Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz
Philadelphia Union
The article based on Dave Zeitlin’s interview with Nick Sakiewicz — we linked to tweets from Zeitlin quoting Sakiewicz in Wednesday’s roundup — is up at MLSsoccer.com. In addition to saying he had “no thoughts’ about firing John Hackworth despite the Union failing to make the playoffs, Sakiewicz told Zeitlin:
- “No one is satisfied or happy about last weekend and getting knocked out of playoff contention. But if you step back and look at the season and take a look at where this team was 12 months ago, I think it’s been a much-improved team. I think John and the coaching staff did a lot with this team over the last 12 months.”
- “With what John had to work with coming out of the Nowak roster and salary-cap situation, I think John and the guys did an excellent job getting us into a good position. And even better, he made some moves during the season that put our salary cup situation in a good place. And the ownership is putting more resources to help add some very vital pieces for us for next year.”
- “We’ve got some money to spend to make some improvements and we’re going to do that.”
- “We’ve invested heavily in our youth development system, which is one of the best in the league and which will produce some results long term. And now it’s time to invest in the first team with some veteran quality players that can be added to this group of Union originals and really take us to another level.”
At the Delco Times, Matthew DeGeorge explains how the team’s core of young players is a foundation to build on. Jack McInerney tells DeGeorge, “This team really works on youth and building it up. The first two years of the draft we all came through and right now it’s kind of paying off for them. We’re getting better and better each year. The expectations weren’t that high this year but I think we kind of made them seem higher than they should have been. So it’s just a good sign, especially going into next year with all the experience we gained from this year…It makes sense to everyone. But you never know what they’re going to do.”
At the Union website, Kevin Kinkead breaks down the Union season by the numbers.
Brotherly Game has a Union Academy update from last weekend’s series against their DC United counterparts. The U-17/18s drew 2-2. the U-15/16s won 3-0, and the U-13/14s lost 5-2. The U-17/18s and U-15/16s are on the road this weekend to face PDA this weekend while the U-13/14s travel to Maryland to face the Soccer Association of Columbia.
The Union will welcome the holiday season with a party for season ticket holders at PPL Park on Dec. 7 from 1:30pm to 7:30pm. The event, which includes an MLS Cup watch party, will culminate with “an interactive goal lighting ceremony on the pitch at PPL Park.”
Fans can preregister for the preseason Fan Weekend in Florida by sending an email to preseason@philadelphiaunion.com. Exact dates will be announced later.
Local
The La Salle women’s team is hosting its final home games of the season this weekend. They face Dayton on Friday evening and George Mason on Sunday, both of whom are above La Salle in the A-10 standings.
The schedule for the US Youth Soccer National League, which includes boys’ and girls’ teams in the U-14 through U-18 age groups, has been released. Area teams from Penn Fusion, Lehigh Valley United, PDA, YMS, and Match Fit are among those participating.
The Advertiser News has a good story on the Princeton men’s team’s relationship with 9-year-old Derek Watson, who has a brain tumor behind his right eye. The Princeton team was on hand recently when young Derek scored his first goal of the season for the undefeated High Point Lightning U-10 boys’ travel soccer team.
MLS
To the surprise of no one, the Houston Dynamo defeated the Montreal Impact 3-0 on Thursday in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round game at BBVA Compass Stadium. Montreal finished the game with eight men after Nelson Rivas was ejected in the 70th minute after receiving a second yellow card. Andrés Romero and Marco DiVaio joined him in the locker room when they were ejected in the 89th minute following a fracas that occurred when Romero fouled and then kicked Kofie Sarkodie. Will Bruin scored a brace for Houston, who next host New York in the first game of the Eastern Conference Semifinal series on Sunday (3:30 pm: NBC, MLS Live).
More on the game from SI and ProSoccerTalk.
For listings of this weekend’s other playoff games, check out the latest Footy on the Telly.
ProSoccerTalk rounds up comments from Sigi Schmid, Bruce Arena, and Jason Kreis on the peculiarities of the playoff schedule.
It’s official: Frank Yallop is the new head coach of the Chicago Fire. He also has the title of president of soccer operations.
It’s official: DC United have decline the option on Dwayne De Rosario.
Citing personal reasons, Columbus Crew midfielder Eddie Gavin has retired after 11 seasons in MLS. He’s only 27.
The San Jose Earthquakes, not the San Francisco 49ers, will open the new Levi’s Stadium when they host Seattle on Aug. 2. So now we know the date of one 2014 MLS game.
CBS Pittsburgh columnist Colin Dunlop has a good read on the challenges USL PRO club the Pittsburgh Riverhounds face in making the leap to MLS.
US
The US defeated Trinidad & Tobago 8-0 in their opening group stage game at the CONCACAF U-17 Women’s Championship on Thursday night. They next face Guatemala on Saturday (7 pm: Fox Soccer Plus, Fox Soccer 2Go).
Elsewhere
FIFA has ruled that Argentinian-born forward Christian “Chaco” Giménez was eligible to play for Mexico in the Hex, thus ending Panama’s hope to replace Mexico in the upcoming Intercontinental World Cup Qualification Playoff against New Zealand.
Police detained 78 people after crowd trouble at a Russian Cup game between Spartak Moscow and Shinnik Yaroslavl on Wednesday. Photos show Spartak Moscow supporters unfurling a Nazi flag.
FIFA has extended its ban of four English players and one Australian officials for allegations of match-fixing in Australia’s second division. The worldwide ban will be in effect until at least December of 2015 pending the results of a criminal trial.
Remember the gruesome story we linked to back in July about a fight at a game in the Brazilian interior in which a referee who stabbed and killed a player was himself beaten, stabbed and killed, and then decapitated and quartered? The New York Times has a fascinating read on the background of the story and its aftermath.
For all of the positive things that are coming out of the Union camp this week, I just can’t get over the fact that we lost a lead to a Montreal team which was essentially a dead man walking.
They finished the regular season losing six out of their last eight matches while only scoring five goals. Aside from the three points they took from us, they only managed a 2-2 draw at Chicago where Magee missed a PK and MTL scored a goal in stoppage time to steal a point. And then they go down to Houston and get spanked.
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As much as I want to feel good about ’14, the Union just have so much work to do to improve the team for next season. I hope that Hackworth and the FO are up for that challenge and are willing to do what’s necessary to improve this team.
From the article: “When asked what specifically the Union need or where they plan to get it, Sakiewicz said that was all up to Hackworth, in whom he has complete trust to bring in the right pieces to push the Union to the level of elite MLS teams next year.”
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My problem is that Hack has never coached an elite MLS team and based on his performance this year is unlikely able to get this team there. I’ll be happy if he proves me wrong.
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The amount of money that will be available next year is also very vague. I have grave doubts that it will be substantial….
Nick said the exact same thing in 2011 when Nowak was in charge and look where that got us
the actual quote from the interview is “We’ve got some money to spend to make some improvements and we’re going to do that.”
this headline makes it seem like they are rollin in a giant pile of cash.
The word “some” in the actual quote makes it seem like they are rolling in a smaller pile.
You mean the “actual quote” that was quoted in the post above?
It’s no coincidence that these comments come out when many fans are being asked to “REDOOP” (which by the way is officially the most horrible marketing word ever used in the history of sports).
Why don’t interviewers ask the hard follow up question: “So…what does that mean, Sak? Are you in the market for a true DP or not?” There is no strategic reason why the FO can’t answer that question honestly. They owe it to the fans to be up front and will never gain validity until they stop being so deliberately vague. Interviewers need to start pressing the issue more…unless they fear a Newcastle fate:
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2478250/Newcastle-ban-local-newspapers-anti-Mike-Ashley-demonstration-reports.html
I kind of think it can only mean a DP. The only way a front office can spend extra money to make improvements in the roster is by getting a DP; all of the non DP wages are paid for by the league. So either they bring in a DP or Sak was lying in his comments
+1
くそー、素晴らしいサイト。私は実際にはAOLでこれを発見し、イムは、私がやった喜ん。私は間違いなく、より頻繁にここに戻って来るということです。私はここの記事に追加するだけでなく、テーブルにもう少しを配信する、しかしちょうど今私ができると同じように多くの事実を読んで、吸収していますなあ。 Googleで見つけた