Philadelphia Union

In the latest Inside Doop, the prime takeaway is that the Union has a midfield problem. Acknowledging that, the twice offered advice that the Union need to forget about Saturday’s game and move on seems just a little bit curious. Sure, you put the loss behind, but forget about it? I’d prefer they remember the game, and the lessons to be learned from it, well. To put it another way, if we can agree that the Union’s midfield is weak, can we simply write off Saturday’s loss as a bad day at the office?

Union Dues lists some game changing moments in Saturday’s loss.

David Murphy looks for the good, the bad, and the ugly in Saturday’s loss and concludes the team “badly needs points out of some weaker opponents over the next couple of weeks to maintain a healthy position in the MLS Eastern Conference.”

Zolo Times looks at Saturday’s loss and concludes, “This team has been getting lucky and is frankly a pretender at sixth place in the East.”

More power rankings: At ESPN, the Union drop two spots to No. 10. At SBI and Goal.com, it’s a three spot drop to No. 11.

Jack McInerney has provided Union fans with some clutch performances so far this season. And while he didn’t score in Saturday’s ugly loss, on Monday he provided some much needed relief from otherwise glum Union thoughts when he helped to deliver the afternoon weather report at CBS 3. Clearly nervous, McInerney made his way through the awkward appearance with as much smiling grace as he could muster showing once again that part of what makes it so much fun to support the Union is that the team is made up of some truly likeable people.

The 700 Level writes of McInerney’s appearance, “So, people of Philadelphia, please go see a Union game this summer, or at least purchase a t-shirt at your local Modell’s. Just so they don’t make poor Jack Mac do the weather again.”

Netbynorthwest.com previews Saturday’s match at PPL Park against Seattle Sounders. Some readers may be surprised to find that the preview considers the Union to be a lot more dangerous than many Union fans might feel them to be after Saturday’s loss to New England.

In case you were wondering, Chicago Fire have a bye week to prepare for the upcoming series against the Union. Philadelphia is on the road in Chicago on May 11 before playing the Fire again one week later at PPL Park.

Kevin Miller’s Goal Oriented series continues with advice aimed at those who will be participating in Sunday’s Broad Street Run. As a non-runner, my favorite bit of practical advice is to bring toilet paper. “At the start of the race people get nervous. When we get nervous we often have to go the bathroom. Do you think there is enough toilet paper for 40,000 people? My guess is no, so why not pack your own and be prepared.” Why not, indeed.

Sons of Ben president Matt Ansboro announced on Monday that work commitments mean he and his family will be moving to the Dallas area. Ansboro said in the announcement that he “will still be actively involved in helping run Sons of Ben throughout the remainder of this year.” He continued, “A top priority now will be the work on a full transition plan to help identify the future leaders of the group going into the 2014 season.”

Local

At the Patriot-News, Michael Bullock talks to City Islander’s defender Stephen Basso.

MLSsoccer.com notes the contributions made over the weekend by the Union loanees with Harrisburg.

Reading United have added Fatai Alashe (MF, Michigan State), Wes Charpie (MF, University of South Florida), and Ben Sweat (LB, University of South Florida) to their 2013 roster. Reading’s season begins on Saturday, May 11 at 7pm against the Westchester Flames.

In the make believe world created by Patrick Cummings, the Delaware Valley has two teams in the top flight of American soccer, Phila SC (founded 1888) and Camden County (founded 1904), each with their own crest and home and away kits.

MLS

MLS referees have voted to unionize.

With the European season winding down, it must be transfer rumor time again. The Daily Mail obliges by linking Jermaine Pennant to Vancouver and Toronto, and Park Ji-sung to “a number of MLS clubs,” including Toronto. Must be that the work permits are easier for Commonwealth counties.

The New York Daily News says that when it comes to completing the reported deal that is in the works for Manchester City owner Sheik Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan to purchase the franchise the league wants in Queens, much depends on Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The New York Times looks at how the deal would chip away at the city’s parkland. Capital New York considers the objections of some that a multibillionaire sheik ought to be able to afford to purchase private property for the proposed stadium rather than build it on public parkland and also considers “What kind of soccer legacy could the Manchester City owners build in New York?”

More on the reported deal from Manchester Evening News and The Independent.

More on legislation in Florida aimed at subsidizing a new stadium for MLS hopefuls Orlando. On Monday, the Florida Senate passed a bill that would require teams such as Orlando and the Miami Dolphins to compete for state subsidies.

NWSL

Kia McNeill’s hometown paper checks in on the former Philadelphia Independence defender, who is now with Boston Breakers along with fellow former Cheeseteaks Joanna Lohman and Lianne Sanderson.

US

The 68-team field for the 100th US Open Cup is set with the play-in round of two games scheduled to take place on Tuesday, May 7. The first round proper will take place on May 14 with MLS teams entering in the third round on May 28. The Cup.us reports, “The draw for the 2013 US Open Cup is expected to take place this week, and as usual, the match-ups will be determined geographically, in an effort to minimize travel.”

Here’s an update on Tab Ramos’ preparations for this summer’s U-20 World Cup in Turkey.

Coachworldranking.com names Bob Bradley the fifth best national team coach in the world. Jurgen Klinsmann comes in at No. 57. The site also has weekly rankings of club coaches, where John Hackworth comes in at No. 952.

Soccer-playing US priests are top of the Vatican League!

Elsewhere

Real Madrid will host Dortmund today in the second leg of the Champions League semifinals (2:30pm, FSC, Fox Deprtes, Fox Soccer 2Go).

While ESPN describes some of the distractions facing Dortmund, SI notes the massive task ahead of Real Madrid, at The Guardian, Sid Lowe has five things Real Madrid must do to overcome a three goal deficit to Dortmund.

Soccer America notes that Real Madrid have overcome 4-1 deficits in European competition before. “It recovered from a 4-1 loss at Derby County in 1975 featuring three goals from Charlie George—the last hat trick it has given up in the European Cup until Robert Lewandowski’s four goals for Dortmund last Wednesday—to win 5-1 in the second round of what was then a straight knockout competition.”

João Havelange, the Brazilian who was president of FIFA for two decades, has resigned as honorary president after being named in the FIFA ethics committee report into the ISL scandal as having taken bribes. The report clears Sepp Blatter of “criminal or ethical misconduct,” but says, “It must be questioned, however, whether president Blatter knew or should have known over the years before the bankruptcy of ISL that ISL had made payments [bribes] to other Fifa officials.”

Among the topics up for debate at FIFA’s annual congress next month are age and term limits.

You will recall the caxirola, Brazil’s answer to the vuvzela. The AP reports that the new noisemaker is giving Word Cup organizers a headache, but not be cause of the annoying rattle they make. “It wasn’t the sound of the caxirola—a maraca-like instrument not nearly as noisy as the South African vuvuzela—that attracted attention Sunday during its official debut at a match in northeastern Brazil. Instead, hundreds of the small green-and-yellow plastic objects were thrown onto the field by fans upset with their team’s performance, forcing a brief interruption.”

Rapid Vienna fans, unhappy with their team’s performance this season, bricked up the entrance to the team’s office. (See also this crappy translation and Deadspin report.)

A linesman in a Russian reserve league match on Sunday assaulted a player, sparking a brief melee. Video of the idiocy here.