Photo: Paul Rudderow

Philadelphia Union

On Monday’s edition of ESPN FC, an interesting discussion followed after Alejandro Moreno asked PRO head Peter Walton about the disallowed goal against Houston:

Peter Walton: “From my understanding, there’s a player, a Philadelphia player, who’s in an offside position.”

Taylor Twellman: “Amobi Okugo is in an offside position but he doesn’t play the ball.”

Walton: “That’s correct. He doesn’t play the ball and the assistant and the referee have got to decide does he challenge his opponent for the ball. They think he did. In hindsight, again, I don’t think he’s challenged Tally Hall — I think Tally Hall’s got his positioning all wrong there — and the goal should have stood.”

Twellman: “You know what the key component, though, for these missed calls from the referee and the assistant referee for me is, look at the reaction of the players on the field. No one from the Houston Dynamo were complaining that Amobi Okugo was offside, or they had a problem, they all thought it was a goal.”

Walton: “You shouldn’t go for a player’s reaction, of course you shouldn’t, but it does factor into your decision making and the whole Houston back four there realize they’ve made a mistake, Tally knew he’d made a mistake.”

Twellman then asks Walton about him meeting with the league’s referees to review calls. Walton replies, “This season is the first season where we’ve had regular get-togethers, regular meetings, so we can discuss plays like that and get some consistency [unintelligible] and we can get some sort of feasible approaches. Last year, my guys met twice. This year, they meet 22 times together. That’s got to be good for the game.”

In MLSsoccer.com’s power rankings, the Union fall two spots to No. 12. “Considering where they were a month ago, we’re comfortable labeling this as a complete free fall. And while John Hackworth is the focus of fan ire, it’s really the misfiring attackers who need to take the blame.”

Once again, no Union players make the Castrol Index Weekly Top 20 Performers list. The top five Union players in the Full Castrol Index are Jack McInerney (No. 9), Conor Casey (No. 33), Sebastien Le Toux (No. 42), Zac MacMath (No. 45) and Amobi Okugo (No. 49).

Danny Cruz talks about his work ethic and how, while it was a difficult decision, he has no regrets about making the choice to focus on soccer rather than American football in high school. Incidentally, Cruz is No. 149 on the Castro Index, one spot below Keon Daniel.

The Brotherly Game rounds up what former Union players did in last week’s games.

Local

Drexel’s men’s team scored with seven seconds remaining in the game to defeat La Salle 1-0 on Tuesday evening.

The University of Delaware men’s team defeated Temple 2-1 to remain undefeated at home.

Wilmington’s Salesianum School and Mechanicsburg’s Cumberland Valley High School come in at No. 14 and No. 25 in the latest NSCAA high school boys’ soccer rankings. In the latest girls’ soccer rankings, Cumberland Valley comes in at No. 9, Immaculate Heart Academy (Washington Township, N.J.) is at No. 18, and Neshaminy (Langhorne, Pa.) is at No. 25.

Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer director of coaching Mike Barr has a good read on the importance of rec soccer for kids.

MLS

In Tuesday’s CONCACAF Champions League play, Kansas City drew 1-1 with Real Esteli and San Jose defeated Montreal, 3-0.

When the LA Galaxy host Isidro Metapan tonight (10 pm Fox Sports 2) they will be without the services of Landon Donovan and AJ DeLaGarza.

At US Soccer Players, J Hutcherson writes, “As we approach the start of the Week 30 games, we’re not going to get a quick clarification of the playoff picture. So far, we know three teams are bad and 16 might be capable of winning a title. The bigger question, however, is whether or not this is exciting.”

Ben Olsen says DC United are finally “getting fit.”

Chivas USA have announced their new president and chief business officer, Arturo Gálvez. He comes to the club from — wait for it — Chivas de Guadelajara.

US

In an article on Sepp Blatter’s expectation that FIFA will soon vote to move the 2022 World Cup to winter at the next executive committee meeting on Oct. 3, Soccer America’s Paul Kennedy refers to a statement from Fox Sports condemning such a move. The network (which SA says paid $425 million for the US broadcast rights to the 2012 and 2022 tournaments and others say Fox paid $1 billion) said in the statement, “FIFA has informed us that they are considering and voting on moving the 2022 World Cup. Fox Sports bought the World Cup rights with the understanding they would be in the summer as they have been since the 1930s.” The proposed move would likely mean the 2022 World Cup would be played in November-December because January-February would conflict with the Winter Olympics. For Fox, the concern is that November-December would conflict with their coverage of the NFL.

Sunil Gulati says there is no reason that a decision on whether to move the scheduling on the 2022 World Cup should be made now, nine years before the tournament. “I don’t see at this stage, frankly, how I or any member of FIFA’s executive committee could make a sensible decision. We don’t have enough information, and there are too many questions. I don’t see how anybody in a position of responsibility can take a position without some answers…If the position I’m taking — which is that we need a lot more information — is rocking the boat, then I’m going to be rocking the boat.”

Who doesn’t like kit leaks?

Have a friend at Nike who claims these are the next #usmnt jerseys. We kept the centennial crest!!!! pic.twitter.com/aDt85WRGc4

— Joseph (Joe) Davis (@joedavis4) September 17, 2013

Cool story at MLSsoccer.com on the construction of the tifo at USA v Mexico game in Columbus.

Elsewhere

A FIFA spokesperson says Australia will not receive compensation for their failed 2022 World Cup bid if the governing body votes to move the tournament to the winter. “As part of the bidding documents all bidders, including the FA Australia, accepted that the format and dates of the staging of the FIFA World Cup and FIFA Confederations Cup, though initially expected to be in June/July, remains subject to the final decision of the FIFA Organizing Committee. There is no ground for any speculations.”

The Guardian adds, “Last week in Buenos Aires, the Fifa general secretary, Jérôme Valcke, said ‘no, no, no’ when asked whether there was any prospect of compensation being paid to the losing bidders for the 2022 World Cup or to the professional leagues, broadcasters and sponsors affected by the switch.”

Serie A have punished Inter Milan with a fine and ordered that one section of the stands at the San Siro remain empty at their next home game after Inter fans engaged in racist chants and unfurled insulting banners in last weekend’s draw with Juventus.

Well now…