Photo: Nicolae Stoian

US

Tonight at 6 pm. That’s all that needs to be said.

Here’s our preview of tonight’s opening game against Ghana in group play at the World Cup. I won’t bother you with more preview links because, let’s face it, they’re everywhere and we all know what we need to know before tonight’s game. All that we need now is for the game to be played.

Here are some links to local coverage because, you know, maybe the sports editors at the Inquirer and Daily News might get more serious about their soccer coverage when it isn’t the World Cup with some encouraging clicks.

• From the Inquirer’s Bob Ford, “No world-beater, U.S. shoots for progress”
• From John Smallwood at the Daily News, “Let the games begin”
• At Philly.com, Jonathan Tannenwald on the chemistry withing the US team

ProSoccerTalk reports that 22,000 US fans are expected to be Natal for tonight’s game.

Fox News Latino talks to US fans who’ve traveled to Brazil.

Look for our recap of a thrilling weekend of World Cup games later today.

Viewership of the opening game on Thursday was up 8 percent compared to 2010 with some 9.5 million watching the game between Brazil and Croatia. Univision’s numbers continue to outpace those at ESPN and are up 25 percent compared to 2010.

To dive or not to dive, that is the question.

At Al Jazeera America, David Keyes on how soccer is no longer America’s sport of the future.

At San Jose Mercury News, a look at how the 1994 World Cup team planted the seeds for soccer’s ongoing growth in the US. Delaware Online remembers the people who organized the 1994 World Cup. For more, checkout PSP’s history of the US at the 1994 World Cup and our interview with Union assistant coach Mike Sorber, who played in all but 15 minutes of the US team’s four games in the 1994 tournament. At CSN Philly, Dave Zeitlin talks to Sorber about playing and coaching at the World Cup and the growth of soccer in the US.

At Soccerly, Scott French on why the US wasn’t as bad at the 2006 World Cup as people think.

“Who cares about soccer?”, ask the soccer haters. Or, as The Street puts it before providing a list of just who does care, “every four years, someone whose feelings are hurt because the world isn’t paying enough attention to their football/baseball/basketball/hockey team or NASCAR driver of choice asks this question.” Also at The Street, why you should invest in a US World Cup run and a look at the five most watched World Cup games in US history.

American Thinker dissects some of the ridiculous claims in a recent soccer-hating article at Politico on why soccer is “un-American.”

The Wall Street Journal reports liberals are more likely to watch the World Cup than conservatives.

USA Today on nine types of soccer fans you’re likely to meet during the World Cup.

Philadelphia Union

In case you missed it on Friday, Peter Nowak is suing MLS and the MLS Players Union. PSP’s Dan Walsh reports, that the suit stems from Nowak’s claim that “the league ordered the Union to fire Nowak after a complaint by the players union.” Nowak is seeking $1 million “for being ostracized from MLS and deprived the right to make a living.” More from Jonathan Tannenwald at Philly.com.

The Philadelphia Business Journal reported on Friday that the Union have a new minority owner, Norristown-native Joseph Greco. John George reports, “Greco declined to disclose what percentage of the club he acquired, but said he made a ‘multimillion-dollar investment’ in the Union.” Nick Sakiewicz said of Greco,

Jay Sugarman [the Union’s chairman and majority owner] and I said from the beginning that we wanted to bring in local, strategic business guys. Joe Greco is an interesting guy. He’s a self-made businessman, former Golden Gloves boxer and a sports fanatic. He’s going to be a fantastic addition. He has a passion for sports and sports business…

We don’t need the money. That’s not why we are doing this. We are bringing in partners for strategic reasons to help grow our team and our company, and build out the Union long-term. You need owners who have a long-term vision.

At The 700 Level, Dave Zeitlin has five problems that led to John Hackworth being fired.

The on Wednesday, the day after their US Open Cup match against Harrisburg City Islanders, the Union will be on the road to play Reading United in their annual friendly. Kick off at Gurski Stadium is at 7 pm.

Local

At MLSsoccer.com, Dave Zeitlin talks to Kensington-born US soccer legend Walt Bahr about the 1950 World Cup, when the US upset England. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette does the same.

At the Inquirer, Mike Jensen has a fine read on Werner Fricker, the United German Hungarian player who, as president of the US Soccer Federation, was instrumental in the US being host of the 1994 World Cup.

The series at the Union website on former World Cup players with Philly Connections continues with Jimmy Gallagher, who played with Fleisher Yarn in 1924-25 before being a member of the 1930 World Cup team.

Harrisburg City Islanders hosted Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Saturday in the third and final game of the Keystone Derby. While Saturday’s game ended in a 0-0 draw, Harrisburg claims the Keystone Derby bragging rights with a 1-0-2 record. Match recaps from Penn Live, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, and USL PRO.

The Jersey Express defeated Ocean City Nor’easters 3-0 on Saturday.

The Penn men’s team has announced its 2014 schedule.

MLS

Three US Open Cup games took place on Saturday with MLS teams playing NASL teams. The MLS teams lost every match. Chivas USA lost to Carolina Railhawks on penalty kicks after finishing level at 1-1 after extra time. Atlanta Silverbacks topped Real Salt Lake 1-0 with a stoppage time goal. And in yet another example of how things are intrinsically wrong with the New York Red Bulls, the MLS club fielded a B team against New York Cosmos and were thumped 3-0. That result means if the Union defeats Harrisburg on Tuesday, they will host the Cosmos.

Chicago have loaned homegrown midfielder Victor Pineda to NASL side Indy Eleven, currently the home of former Union man Kleberson.

Chicago have also reached an agreement with Tottenham Hotspur that will allow midfielder Grant Ward to stay on loan with the Fire through the end of the 2014 season.

Boston.com talks to Jonathan Kraft to learn if there’s anything new on the prospect of New England Revolution getting its own stadium. Long story short, the answer is no.

The Wall Street Journal looks at how New York City FC is using the World Cup to create new soccer fans in New York.

On Thursday, two days after they had quashed the waterfront location as a possible site for a new soccer stadium, Miami commissioners voted unanimously in a symbolic show of support for David Beckham’s Miami MLS franchise.

Palm Beach County would be happy to be the home of Beckham’s team if Miami can’t get its act together.

NWSL

The USWNT defeated France 1-0 on Saturday in a friendly.

Kansas City defeated Houston 2-1 on Saturday. On Sunday, Sky Blue and Chicago drew 2-2, and Portland defeated Washington 2-0.

Paul Riley, the Portland Thorns coach who was the coach of Philadelphia Independence, has been fined for critical comments he made about the officiating in a recent game against Western New York.

Elsewhere

The AP reports, “A police officer can be seen on an Associated Press video firing what appeared to be a live pistol round at anti-World Cup protesters Sunday near Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium.”

Brazil’s first games after the World Cup will be in the US against Colombia on Sept. 5 in Florida, and Sept. 9 in East Rutherford.

Reuters reports, “The organizers of Qatar’s bid to host the 2022 World Cup have denied allegations published by Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper that a senior Qatari soccer official made payments in order to win support for the bid.”

At CNBC, former Assistant US Atorney Mitchell Epner on “Why Qatar will likely be stripped of the 2022 World Cup.”

Reuters reports, “German former World Cup winning coach and captain Franz Beckenbauer was provisionally banned from football for 90 days for failing to co-operate with a FIFA ethics committee investigation, soccer’s governing body said on Friday.”

The Guardian reports, “A payment of £35,000 by England’s 2018 World Cup bid to cover a gala dinner for Caribbean officials is being investigated by the FIFA ethics investigator Michael Garcia.”

Also at the Guardian, a visit to the Panini factory in Sao Paulo.