Orleans is looking forward to Olympic soccer.
Local
The Los Angeles Blues have done a bit of roster overhauling leading up to this weekend’s match at Harrisburg City Islanders (Saturday, July 27, 7pm; USLNation.com).
The Springfield Sun has a report on the clinic run by two Aston Villa coaches with the Springfield Soccer Club when the team was in the area to play the Union.
MLS
Surprise! Tim Cahill has officially joined New York Red Bulls. The Australian said, “I am looking forward to this new challenge,” before not adding, “A dingo ate my baby.”
Once a Metro notes that Cahill left Everton with a three-game suspension on his tab after an altercation with a Newcastle player. FIFA rules say that when a player leaves one league with a suspension, the new league must honor that suspension.
It looks like Stoke City has agreed to terms with the Houston Dynamo’s Geoff Cameron.
Chilean defender Miguel Aceval’s contract with Toronto has been terminated by mutual consent.
Despite the facial fractures he received in the All-Star Game, which were reportedly going to mean one to two weeks off, Aurélien Collin tells Peter Vermes he’s ready to play on Saturday. “I won’t put him in jeopardy,” said the Kansas City coach. “I know that injury. If all goes well and they feel comfortable with a facemask and all that stuff, then great. We’ll deal with it then.”
The Guardian previews the weekend’s upcoming games.
ESPN has some second half of the season storylines.
SB Nation reviews the live chat Don Garber had with fans on the day of the All-Star Game.
Women’s Soccer
In the semifinals of the WPSL Elite League championship, Chicago Red Stars topped Boston Breakers 3-1 while WNY Flash came from behind to defeat New York Fury, 2-1. Chicago and Western New York will meet in the final on Saturday (1pm, www.livesportsvideo.com).
US
The men’s U-20 team finished fourth in the Milk Cup in Ireland.
Here’s a look at the preparations of the US women’s U-20 team for the U-20 World Cup, which begins on August 19 in Japan.
Market Watch.com notes that 37 matches involving foreign clubs will be played this summer in the US and Canada, up from 23 in 2009. “The coming of European teams…is a trend that’s likely to grow, as teams are enticed by top-class training facilities, the chance to forge ties with MLS teams and the lure of a growing soccer market in the world’s richest country.”
The New York Times looks at the new, and still all-Canadian, Fox Soccer Report lineup that will debut on September 1.
Elsewhere
FIFA, whose lifetime ban of former AFC head and FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam was recently overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, has banned the Qatari for 90 days pending the results of an investigation in the the wake of an AFC audit that uncovered possible financial misdeeds.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport has also overturned the ban of Egyptian club Al-Masry, whose supporters rioted in a January match against Al-Ahly, causing the deaths of 74 people. However, spectators are banned from all Al-Masry home games for the next season, the team cannot play in its home stadium for the next four years, and the next four matches against Al-Ahly must be played behind close doors on neutral ground.
The Guardian reports that the Glazers’ “planned initial public offering (IPO) in New York has been temporarily postponed because of volatile US markets.”
According to Wikipedia Tribucchio is 34. (aka, no fucking thanks)
Damn transfermarketweb.com! Tis corrected.
That’s the problem with signing a big name — there’s the scary possibility of overpaying for a dud (can you underpay for a dud?). I’m not against signing a proper, productive DP, but I’d have some pretty strict rules to follow: 1) youngish (under 30); 2) still playing at a high and industrious level; 3) no glamor salary. Otherwise I’m not sure it’s worth the risk, unless it’s some kind of marketing hail mary.
so, are you in favor of Adu, our improper, far from productive DP?
Adu rates: 1) yes; 2) sorta (generously, pre-Union); 3) sorta (makes more than he should, but not in Rafa Marquez or DeGuzman ranges).
By that calculation, I was wary but cautiously optimistic when he first joined. This was, mind you, coming off a great Gold Cup campaign. My feelings now? Ship him out. Sell him, if only to get his salary off the books. His exhortations aside, Freddy clearly isn’t happy here and plays accordingly. I wish the Union (and MLS as a whole) would do a better job of combing the smorgasbord of high value players in Eastern Europe/Turkey and Asia, DPs aside.
Wary but cautiously optimistic is how I initially felt as well. I thought it was a good move for Freddy in terms of his personal career, but definitely a gamble for the U, and at the time I did not know how much money he was making. For his salary, he should be playing the full 90 every week, and making an impact, every week. Obviously, he is not, and he is not.
The team does not seem to have the finances to sign and pay a DP, but they feel the fan pressure to try and sign one. My worry is that the pressure is so great that they are going to sign the cheapest, oldest DP they can find just to say, “We have a DP”. Tiribocchi would seem to fit that mold. On top of that Tiribocchi would be playing CF/Striker and taking time away from JacMac. If we are going to sign a DP it should be as a LW or RW. We don’t need a lot of signings, but we do need 1 impact signing.
You know who would might take a modest-ish salary but still has the pace to make an impact (what do you mean by impact?)? Damarcus Beasley. He’s always saying good things about Mexico’s LigaMX (sounds like a goddamn currency exchange), but there was a telling story a few months ago in the Times or ESPN about how he wasn’t getting paid for a few months, etc. He might welcome the stability in a much improved MLS.
But for a big-name, high-impact signing, why not Herc Gomez? Although, really, that guy has more than earned himself a shot in Europe.
Returning USMNT players are allocated to teams through an allocation list and the Union are at the very bottom of that list. So every team in the MLS would have to pass on him before we could get him.