Photo: Michael Long

Philadelphia Union

Previews for Saturday’s home game against Montreal (4 pm: 6abc, MLS Live, MLS Direct Kick, DirectTV) from PSP, Philadelphia Union, MLSsoccer.com, Brotherly Game, David Murphy’s Union Blog, and ProSoccerTalk. Look for our quick reference later this morning.

Wear your rain gear, Union fans. David Murphy says the game “will probably be played at the same time a wave of low pressure is creeping through the region and that could mean a pretty soggy afternoon.” The forecast has caused the Sons of Ben to cancel their pre-game tailgate. Mine will go on as planned.

John Hackworth and various Union players have talked this week about how the team is creating plenty of scoring chances but has struggled with finishing them. Sebastien Le Toux said, “We got lots of opportunities, but I think this week we tried to work more in front of goal and make sure we always finish on target. At the end, we have to score probably more than one goal to win the game, but the positive thing is that every game we score. We’ve got this, but now maybe we should score more than one goal so that we can make sure that every time we can kill the game, we do that.”

Asked for specifics about what the Union needs to to do, Le Toux said, “I don’t know. I think it’s a lot of little things. We know we have lots of ability to score goals, lots of players can score goals on this team. Maybe a little bit more of desire at the end to finish our chances, to be for hungry is what we need.”

At CSN Philly, Dave Zeitlin looks at the tough lineup decisions John Hackworth will have to make ahead of Saturday’s game. Zeitlin says Conor Casey will “likely be used a second-half sub.”

Montreal’s Marco Di Vaio is eager to face the Union in what will be his first game of the season. He scored four goals against the Union in 2013, including a hat trick in Montreal on May 25.

So, how will Di Vaio be deployed up top? Montreal head coach Frank Klopas said, “We’ll see, it depends on how we want to play. But it definitely gives us more options in depth, whether they play together or you have more depth in quality with guys you bring off the bench. But we play a certain way. … It just depends on the game. We’re going to try different things, but it’s good to have a lot more quality players available.”

Returning from suspension along with Di Vaio is Argentine winger Andres Romero, who says, “I’m dying to play.” Asked if Romero would start against the Union, Montreal assistant coach Mauro Biello said, “We’re going over different options. Obviously, he’s going to be in the mix on one of the wings. If he’s not a starter, he’s a guy you’re going to look to come off the bench. And he’s hungry.”

Di Vaio cautioned Montreal fans, anxious for the team’s first points of the season, about expecting to much from his and Romero’s return. “I read that everyone is waiting for me and Romero to come back and grab points, but for me, that’s not how it works. Two players aren’t going to change things.”

Sofiane Benzaza of SB Nation Montreal Impact blog Mount Royal Soccer answers three questions from Brotherly Game’s Eugene Rupinski.

At the Inquirer, Matt Breen on the emergence of Amobi Okugo: center back, team leader, senior national team hopeful, bobblehead. By the way, Okugo is mentioned in ProSoccerTalk’s list of players who were snubbed by Jurgen Klinsmann’s latest national team callup. Yes, as a defender.

At the Daily News, Jake Kaplan on the emergence of Leo Fernandes.

At MLSsoccer.com, Dave Zeitlin has more on the emergence (we’ve got a theme going) of Aaron Wheeler as a center back option. I don’t think I knew that Aaron Wheeler played a season as a centerback in college at Lenoir-Rhyne University.

At Union Tally, Matthew De George considers how Fred will emerge, I mean fit, into the team.

JP Dellacamera says the first three games of the season have been a mixed bag, “though the positives, to me, have far outweighed the negatives.”

At Brotherly Game, John Rossi with the latest happenings of ex Union players.

From US Soccer, this video snapshot of the Union Academy.

Local

The Harrisburg City Islanders have officially announced the loan of Richie Marquez and Pedro Ribeiro from the Union.

Harrisburg have also announced the signing of 22-year-old midfielder Danny DiPrima, a product of the City Islanders Academy and graduate of Northern York High School.

The City Islanders have confirmed they have mutually agreed with Damani Richards to part ways.

The Phoenixville Area Soccer Clup mourns the recent passing of Alex Gojkovich, the Yugoslavian immigrant who founded the club in 1961.

Curtis Zebley, the Kennett Square man who shot Jason Hotchkin after pistol whipping Moffate Ongwena, two former Harrisburg City Islanders players, has pleaded guilty.

MLS

At MLSsoccer.com, a list of the 44 MLS players who have been loaned to USL PRO or NASL clubs.

Former Union goalkeeper Chris Seitz, “a former can’t-miss-phenom turned underachieving backup who just might finally be living up to his vast potential,” gets a player spotlight piece at ASN.

Chivas USA have waived defender Carlos Borja.

At ESPN, Roger Bennett on some of the challenges facing MLS in its quest to “emerge from the shadow of European football.” There’s a whole lot of emerging going on in today’s roundup.

WFTV has more details on Orlando City’s new stadium.

US

At ESPN, Kristan Heneage has a very good read on the USMNT’s recruiting efforts in Europe. This leads into, of course, to the latest speculation around Gedion Zelalem’s future after he declined a callup to Germany’s U-17 team earlier this week.

At SBI, Caitlin Murray looks at Tom Sermanni’s expansion of the USWNT player pool.

Elsewhere

Check out the latest Footy on the Telly for listings of the upcoming week’s live soccer on TV, online, and on satellite radio.

CONCACAF has announced that confederation general secretary Enrique Sanz “will be undergoing treatment for leukemia.”

Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp probably speaks for a lot of European club managers when he says he doesn’t know why UEFA didn’t consult with clubs before announcing the new Nations League, which he believes will place further strains of Europe’s top players. While saying he is not against the new tournament — “We understand that especially for the small and medium-sized national associations, friendly matches no longer sell [tickets].” — Klopp said, “I think the decision would be have been different if the guys who made the decision [UEFA] would also have to play [the games]. We were not asked and it would have been nice if they’d included players and coaches [in the decision-making process].”

The ever diplomatic Michel Platini says, “I’m starting to get fed up with people who are asking for boycotts” of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

ESPN reports, “The Manchester United Supporters’ Trust (MUST) has called on the club’s owners, the Glazer family, to sell the Premier League champions after a report emerged that some of their greatest players will front a bid to buy the triple European Cup winners.” This follows a report in The Guardian on Thursday that “the club’s supporters are planning to send a plane over Old Trafford during their game against Aston Villa on Saturday with a banner calling for him to be sacked.”

The Guardian reports, “Thirteen retired or serving police officers have been identified as ‘suspects’ in the continuing investigation into the police cover-up after the Hillsborough disaster, the Independent Police Complaints Commission has said.”

At Soccer America, Mike Woitalla reviews some “brilliant” soccer books for kids.