Photo: Paul Rudderow

Philadelphia Union

Keon Daniel has been called up by Trinidad & Tobago for the Gold Cup. Daniel will join the team after Sunday’s game at PPL Park against New York  and will be away at least through his final group stage game on July 12. That means that he will miss the upcoming games against FC Dallas, Real Salt Lake, Houston Dynamo and Chivas USA. Daniel’s absence could be longer. The press release from the Union says, “Should Daniel and his squad advance past group stages, he would remain with the team past July 16 for as long as the team advances in the tournament, which ends July 28.”

The Union play Harrisburg City Islanders tonight at 7pm at Skyline Sports Complex in the teams’ annual friendly.

At the Union website, Andy Jasner has an article on Sebastien Le Toux’s contributions since returning to the Union. Le Toux said,

“It was a dream for me to be able to return here to this organization, which I have so much respect for. Things are a little bit different with the roster and I think it’s great. Jack (McInerney), Conor (Casey), myself – we have a lot of firepower on offense.

“If I end up leading the league in assists, that will be great. But with that, I want us to win. If I get all these assists and goals, and we don’t win, it doesn’t mean anything. It’s about winning for me. If Jack scores, or Conor scores, or Sheanon (Williams) scores, that’s fine with me. Just get the three points and I’m happy to be contributing in any way.”

Sheanon Williams said of Le Toux, “He is doing what we needed him to do and that is to be a leader for us and do other things for us other than score goals. Seba never stops moving and never stops hustling. How can you not see that and want to play harder?”

At Delco Times, Matthew De George says that young players such as Antoine Hoppenot, Leo Fernandes and Don Anding may prove to be the difference when it comes to the Union making the playoffs.

Power rankings! Even though the Union didn’t play a league game last week, Soccer America moves them up one spot to No. 10. At ESPN, they remain at No. 12.

Jack McInerney is the only Union player to make the list of top vote-getters so far for the All-Star Game. He comes in at sixth out of the top seven forwards, so get cracking with the voting.

This latest Opta Spotlight as MLSsoccer.com examines what the league table would look like if hitting the woodwork counted as a goal. If it did, the Union would be second in the Eastern Conference, fourth in the league with an 8-5-2 record and 26 points (a pickup of 4 points).

Micahel Lahoud talks music with MLSsoccer.com.

Friday’s debut of the new MLSInsider show on NBC Sports Network will feature a segment on the Sons of Ben.

Local

Brian Sylvestre will debut in goal tonight for Harrisburg against the Union. Sylvestre spent time with the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy, PDL and Reserve League teams before coming to Harrisburg.

Reading United defender Ben Sweat will be training in Europe for three weeks with a club in the Gambrinus Liga in the Czech Republic and Djurgardens IF in Sweden.

Three new players began training with Reading on Monday: Jordan Vale, Georginho, and Owen Griffith. Vale has experience with the New Zealand U-20 team, Georginho hsils from Jamaica, and Griffith is from Lewisburg, Pa.

The Daily Item has a story on the North Union United 99F Strikers, the girls team from the Danville, Pa. area that just won the Region I President’s Cup and will now be headed to Auburndale, Fla. for the national championship, July 11-14.

MLS

LA Galaxy have acquired the 36-year-old midfielder Pablo Mastroeni from Colorado Rapids. Also in the deal are the MLS rights to current Hammarby IF midfielder Baggio Hušidić. The deal comes in exchange for the LA’s natural second round pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft and an international spot through the 2014 season. More on the trade here.

With Eric Avila apparently headed from Chivas USA to Chivas de Guadalajara, Gabriel Farfan was asked if he too would be interested in such a move. The former Union man said, “It’s my dream to play in Mexico. It’s where my family is from and, obviously, that’s what I’m working towards.”

Is former Union goalkeeper Brad Knighton concerned by rumors that Vancouver will sign Danish goalkeeper David Ousted? Knighton said, “I’ve not been told anything and I’m going about my business. This is my job right now and it’s my job to lose. As long as we’re winning games. I don’t see anything changing. Whatever happens, I’m here to compete and someone is going to have to take (the starting job) out of my hands.”

US

Previews for tonight’s big World Cup qualifier between the US and Honduras (8:30pm: ESPN, WatchESPN, UniMas) from US Soccer, Soccer America, SI, SBI, ProSoccerTalk, Philly Soccer News, and Goal.com.

After missing the Panama game with a concussion, Jermaine Jones has been cleared to play against Honduras.

DaMarcus Beasley will miss the game because of yellow card suspension, while Graham Zusi will be back after serving his suspension against Panama. Should Jones start or should Geoff Cameron? At left back should it be Fabian Johnson or Edgar Castillo. If Johnson gets the nod, who should play left mid? Needless to say, Jurgen Klinsmann will have some decisions to make about his roster. Klinsmann said on Monday, “Yes, I’ve already made those decisions. No, I’m not going to share.”

Johnson said, “I’m used to left back. I played the whole season there with Hoffenheim. It wouldn’t be a (big) difference to me if I were to start there or the midfield. I just try to do my best at every position I play.”

Whoever makes the starting XI, a win is a must; no one wants to end this cycle of games on a down note with the next cycle not beginning until September. Klinsmann said, “I reminded the team yesterday morning real quick on the field that I don’t want to have that feeling in my stomach any more like going out to Guatemala into the summer break like last summer with a 1-1…You want to continue now to make this group grow and become more and more consistent in all the work on and off the field.”

Tim Howard said, “I think that’s what you have to guard against, that complacency—being like, ‘We got the six points, it’s OK if we draw. You don’t want that. You still want to have that same urgency we had in Jamaica, and those same jitters thinking, ‘Wow, we have to get some points here.’ It’s important to have that here at home.”

Honduras may be missing some key players, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t dangerous. Klinsmann said, “We have a lot of respect for Honduras because that’s just the way it has to be. We had that experience in February and we expect them to be very physical. There will be a lot of battles on the field all over the place but we want to play our game, we want to be dominant hopefully on the field and take care of things the sooner the better. But we know it’s going to be a hell of a lot of work.”

At Goal.com, Seth Vertelney on the central defense partnership between Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler.

Gonzalez is looking forward to moving past the memory of his US debut against Honduras on Feb. 6, 2013, a 2-1 loss in the first game of the Hex. “That first time I stepped on the field in Honduras it was pretty crazy,” Gonzalez said. “First really important game for this team was a World Cup qualifier, so that just made it even more nerve–wracking. Now that I’m here, I’ve had a few more games under my belt, and I feel a lot more comfortable. Now it’s just like any other game. You just have to focus on the things you do before every game, and hopefully things go your way.”

The New York Times has a Q&A with Clint Dempsey. The best quote: “But I’m curious … why do you say Jozy and I are playing better? We’re hearing that a lot.”

At Soccer America, Ridge Mahoney sees a subtler Clint Dempsey.

Landon Donovan would prefer to be with the team but, for now, he’ll be in front of a TV cheering on the US just like the rest of us. “It’s difficult,” Donovan said. “But at the end of the day I can set aside any disappointment and cheer for the team just like anybody else would. It’s been really fun to watch these past few weeks and it looks pretty likely that we’ll qualify.

At The Star-Ledger, Frank Glase looks at the USMNT U-20 team ahead of the start of the U-20 World Cup against Spain on Friday.

Elsewhere

At Goal.com, Greg Stobart & Kris Voakes examine the tension in Brazil resulting from the enormous social (tens of thousands of people evicted from their homes) and financial (huge amounts of money spent on stadium construction and renovations) costs of preparing for the Confederations and World Cups and the desire to support the country’s team. More on the protests, the largest in Brazil in 20 years, from The AP. Check out the Guardian for pictures and more.

Australia have qualified for the 2014 World Cup with a 1-0 win over Iraq.

More hints that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be played in the winter.

The driver who struck and killed Richard Swanson, the man who was attempting to dribble a ball/walk to Brazil from Seattle in time for the start of the World Cup, has been charged with criminally negligent homicide.

Six teenagers and an adult have been convicted of in the death of Richard Nieuwenhuizen, a volunteer linesman who collapsed after being assaulted following a youth game in Netherlands last November.

The Kicking + Screening Film Festival begins today in Manhattan.