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Cast your vote, US schooled by Brazil, more news

Photo: Chris Luczkowiak

Philadelphia Union

You can now cast your vote for one of four possible names for the Union’s USL team: Lehigh Valley Steel FC, Bethlehem Steel FC, 

Jim Curtin’s weekly press conference is scheduled for today at 12:15 pm. Conor Casey will talk to reporters before Curtin at noon.

At the Union website, Chris Winkler looks at the points the Union need to earn — and other teams need to drop — in order for them to secure a playoff spot. Improbable, of course, but a win over Columbus at home this weekend is a step in the right direction, playoffs or no.

After getting the nod from ESPN, SI, and ProSoccerTalk, Conor Casey was named to MLSsoccer.com’s Team of the Week. He’s joined there by Steven Vitoria.

Casey is also up for Goal of the Week. A post in the ongoing series at the Sporting Kansas City website leading up to the US Open Cup final notes Casey has scored more goals against KC than any other player on the Union roster.

At Brotherly Game, Matt Ralph rounds up the weekend’s Union Academy results.

It took an 89th minute goal from substitute Simon Dawkins but Andre Blake and Jamaica advance to the next round of the CONCACAF World Cup qualification tournament with a 2-0 win over Nicaragua on Tuesday night, Blake keeping the clean sheet. Nicaragua produced a 3-2 shock road upset on Friday in the first leg.

Following its 1-0 home win on Friday, Antigua & Barbuda, now under the tutelage of former Union head coach Peter Nowak, was defeated 2-0 by Guatemala on Tuesday and so is eliminated from qualification.

MLS

Speaking at the Soccerex Conference in Manchester, Don Garber said talks have been held to set up an annual contest between the top two teams in the US and England. “We have been talking to the Premier League about doing some sort of official competition as opposed to just having clubs come over to the country on a random basis playing in a tournament that takes place every summer…I would love to find a way that we could play our cup champion and our league champion against an FA Cup and league champion in a tournament and play it in New York City every year. If not every year, then every four years…Overall there is no doubt that there are opportunities for the MLS and Premier League to work more closely together on either a tournament or some other type of activity, but that is about as far as it has gone.” If this gets off the ground, and can lessen the craziness associated with MLS teams being involved in the International Champions Cup nonsense, why not?

I would love to find a way that we could play our cup champion and our league champion against an FA Cup and league champion in a tournament and play it in New York City every year.” All the more reason for the Union to win the Open Cup, right?

Garber said he believes it is unlikely Steven Gerrard will be loaned to Liverpool over the winter, although he may train with his former club.

Garber tells Sky Sports he’s confident David Beckham will get a stadium deal done in Miami.

Two Western Conference games on tap tonight, with Vancouver hosting Colorado at 10 pm, and Portland hosting Kansas City at 10:30 pm. Both games are on MLS Live.

Ramsey County commissioners have joined the St. Paul city council in approving property tax breaks for the privately funded construction of a stadium for Minnesota United. Team ownership still has not formally announced it has chosen the St. Paul location, however. Reports at Star Tribune and Finance & Commerce.

 

Good ratings numbers at ESPN for MLS games in August. Things are looking up with MLS related Spanish language broadcasts, too.

US

The US looked like a stick of butter left out on the counter for the hot knife of Brazil on Tuesday night, going down 4-1 in defeat. It was, to say the least, not exactly the most reassuring performance ahead of the Confederations Cup playoff match against Mexico on Oct. 10. (Going to be in Southern California in October? You can apply for the lottery to buy tickets for the USA-Mexico game here.)

As Jurgen Klinsmann said of Brazil, “They gave us a lesson tonight.” Now, the talk is of needing to learn those lessons, of zero momentum going into the Mexico game, of experimentation with no answers, questions about the team and Klinsmann’s leadership, and negative vibes.

Recaps and reports at PSP, US Soccer, MLSsoccer.com, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, NESN, Washington PostNew York TimesNew York Daily News, Fox Sports, CBS Sports, ProSoccerTalkYahoo SportsGoal.com, SBIASNStars and Stripes FC, The Guardian, the AP, and Reuters.

ESPN has three thoughts, as does SI, while CBS Sports and Soccer America have three takeaways. Fox Sports has five points.

Player ratings at MLSsoccer.com, Soccer AmericaESPNNew York Times, ProSoccerTalk, and Goal.com.

By the way, late goals from Sergio Aguero and Lionel Messi saw Mexico settle for a 2-2 with Argentina in their final game before October’s playoff against the US.

Looking ahead to beginning of the team’s qualification campaign for the 2018 World Cup, St. Vincent & The Grenadines and Guatemala join the US and Trinidad & Tobago in Group C after those countries successfully advanced from the third round of CONCACAF’s qualification tournament on Tuesday. The US will host St. Vincent & The Grenadines on Nov. 13 in St. Louis before facing Trinidad & Tobago away on Nov. 17.

The US U-23 MNT defeated Qatar 2-0 on Tuesday in their final warmup game before the start of the Olympic Qualification tournament in October. The US opens the tournament against Canada on Oct. 1 in Kansas City.

Elsewhere

The AP reports, “Australia’s two-match series in the United States to face the Women’s World Cup champions has been called off as negotiations continue over a new collective bargaining agreement, the players’ union said Wednesday.” No word yet from US Soccer. Some 60,000 seats have been sold for the matches in Detroit (Sept. 17) and Birmingham (Sept. 20).

The AP reports, “A World Cup qualifying match between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia was suspended in the 88th minute Tuesday after fans threw flares and fireworks onto the field.” Visiting team Saudi Arabia was winning 2-1 when the match was suspended.

16 Comments

  1. +1 if you’re still on the klinsmann train!!!!

    ALL ABOARD

      • -1 While Klinnsman may have done a good job in providing a new and farther reaching vision for US Soccer as a whole,he has not done a very good job with the MNT. Yes they lost to Brazil, and yes, they probably should lose to Brazil, but in that manner? They beat Peru, but were outplayed for most of the match. All of the facets of the game that Klinnsman said he would instill are yet to materialize…. Possesion, attacking style football, playing from the back, more 1 touch passing, nastiness. None of it has materialized. It is clear that by his confounding player selection, his purposeless tactics and insistence on playing players out of position ( I read Ally’s post and dont dsisagree, just this team is not good enough for that)the players have obviously tuned him out. There is a reason national teams rarely ever carry a manager two cycles in a row. Look how often club coaches change and the players are expected to buy into Klinnsman’s rah rah rah for 6 years? It is difficult to buy into rah rah rah when the tactics and style are not clear.

      • I basically agree with you, actually. JK as a coach leaves a lot to be desired.

        I just think in the long run, his work as a technical director is important enough to keep him as a coach (if he demands being both jobs as a package deal).

        And you’re right, those facets have yet to materialize. However, no one said this process would be painless or quick. I am just more than willing to go through these growing pains for the (relatively good) chance that in the long term we see improvements in player developer and quality.

      • all his vision has done is create a lot more mediocre footballers out of the academy. I have seen a ton of academy matches……for the most part, they are slightly above average with decent first touches and pretty good soccer IQs…..they still aren’t developing ballers that can unlock a defense and confidently improvise when needed. Funny that our next striker behind Jose and the two that play in Europe is a college kid from Stanford! That should tell you plenty about the state of development in our country! Too much of a good ole boy network here…..and too many snake oil salesman who see nothing but $$$$ when confronted with a gullible public craving for better things! Yes, I’m talking about all the guys from across the pond who come here….and boy, we eat that accent up don’t we!!!! Feel free to fire away…..I think I did it again!

      • Dan C (formerly of 103) says:

        You’re dead on. Any idiot with an accent can charge $100 an hour for training and to many “top” clubs are worried about their W’s and L’s. The changes I’m referring to that I like are the changes to smaller small sided games that are going into affect in 2017. I think that makes more sense from a development standpoint and hope that it makes the games more about skill development and less about winning. Hoping the games take on more of a “pickup” sensibility then a must win for some parent that has never even played. And you are right, the kids are out there, but if they dont have the money, their not getting anywhere….

  2. There is no way…NO WAY… a B- sided Brazil team should have dominated us that badly.
    .
    Beyond that…I left my rant for Jeremy Lane’s article.
    .
    Disgraceful.

    • Eh… I disagree. Brazil’s B side is still full of players that would be our best outfield player of all time.

      The only way it would be competitive is if we parked the bus 10 men style … and really, that’s not what I want to see from a US team in 2015.

      • That wasn’t even Brazil’s B team…it was closer to a C team IMO…and yes while I agree… they are still quite good… They were playing 10 v 5 playground soccer by the end of the game.
        .
        Come on…did you watch the same game as me? Ian Darke was searching under every rock for one decent thing to say, “Oh look the US completed a pass” in his european accented way….and eventually TT just stopped talking…unless it was to comment on how ‘bad we were.’ and how silly it is to expect us to play the game well when hardly a player seems to be in their proper position.
        .
        Yes I am given to hyperbole…a figure of speech to exaggerate the obviousness of truth. Can’t help it.
        .
        A disgrace.

      • Oh I agree with everything. I’m just saying Brazils D team would put our players to shame. That’s how far behind soccer development is in this country.

      • we seem to keep getting deeper into the squad that faced us. are we sure it wasn’t the E team?

      • OneManWolfpack says:

        More like the wt F squad… am I right?! Huh?! HA… I’ll show myself out 🙂
        .
        Seriously though, that was embarrassing last night.

      • I like what the eF was that?

  3. I for one chose Lehigh Valley Steel FC.

    • You know how other clubs are just doing Red Bulls II and Sounders II…………we should literally call it Philadelphia Union Number Two! Until s#$t changes…….I’ll go with that….the PU’s number two!

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