Photo and video: Derek Meluzio
When the Union have a bad game, the kind of game that John Hackworth himself describes as their “worst performance of the season,” picking the Player of the Week can be something of a problem. Concerned as we are with local soccer, the first impulse is usually to look across the league for a local player who carried the torch of Philadelphia soccer somewhere else in America’s top flight. Often enough though, thanks to the Union’s partnerships with the Harrisburg City Islanders and Reading United, we need not look so far away.
While the Union were stumbling in New England, Harrisburg City Islanders were celebrating their tenth anniversary home opener with a comprehensive 5-1 win over Rochester Rhinos. It was their 100th win in franchise history, and Philadelphia homegrown player and Bryn Mawr native Jimmy McLaughlin scored the first goal of the game.
It was yet another example of how well the new MLS-USL PRO partnership is panning out for the Union and Harrisburg. Four Union players are currently on loan to Harrisburg, and each has been instrumental in the City Islander’s 3-0-0 start. In the first game against Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Cristhian Hernandez assisted the come-from-behind game-winner in stoppage time. In the second game against the Colorado Rapids reserves, Hernandez put in a player of the week level performance when he scored the first goal and then assisted Greg Jordan’s game-winner. In addition to McLaughlin’s goal in the win over Rochester, Don Anding, who is with the City Islanders learning the ropes as a left back, had an assist.
Players getting playing time and contributing to the score sheet—it’s good for the players’ development and confidence (and so good for the Union), and it’s good for Harrisburg.
It was a tough weekend for the Union, but McLaughlin, along with his fellow Union teammates at Harrisburg, continue to remind everyone that a season can be as much about development, in the long term, as it is about immediate results.
So for that, and a well taken goal in a historic win, Jimmy McLaughlin is PSP’s Player of the Week.
This kid has chops. I hope that we can nurture him along. He has the ability to break ankles, with his trickery.
BLAH I say to your trickery ! Does he hustle?!?! Does he run?!?!?! Does he hustle and run?!?!?! Sorry for that… I rate this kid too. Hope he makes his way to the senior team soon.
The way things are going we need a real winger like him up and Cruz should be the one playing in the lower leagues.
Agreed sir. Cruz is NOT MLS Quality.
Wow that logo looks worse on a jersey with an actual human being wearing it.
Jimmy likes to score. Jimmy bagging goals. Sorry I always think of that Sienfeld episode when I hear the name Jimmy.
I always remember Jimmy pissing off Marcelo during the friendly down at the Linc. Jimmy’s crime that night was playing too hard for Marcelo’s liking in a meaningless match. It was awesome.
I hope that he continues to develop and hope to see him at PPL soon.
Jimmy has played well for Harrisburg this season, but player of the week? He wasn’t even man of the match. I know you’re going for a Union link, but Don Anding had a terrific game at left back, earning an assist and getting up and down the flank all night while Greg Jordan made several excellent plays early in the game when Rochester carried a lot of possession. Thinking outside the U, Yann Ekra had a goal and an assist (and Jimmy’s goal never happens without Ekra maintaining possession and playing a perfect through pass to Jimmy), and Lucky Mkosana tallied two goals as a substitute. Lots of fast, skillful and young players in Harrisburg, several of whom should get a look beyond the four loanees.