Photo:
Philadelphia Union
The league released the 68 player re-entry draft list on Monday and contains quite a few interesting names. Chris Albright, who is retiring, is the only Union player on the list but there are several players with local connections such as former Union goalkeeper Brad Knighton and forward Carlos Ruiz. Players from the area include Bobby Convey (see below), Dan Gargan, Corey Hertzog, and David Horst.
The Union have the sixth pick in the draft, the first stage of which takes place via conference call on Thursday at 3 pm with the second stage following on Wednesday, Dec. 18, also at 3 pm.
Look for our post examining the possibilities presented by the draft to the Union. In the meanwhile, Jonathan Tannenwald has some thoughts with more on some of the notable names available from ProSoccerTalk. Soccer America notes that despite the many desirable names on the re-entry draft list, “it’s possible none of them will change teams through the Re-Entry Draft; they can decline to participate or go through the process and not be selected.”
Check out our capsule review of the Union’s 2013 season in The Guardian.
The Brotherly Game looks at the 2013 season for the Union forwards.
At the Union website, Kerith Gabriel looks in to the background of PPL Park being selected as the host of the College Cup championship weekend.
Union vice president of business relations Carl Cherkin shares his thoughts on the legacy of Nelson Mandela.
Local
US Soccer Development Academy U-17 Residency Program and PA Classics forward Christian Pulisic (Hershey, Pa.) played the full 90 in the US U-17 MNT’s 2-1 loss to Portugal on Monday in the 2013 Nike International Friendlies. The team next plays England on Wednesday at 5 pm and you can view a livestream at the US Soccer website.
Lots of area colleges on D3soccer.com’s final Top 25 rankings, beginning with Messiah at No. 1 and Rutgers-Camden ant No. 2.
MLS
At SI, Brian Straus has a wide-ranging two–part interview with Don Garber. Can’t say that anything that was said jumped out at me screaming, “News! News! News!” In case you missed it, ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle had an interview covering much of the same ground.
Two days after winning the MLS Cup, Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen has announced his retirement.
The Columbus Crew have re-signed Dominic Oduro.
Toronto FC general manager Tim Bezbatchenko tells the Toronto Sun that the club wants Robert Earnshaw and Bobby Convey to return to the club but at reduced wages.
On Monday, Toronto announced they had acquired Brazilian midfielder Jackson from FC Dallas “in exchange for a conditional second-round pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft and allocation money.”
Seattle have declined the option on starting goalkeeper Michael Gspurning, making him a free agent.
The Guardian and the Telegraph have articles on a move that would see Samual Eto’o join MLS in the summer after the conclusion of his one-year contract with Chelsea. Among the possible destinations discussed are Toronto FC, LA Galaxy, Chivas USA, Seattle Sounders, Chicago Fire, and DC United. Neither article mentions any sources.
US
Looks like we could have some US Open Cup action to look forward to during the World Cup break. According to an article on the New York Red Bulls website, “The tournament’s third and fourth rounds (the Red Bulls’ first and second games) are expected to be held during the league’s break for the World Cup group stage. The quarterfinals are in July, semifinals in August, and the final on either September 30 or October 1.”
Michael Ballack talks to Goal.com’s Seth Vertelney about the USMNT’s prospects at the World Cup under his former coach, Jurgen Klinsmann.
ASN has previews of US Group G World Cup opponents Germany, Portugal, and Ghana.
Abby Wambach comes in at No. 5 in ESPNW’s Impact 10 list. You will recall that Alex Morgan, who yesterday announced her engagement to Houston Dynamo midfielder Servando Carrasco, came in at No. 10.
Elsewhere
The conclusion of the UEFA Champions League group stage takes place today and tomorrow. Checkout the latest Footy on the Telly for listings of how to watch all of the games.
The Guardian has background on Celtic’s banning of 128 members of the Green Brigade supporters group pending interviews with the club.
Barcelona is considering building a new stadium if the Camp Nou cannot be expanded to 105,000 seats.
Greenpeace has managed to successfully stage another protest action against Russian energy giant and Champions League sponsor Gazprom, this time during Real Madrid’s press conference ahead of their game against Copenhagen.
The AP reports, “FIFA said Monday that fans applied for more than 1.1 million tickets for the World Cup in Brazil in the first 24 hours after the latest sales phase opened.”
Lots of good names on the reentry draft list. We could really fill a lot of wholes with decent players on the cheap.
Ihemolu is an intriguing central defender, but things don’t sound good for him ever playing again because of concussions.
–
Not sure whether the Union would be willing to pay Brandon McDonald $235k per year, but his versatility is a valuable asset.
–
David Horst is a big center back who is making $70k. Could be a good squad player for us.
–
Not sure what Pearce expects for his next contract or whether he even wants to remain in MLS. If his hip problem is solved and his salary demands reasonable, he’s worth a look.
–
While Burch is a left back, I look at him as very similar to Fabinho and not really a starter at this position.
I like the Guardian link, not just your comments on the Union, but also Chivas mention of their loss in Philly as their worst game, the DC United section’s last couple of lines, and best of all the NYRB worst moment! Unless I missed something, no one had their best game or goal against Philly.
I actually thought the LA game was probably a little worse than the New England debacle. In New England the Union saw a bad call turn the game around. Against LA, they just stunk.