Photo: Nicolae Stoian

Congratulations to PSP writer Sean Doyle, who is now in charge of Reading United’s social media efforts.

Philadelphia Union

“I’m pretty disappointed in the way we played,” said John Hackworth after the Philadelphia Union’s dispiriting 3–1 loss in Houston on Saturday night. “I didn’t feel like our team performed at the level we are capable of. With that said, you have to give Houston credit. It’s incredibly hard to play here.They made it hard.They came out with a ton of pressure.They fought for everything. We couldn’t seem to find our rhythm.”

That first goal? Hackworth said, “We gave up an early goal that should never have happened.” Yep.

And that penalty kick? Hackworth said, “It’s not a penalty kick. I just watched it. What can you do? Nothing I can do.”

The Union recorded just one shot on goal in 90 minutes of play, Jack McInerney’s wonderfully headed goal. It was McInerney’s fourth goal in as many games, a new franchise record. McInerney said, “It definitely feels good but I would have rather won tonight. It sucks to lose”

His take on the game? “I thought it was a sloppy match by us,” McInerney said. They came out strong and pushed us. We had a tough time controlling the ball and getting forward. It just wasn’t good enough for us tonight.”

ProSoccerTalk singled out the play of Amobi Okugo for praise. “But Okugo was one of Philadelphia’s only bright spots. The attackers behind McInerney (Fredy Adu, Michael Farfan, Danny Cruz) were non-factors, while the holding midfielders (Michael Lahoud and Andy Carroll [sic]) did more containing than destroying.” Yep.

Match recaps and reports from PSP, The Daily News, The Inquirer, the Union website, Philly Soccer News, The Brotherly Game, HoustonDynamo.com, Houston Chronicle, Houston Sports Examiner, Dynamo Theory, SBI, ProSoccerTalk, Goal.com, SB Nation, 90soccer.com, The Sports Network, and The AP.

Was the Boniek Garcia goal a “golazo”? MLSsoccer.com thinks so.

The Brotherly Game posts the contents of an email Danny Califf wrote after he was traded to Chivas USA.

Local

La Salle’s women’s team came from behind to score two goals and defeat Fordham 3–2 on on Friday and remain undefeated in Atlantic 10 play. The team, undefeated in conference play in 16 games dating back to Oct. 29, 2010, hosys Princeton tonight.

Kevin Silva (PDA; Bethlehem, Pa.), Andrew Verdi (FC DELCO; Ivyland, Pa.), Daniel Barbir (PDA; Macungie, Pa.), Thomas McCabe (PDA; South Orange, N.J.), and Christian Pulisic (PA Classics; Hershey, Pa.) have all been selected for the US U-15 BNT training camp taking place at the Home Depot Center Oct. 27-Nov. 3.

MLS

The weekend’s matches saw the playoff field confirmed:

Eastern Conference
Sporting Kansas City
Chicago Fire
D.C. United
New York Red Bulls
Houston Dynamo

Western Conference
San Jose Earthquakes
Real Salt Lake
LA Galaxy
Seattle Sounders FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC

In Eastern Conference play, fourth place New York’s scoreless draw with first place Kansas City on Saturday was enough for them to clinch a playoff spot. DC United moved into second place and are in the playoffs for the first time in five years with a 3–2 win over Columbus, who are now eliminated in sixth place. Chicago Fire saw their top seed hopes dashed and dropped to third place with a 1–0 loss on the road to ninth place New England. Houston captured the final playoff spot and moved into fifth place with the 3–1 win over the eighth place Philadelphia Union. Toronto remains in tenth place, and Montreal in seventh, after Saturday’s scoreless draw.

San Jose, who had already clinched the Supporters Shield thanks to Kansas City’s draw with New York, came from behind for a 2–2 draw against LA Galaxy on Sunday with Chris Wondolowski scored the tying goal for his 26th goal of the season. The game was marred by an altercation in the traveling support area of the stadium that ended in seven arrests and 100 Galaxy supporters being escorted out of the stadium by police before the end of the match.

LA’s Omar Gonzalez was less than impressed with the Earthquakes style of play. “To be honest, this game wasn’t even fun. I think those guys are a bunch of jokes, the way they play the game. It was just obnoxious…It all starts when the ball’s on the other side of the field, and you’re just running and all of a sudden you get blindsided. You just get checked by Lenhart or something. It’s just dumb [expletive] like that happens every time, and that’s not the way the game should be played. It’s embarrassing.”

On Saturday, some 6,256 San Jose fans participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for the team’s new stadium, setting a new world record.

Though they lost at home against Portland Timbers on Saturday, which was enough for Portland to win the Cascadia Cup, Seattle Sounders win over FC Dallas means that Vancouver Whitecaps became the final team to reach the playoffs and the first Canadian team ever to do so.

At Goal.com, Kyle McCarthy breaks down the weekend’s action.

The Hunt family is looking to sell Columbus Crew.

New York Red Bulls fans honored the memory of Michael Jones, the Red Bulls youth coach murdered in Manhattan on Oct. 7, with a minute of applause before the start of Saturday’s game against Kansas City. Red Bulls players wore black armbands and the  No. 6, Jones number, on their shorts.

Andrey Arshavin to MLS?

US

FIFA will have to perform a draw to determine the schedule of the hexagonal sometime in the next 30 days after the participating national teams were unable to agree on a schedule. This report suggests the draw might take place on Nov. 7.

At MLSsoccer.com, the Armchair Analyst says that Freddy Adu would be a “wildcard” to make Jurgen Klinsmann’s B team. “He’d be a vastly different look, but as EJ just showed us, you can’t write off anyone who’s got a unique skill set.” Many Union fans have.

The USWNT drew 1–1 in Saturday’s friendly with Germany in Chicago. Abby Wambach scored for the US in the second minute and has now scored 147 with the national team.

ProSoccerTalk says the draw sends mixed messages about the team.

Wambach said of what she wants from the search for a new national team coach, “Someone who’s good enough, that’s all I care about. Be the person who brings the World Cup back.”

Elsewhere

Team captains in this week’s Champions League and Europa Cup matches will be asked to wear ant-racism armbands. Yes, that includes John Terry.