Photo: Earl Gardner
Philadelphia Union
On Monday, the Union confirmed the loan of Austin Berry to South Korean second division side Anyang.
The team also announced the signing of 2015 SuperDraft pick Dzenan Catic. More on both announcements at CSN Philly.
The Union will officially unveil their new second kit at tonight’s Meet the Team event at Dave and Busters.
At the Delco Times, Matthew De George recaps the Union’s preseason.
Brotherly Game looks at the Union’s depth at goalkeeping and defense.
Season previews for the Union? Empire of Soccer, The Other Half, and Sports Talk Florida have some.
Philly.com notes the debut of the Dogfish River Deck, the “destination beer garden” at PPL Park.
Red Nation on The Sons of Ben Movie’s showing at the Tokyo International Football Film Festival.
Union Academy
Several academy players have received national team call-ups. Carlos dos Santos (GK) and Brenden Aaronson (M) have been called up by John Hackworth for US U-15 BNT camp in Florida, and Rayshaun McGann (D) has been called up by the US U-16 BNT for the Netherlands International Tournament.
Local
USL, home of Harrisburg City Islanders, has announced, “Tim Holt has elected to resign as USL President to pursue other professional opportunities. Jake Edwards will succeed Holt as USL President.” Holt was with the league for 16 years. Edwards has been the league’s executive vice president since 2014.
MLS
CBA Negotiations
At the Washington Post, DC united players rep Bobby Boswell tells Steven Goff the players union has made concessions on key issues in the ongoing CBA negotiations: “Our question now is, are they going to make any back toward us? The jury is still out on that one…We have made a lot of concessions and we’re trying to keep the ball rolling. It’s in their court.”
Goff reports that team owners are now involved in the negotiations. As to when a work stoppage might be announced ahead of the season opener on Friday, Goff writes,
Although no firm deadline exists, teams playing on the road this weekend are scheduled to begin traveling Thursday. The MLS opener is Friday, with Chicago visiting reigning champion Los Angeles. Without a deal, or signs of major progress, players are not expected to board their flights.
MLS Deputy Commissioner Mark Abbott said negotiations will continue today. “We are continuing our discussions with the MLS players union to finalize a new collective bargaining agreement. Although there are open issues, both the league and the union are working hard to reach agreement. Our goal remains to finalize an agreement that is mutually beneficially to both parties.”
At Soccer Gods, Miriti Murungi says don’t trust anything you read about the CBA negotiations unless its RSL owner Dell Loy Hansen saying free agency is off the table.
Signings and more
Kansas City has signed Canadian international defender Marcel de Jong.
Columbus Crew has signed three 2015 SuperDraft picks: defender Sergio Campbell, forward Sagi Lev-Ari, and defender Kalen Ryden.
Orlando City have announced they have sold out the 60,000 seat Citrus Bowl for their season opener against NYCFC.
Montreal hosts Pachuca tonight in CONCACAF Champions League play. The first leg ended in a 2-2 draw.
Carlos Bocanegra has been named the technical director of MLS Atlanta, which is scheduled to debut in 2017.
LA and Chicago have unveiled new second kits. They’re not bad.
The naming rights for Crew Stadium will be announced today.
Brendan Kent of the Harvard Sports Analysis Collective measures competitive balance within MLS compared to Bundesliga, La Liga, Ligue 1, Serie A, and the Premier League. He concludes, “Albeit slightly, MLS does seem to be more balanced than the top five European leagues. Whether that is for better or worse is a matter of personal preference.”
At SI, Brian Strauss looks back at the branding and logos of the 10 original MLS teams, all of which are terrible.
San Antonio Scorpions owner Gordon Hartman says he is working to find investors to help his push to secure an MLS franchise.
US
With the USWNT set to begin play in the Algarve Cup tournament on Wednesday, SI’s Grant Wahl says plenty of questions need to be answered by Jill Ellis and her team.
At the CONCACAF U-17 Championship, the US defeated Trinidad & Tobago, 2-0.
MLSsoccer.com on LA Galaxy midfielder Juninho’s hopes to play for the USMNT.
At Philly.com, Jonathan Tannenwald talks to Rob Stone and Alexi Lalas about what Fox will be doing to change perceptions that the network’s soccer broadcasts are crap. Stone and Lalas say they were just as surprised as everyone else when FIFA handed Fox the broadcasting rights to the 2026 World Cup without any bidding.
Elsewhere
The AP reports, “Sepp Blatter and his three FIFA presidential election rivals have been invited to participate in a television debate by the BBC and Sky.”
Also from the AP: FIFA presidential candidate Michael van Praag “wants to boost the number of teams at the World Cup to 40 and give guaranteed berths to host nations and defending champions.” Van Praag “also said FIFA should send more money to national federations, pledging an annual handout of $1 million to each football federation, four times the current $250,000.”
Anyone know where the Dogfish River Deck will be located?
Assuming they just added the Dogfish name to the existing River Deck, it will be the deck behind sections 102-104, next to the suites. That’s my guess.
Ah, you’re probably right.
i hope this is true because that is near my seats
and how much the beer will cost?
Safe guess is somewhere around $9-12 in the stadium. But you can get it cheaper at a distributor if you’re looking for something to drink while waiting for the MLS Players Union strike fund to run out.
Hahaha…well played!!
The beer cost, overall, is outrageous and furthers the pain of a poor club performance. Due to the fact that this could be a rough year to watch, I offer this bit of Hooliganism:101… Wear a hooded jacket/sweatshirt, keeping the hood down. Strategically place two beers (bottles/cans) inside of said hood. Have friend inspect for awkward lumps. When approaching the gate; face the attendant at all times (make a little small talk…throw in a little flattery). Calmly swipe your ticket and head to your respective seat. Sit down…remove beer…smile (you just saved $20+).
http://deadspin.com/mad-genius-attempts-to-smuggle-so-many-damn-beers-into-1686093875
Gold!!!!
+1……..Hoolie 101, love it. But where do you put the brass knuckles then?
That’s covered in Advanced Hooliganism.
Just do like the rest of us and catch a solid buzz in the parking lot… then just buy one beer inside and finish it off!! Haha!
That’s a given, my friend.
A Dogfish inside PPL will be whole lot more than one outside of the park. Hence my decision to enjoy my 60 Minute IPA in the lot and likely mix up the tailgate routine with some offerings from Troegg’s, Yards and some other of the area’s finer breweries.
Deck will be located behind 101/102 on the suite level.
That Tampa Bay Mutiny logo might be the worst thing I’ve ever seen. Looks like it should be the cover of an Atari 2600 cartridge. The rest are pretty awful, too. More proof that the Revolution need a logo change in a hurry.
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Actually, have to add, the Union logo is fantastic.
I have to agree with you on the atrocity that is the Tampa Bay uniform, with the Galaxy and the Wiz tying for second place. I forgot how hideous they were. I hate DC like everyone else, but I have to admit that their jerseys are classic. I don’t even completely dislike the whole United moniker, and I usually despise cheeseball Eurocentric nicknames – Sporting KC, Real Salt Lake, and FC Anything are the absolute pits. It makes me thankful that someone suggested the Union, they stuck with it, and someone designed one hell of a crest, like you said, Pete. This is ‘merica, after all.
As always, thanks to PSP for a nice roundup of the news, including links. The links to philly . com are especially appreciated, for reminding me why I don’t read philly . com anymore. A beer garden article very short on real information that reads like a company-sponsored post, and a very long article on Fox soccer coverage that has zero mentions of Gus Johnson. Awesome work, philly . com way to go.
Hey Tannewald does a good job… but yeah the rest of philly.com is total trash.
Ditto on Tannenwald, he’s basically said without saying that he pretty much gets paid to cover the other sports and most of his Union coverage is done on his own time. Gotta give props to the dedication…
I like JT’s work. I appreciate any morsels of Union information that appear on my devices each morning and throughout the day. JT knows his stuff and appears to hustle. Respect the dude.
It says something that a guy like Juninho can’t see the first team field in Brazil and is an elite level player stateside. He is a lovely player. Glad to have him. Seems he has found contentment here.
So, we’ll know something Thursday if the Chicago Fire do not board a plane for LA. That’s good advance warning for Saturday. I wouldn’t have thought of that “tell”. Thanks.
Chicago is suppose to leave on Wednesday for LAX
Oh, that early? Hmm. Thanks for the info.
the strike vote will happen late tonight or early tomorrow morning if there isnt an agreement
I read that the owners rejected the player’s proposal. Strike is more likely, than not…and it’s a shame!
Ayuk and Lee signed!
thickly
bogner logo http://bognerlogo.pst-dp.com/