Photo: Courtesy of Ojogo
Philadelphia Union
The Union face London United, the last minute replacement team of out of contract players, at the IMG Suncoast Pro Classic on Saturday. Kickoff is at 7:30 pm and the game is supposed to be streamed on the IMG site.
Steven Vitoria talks about joining the Union and more on Toronto-based sports show Next Sport Star.
Want to read Dzenan Catic’s Reddit AMA from Thursday? Click here.
Brotherly Game has preseason observations and wonders if fans are confident in Rais Mbolhi.
On Wednesday, former Union man Gabriel Farfan scored his first goal for Chiapas, an 81st minute equalizer in his team’s 3-2 win over Zacatepec. Click here for video of the goal.
Local
The Harrisburg City Islanders open tryout at Rutgers Camden on March 15 we mentioned in Thursday’s roundup will be co-hosted by Ocean City Nor’easters.
South Jersey Local News reports, “Shawnee High School graduate Jamie Franks was recently named the men’s soccer coach at the University of Denver.”
MLS
Toronto FC has loaned DP striker Gilberto to Vasco da Gama in Brazil. TFC GM Tim Bezbatchenko said, “This move was necessary in order for us to be roster and budget compliant for the start of the 2015 season. While necessary it also allows us to gain flexibility and options both today and in the future.”
Real Salt Lake owner Dell Loy Hansen had some things to say about the CBA negotiations during a radio appearance on ESPN 700 on Wednesday. (Yes, it’s true, some club owners speak to local radio. Imagine that.) Hansen began, “Every week I get a letter from the Commissioner telling me I’ll be fined $250,000 if I say much of anything.” He nevertheless said of the MLS Players Union’s desire for free agency, “[The league] really will dig their heels in on that issue. I don’t think that’s really going to be on the table. I know the owners are really willing to step forward with some increase in pay, so I’m hopeful we have a positive outcome and we play that first game.”
Not exactly encouraging stuff considering multiple statements from players that they are willing to strike over free agency. Still, Hansen said, “I think we’ll get there. Whether we get that first game or not, I think, is the game of chicken that always gets played. I’m glad [RSL’s season-opener is] in Portland. Our first [home] game is on the 14th.” That game on the 14th? It’s against the Union.
MLS deputy commissioner Mark Abbott said on Thursday, “Nobody wants to have a work stoppage. But if players choose to strike, we’re prepared for it.” Just what exactly does “we’re prepared for it” mean? New York Daily News reported Flip Bondy writes, “Abbott said that, in case of a strike, the league will not hire replacement players, which would likely be a suicide mission for the still-nascent league.” Bondy added, “A shortened season is the more likely possibility, if push comes to shutdown. Some would argue that such a scenario is equally self-destructive, given television schedules and the loyal, yet relatively shallow fan base.”
At the Kansas City Star, Charles Gooch writes, “Will Major League Soccer become the latest American league to suffer a work stoppage of some kind? It’s hard to be optimistic when looking at the stories trickling out nearly every single day.”
DC United’s U-23 team will compete in the PDL this season.
DC United has announced the launch this fall of “a residential program that will combine the D.C. United Academy’s elite soccer training with top-notch academics at The Calverton School, a leading college preparatory school in Huntingtown, Md.”
At the Washington Post, Steven Goff has an update on DC United’s new stadium. The hope is that it will be open by the start of the 2017 season, but such hopes are likely not to come to fruition.
Orlando City has announced it has surpassed the 12,000 mark for season ticket sales.
NYCFC with another supporter-related fail.
Seattle drew 1-1 with Minnesota United on Thursday in a scrimmage game played over two 30-minute halves.
An article at St. Louis Public Radio, Missouri governor Jay Nixon says he hasn’t spoken to MLS officials about the proposed riverfront stadium aimed at keeping the NFL’s Rams in town also being home to a MLS franchise. “We believe that the MLS continues to look for expansion sites. We believe that as you look at that, if you’re going to put together a facility of this nature – there are ways to design it so that it would have a dual purpose.”
US
At ESPNW, Julie Foudy reports, “Goalkeeper Hope Solo, after serving a 30-day suspension, is expected to be officially reinstated to the U.S. women’s national team on Saturday…Sources told ESPN that Solo has abided by the conditions laid out for her by U.S. Soccer, but she must still meet with coach Jill Ellis and other officials for the final step in the reinstatement process.”
Everton’s 4-1 win over Young Boys in the Europa League on Thursday puts Tim Howard above Brad Friedel for the winningest US goalkeeper in UEFA competitions.
At Vice Sports: “Julian Green. Swallowed by the hype whale.”
Business of Soccer has a look at stadiums used for USMNT and MLS games since 1990. It’s a very interesting read that nevertheless repeats incorrect MLS data for the Linc in three different charts.
The AP reports, “A lawyer for a soccer player charged in the one-punch killing of a referee during a game says his client has agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors in which he would serve eight to 15 years in prison.” You will recall Bassel Saad punched referee John Bieniewicz during a match in Michigan last summer. Bieniewicz died two days later.
Elsewhere
At USA Today, Mike Foss reports, “[A] World Cup in Qatar in November and December of 2022 would be extremely beneficial for many teams. Specifically, the teams sitting between fourth and 12th place of every top division in UEFA. Think Southampton or Malaga, assuming those teams are in similar positions in 2022 as they are in 2015.” Foss explains,
These clubs, the ones with very good talent but not necessarily world class talent, will have almost three months to compete with their squads relatively untouched by World Cup commitments. On top of that, should they face the upper echelon of clubs like Chelsea or Real Madrid during the World Cup, those dominant teams would be without virtually their entire starting lineups.
International Business Times offers three major problems with staging the World Cup in the winter.
Goal.com says Luis Figo’s announcemnt that he would expand the World Cup to 48 teams shows “he is not a serious contender for the FIFA presidency.” Yep.
Chelsea Football Club is suspending three people from Stamford Bridge as a result of investigations into the incident on the Paris Metro on Tuesday evening.
If it is deemed there is sufficient evidence of their involvement in the incident, the club will issue banning orders for life.
More on the announcement at the Guardian and Reuters.
ESPN reports, “UEFA president Michel Platini has said European football’s governing body will not take action over the incident that occurred involving fans before Chelsea’s match at PSG earlier this week.” Platini said, “UEFA can punish what happens in or around a stadium. In the Metro, what do you want me to do? We can, however, recommend clubs keep a close eye on their fans.”
The Daily Mail has an extensive collection of photographs and video of clashes between Feyenoord supporters and police ahead of the Europa League match in Rome on Thursday. Some 23 Feyenoord idiots were arrested and 19 were charged with violence.
From the Guardian: “An 11-year-old Celtic supporter has won the Scottish Professional Football League’s January goal of the month competition by a landslide – collecting 97% of the votes.”
Jay Beatty – who has Down’s syndrome – was invited to come on to the pitch at half-time during Celtic’s 2-0 win at Hamilton to take a penalty, which he converted to rapturous applause. Hamilton went as far as announcing the result as 3-0 on Twitter and after Beatty’s effort was included on the shortlist for goal of the month, there was only going to be one winner.
Nice story.
Wayne Rooney. Wrestlemania. Something, something.
Check out the latest Footy on the Telly for listings of live soccer on TV, online, and on satellite radio for the upcoming week.
If Julian Green is going to play for Hamburg’s reserves or U-23’s, why not bring him back to Bayern. They loaned him with hopes of first team minutes, if he’s not getting them…..get him back to his club and let him play with Bayern’s reserves or 23’s. He’ll probably be better off. The kid is only 19, way to early for any Freddy Adu comparison…..and has already proven more of an upside than Freddy ever had. I would be pissed if I were him…..but you don’t throw ultimatums at these big clubs….they will squash you like a bug and move on to the next kid…..without even a thought. Between Bayern and Hamburg, they probably have 30 Julian Greens. He needs to suck it up right now and play wherever they ask him……just to get minutes…..then get back to Bayern next year.
Now we know why Garber keeps refusing to move to the international schedule. He’s had insider information and has been playing the long con to make Europe jealous of MLS in 2022. Let’s set the over/under of smug “how you like me now?” comments during that World Cup at 4. Whose taking that action?
Eli: Because Garber is playing the long game. This way no one expects a thing.
Osager: Except you?
That is a funny statement, and annoying at the same time, as it indicates that moving to the “international” schedule would be a good thing.
All you need to do is spend a few minutes in the dangerous cold today to know that changing to a winter season would be a disaster for MLS. Nobody is going to want to go to a soccer game when its 10 degrees out. You don’t see a winter schedule in the Scandinavian countries either, because it is simply too cold.
I’m still for an Apertura & Clausura. Solves the dead of winter problem I think.
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Play then break then play some more.
I’ve seen opinions offered that the two shorter season approach makes it harder for coaches to risk trying younger less known players in league games because they’ve got less time to recover from disasters. Mexico has well established lower divisions for player development, at least better established than ours.
Jay Beatty with the panenka…really cool.
Any chance Hope Solo keeps her mouth shut and just lets her play do the talking?
I don’t think so either.
Nah- seems she’s proving that is not part of her make up.
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I used to say the same thing about Michelle Wie, but even she learned to just play.
Every day I get more and more angry, depressed, annoyed, ETC… over this CBA issue. We are all gonna get F’d and the 20th season of MLS is gonna be a mess… and that sucks.
Yep. They’re blasting off big toes. The League will suffer.
I think I remember that in these comments we are allowed to ask questions of Steve Holyroyd, the soccer enthusiast labor lawyer and PSP readers’ labor relations teacher? So here is one. Wouldn’t it make better sense for the Players’ Union to give membership a chance to get a few paychecks into the bank before going out on strike? 1. By comparison with larger older unions their membership quantity is smaller, and they do not have a series of federated other locals supporting them who are able to contribute resources, so I am assuming their strike fund is small. 2. At the beginning of a season, they intake a number of rookies and trialists many of whom have not yet gotten any paychecks and so have had no opportunity to accumulate resources of their own. If ownership is continuing to negotiate as the season opens (a key assumption) why not keep talking and let the younger members acquire and save some money?