Photo: Paul Rudderow

Philadelphia Union

Not much to report.

Kerith Gabriel talks to Thomas and Mark Shiiba, two brothers from Swarthmore who play for the Naval Academy, ahead of Friday’s Army-Navy game at PPL Park.

Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter presents former British prime minister Tony Blair with a Union jersey while on a trade mission in the UK. Photo: Courtesy of Luke Butler.

The Union and PDL partner Reading United will be hosting a free clinic for U-9 – U-12 coaches at The Body Zone in Wyomissing on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 6:30-8:30 pm. Click here to register.

Local

Last weekend, Catholic League teams claimed the District 12 championships. The victories were short lived.

On Tuesday night, West Chester Rustin defeated heavily favored Father Judge, ranked the best team in Southeastern Pa. by the Inquirer, 1-0 in the first round of the PIAA Class AAA state boys’ soccer tournament. Rustin face Conestoga Valley in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

Lansdale Catholic was defeated 4-0 by Holy Ghost Prep in first round PIAA Class AA state tournament play. Conwell-Egan was eliminated from the PIAA Class A tournament after falling 4-0 to New Hope-Solebury.

MLS

The second leg games of the Eastern Conference semifinals take place tonight with New York hosting Houston (8 pm; Univision Deportes, Direct Kick, MLS Live) and Kansas City hosting New England (9 pm; Direct Kick, MLS Live). New York is “buzzing” while Houston is “loose, confident.” Kansas City is “very hungry” while New England “have to find our way.”

ProSoccerTalk has a New York-Houston preview and notes on New York and Houston. They also have a Kansas City-New England preview.

SI has has four key questions ahead of the conference second leg games. Goal.com also looks at the deciding games.

MLSsoccer.com looks at how have teams returning home for the second leg of their playoff series have fared.

How does the MLS Cup compare to other league championship trophies from around the world? Cast your vote here.

New England’s Juan Agudelo is set to join Stoke at the end of the season. If, that is, Stoke can secure him a work permit.

The Columbus Crew have named Gregg Berhalter as their new head coach and sporting director. Berhalter comes to the club from the head coach job at Swedish side Hammarby IF. With his arrival, Crew technical director and interim head coach Brian Bliss will depart the club.

Montreal Impact owner Joey Saputo says there is “absolutely no foundation to the rumor” that Alesandro Nesta will be the team’s next head coach, as was reported by SI’s Grant Wahl last week, adding that he has never spoken to Nesta about the job. On Tuesday, Wahl issued a retraction with confirmation from Nesta that he has not spoken to Saputo about becoming head coach. Saputo said whether Marco Schällibaum will remain as head coach of the team has yet to be determined.

Sky Sports says, “Carvalho Amauri has no intention of leaving Parma despite reports linking him with a move to a Major League Soccer side in January. The 33-year-old forward is reportedly a target of Toronto FC and New York Red Bulls.”

Orlando City will play its home games at the Disney Sports Complex in 2014 while renovations are done to the Florida Citrus Bowl and the team awaits construction of a new downtown stadium. In anticipation of the team joining MLS, ticket prices will also rise 40 percent in 2014.

US

With both Austria and Scotland’s rosters for the upcoming friendlies with the USMNT announced, Soccer Insider says, “US Coach Jurgen Klinsmann will probably announce his roster after this weekend’s club matches.” Probably, huh?

Apparently, a Swiss publication says that Klinsmann, whose contract with the US expires after the 2014 World Cup, is on the short list to become the new coach of the Swiss national team. He ain’t going anywhere.

Julian Green was a possible addition to the USMNT European camp, but only for training purposes because the 18-year-old striker has represented Germany at the youth level in the past. With the news that Green will join the German U-19 team for a friendly against France, Brian Sciaretta says that it makes sense for Green to leave his options on the table rather than file for a one-time switch now considering his young age and “enormous potential.”

Elsewhere

The AP reports that the organizers of the Soccerex conference, scheduled to take place at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro Nov. 30 to Dec. 5, have called off the conference after the “Rio secretary of sport ‘took the political decision to withdraw their support’ due to protests that have been raging in Brazil for several months.” The organizers plan to sue the the Rio state government for “substantial compensation” for breaching its contractual obligations.

The Rio government strongly denied the suggestion that security concerns were the cause of the cancellation. “The state guarantees the security for many events in Rio, including the upcoming New Year celebration, with millions of people on the Copacabana beach, as well as the Carnival, the World Cup next year…The governor says he encouraged the organizers to seek the culture/sport incentive funding to finance the event, but the organizers failed to do so.”