Photo: Courtesy of Philadelphia Union
Philadelphia Union
Union head coach Jim Curtin said at his weekly press conference a few days before Sunday’s humiliating 4-1 loss to New York Red Bulls, “We’ll look to come in fresh on Sunday, obviously very well rested, and put a lineup on the field to get three points… it’s a rivalry game, so everyone will be up for it, our fans will be up for it. It’ll be still a good game and a great chance as professionals to test yourself against a top team in our league.”
Well, it only took seven seconds for it to look like some of the Union players hadn’t yet awakened from their rest before the game as the team collectively failed Sunday’s test.
Jim Curtin said of his team giving up the fastest goal in the history of the league, “It’s a disappointing way for us to start the game. You’d like at that point, though, for someone to grab a hold of the group and say, ‘Yes, we gave up a silly opening goal. Mistakes happen. There’s still 89 minutes and 53 seconds or however much is left at that point, so there’s still a lot of game left.” But, by the 17th minute, the Union had conceded two more goals, allowing one more just before the half.
Curtin spoke a great deal at last week’s press conference about how the team could play spoiler to NYRB’s Supporters Shield aspirations, of how the final games of the season were an opportunity to finish a disappointing 2015 the right way and would be part of the evaluation process of who remains for 2016. On Sunday, players collectively and individually came up short on all counts. Curtin said after the loss, “No one had a strong first half. I said to them that you could’ve made seven changes…I think we learned a lot, even tonight. As hard as it is to say, we found out where we came up small against a very good Red Bull team. Some of the problems are recurring ones, so we’ll have to address them in the offseason and look forward.”
What effect performances in the last games of the season will have on the future of players on the roster remains to be seen, but the Union have one final chance to play the spoiler when they host Orlando, who needs a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, next Sunday.
Recaps and reports at PSP, Philadelphia Union, Delco Times (recap, report), Philly Soccer News, Brotherly Game, Vavel, MLSsoccer.com (recap, Union, NYRB), NYRB (recap, notes), New York Daily News, New York Post, NJ.com, Big Apple Soccer (recap, report), Empire of Soccer, Once a Metro, SBI, Pro Soccer Talk, Sports Mole, Reuters, and the AP.
so anyway, it sounds like the Union are down to two candidates for sporting director right now, hire could happen in 1-2 weeks
— Kevin Kinkead (@Kevin_Kinkead) October 18, 2015
Kinkead tweeted further, “one candidate has already gone through the interview process, there is supposed to be another guy in town for a few days this week,” adding “I don’t know who they are. One apparently has USMNT pedigree”.
Off the Pitch with Michael Lahoud.
Union Academy
The Union U-16s drew 2-2 with Bethesda-Olney on Saturday with goals from Darius Lewis and Issa Rayyan. The U-18s defeated Bethesda-Olney 3-2 with goals from Frederick Gil, Emmanuel Perez, and Jerren Nixon.
Local
In first round of local qualifiers for the 2016 US Open Cup, Salone defeated Vereinigung Erzgebirge 1-0 on Saturday. On Sunday, West Chester United defeated Junior Lone Star 2-1 in extra time after a controversial penalty call. Salone and West Chester will face off on Nov. 15 in the next round.
Temple lost 2-0 on the road to Tulsa. Penn lost 1-0 to Dartmouth at home. A battered Villanova side gave up a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 to Xavier. La Salle were destroyed in a 5-0 road loss to Dayton. St. Joseph’s drew 1-1 at home with George Mason. Drexel had the weekend off.
MLS
In the East, first place NYRB (57 points) clinched the top spot in the conference with a 4-1 win over ninth place Philadelphia (34 points). Second place DC (51 points) thumped last place Chicago (30 points), 4-0. Third place Columbus (50 points) defeated fourth place Toronto (49 points) 2-0 on the road. An Ignacio Piatti wonder run and strike led fifth place Montreal (48 points) to defeat sixth place New England (47 points) 1-0 on the road t0 clinch a playoff spot. Seventh place Orlando (44 points) kept their playoff hopes alive with a 2-1 win over eighth place NYCFC (37 points), the rookie Cyle Larin tallying his 16th and 17th goals of the season.
In the West, first place Dallas (57 points) defeated ninth place Salt Lake (41 points) 1-0 on the road. Kyle Beckerman became the all-time league appearances leader in the loss with 379 regular season appearances over 17 MLS seasons. Second place LA (51 points) was thumped 5-2 at home by fourth place Portland (50 points). Third place Vancouver (50 points) had the weekend off. Fifth place Seattle (48 points) came from behind to draw 1-1 on the road with eighth place Houston (42 points) and end the Dynamo’s playoff hopes. Sixth place Kansas City (48 points) lost 1-0 on the road to seventh place San Jose (47 points). Last place Colorado (34 points) had the weekend off.
https://twitter.com/SoccerInsider/status/655950674954493952
Soccer America on the “flawed” MLS playoff format.
David Villa says it is unlikely he’ll go on loan from NYCFC during the MLS offseason.
Didier Drogba, dance competition organizer.
At ESPN, Jeff Carlisle reports, “Sporting Kansas City say there is ‘no truth’ to a BBC report that owners of the Major League Soccer club are trying to buy Everton.” More background from Kansas City Business Journal.
Rochester Rhinos defeated LA Galaxy II 2-1 to win the USL championship on Friday, coming from behind to equalize in second half stoppage time before winning in extra time. Reports at USL, LA Galaxy II, and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle,
US
The bad news continues with US Soccer men’s teams. In their opening game at the U-17 World Cup on Saturday in Chile, the US fell 2-0 to four-time champions Nigeria. Union Academy defender Auston Trusty started but received a questionable red card in the 87th minute. Hershey Pa.’s Christian Pulisic went the full 90. Allentown, Pa.’s Danny Barbir was an unused substitute, as was goalkeeper Ken Silva of Bethlehem, Pa.
Potomac Soccer Wire described the US team as looking “sluggish, unsettled,” explaining, “the U.S. U-17s could hardly muster an attacking opportunity, but the team squandered two excellent chances in the 11th and 13th minutes and hardly got a sniff at goal afterwards. When the statistics flashed onscreen at the end of the match, the U.S. had been outshot 19 to five, with none of those five shots on goal.” More reports at US Soccer, SI, Stars and Stripes FC, MLSsoccer.com and Soccer America. The team next faces Croatia on Tuesday, Oct. 20 (5 pm: FS2, Fox Sports Go, Fox Soccer 2Go, NBC Universo).
Jurgen Klinsmann says, “As a team, everyone is growing far more when things go the wrong direction than when things go well. When you have a couple of tough results, you have a couple of defeats that are bitter to swallow, that’s when a team is really becoming a team. That’s when players start to stick together, that’s when players and coaches start to solve problems and have discussions internally how to move things in the positive direction again.” Or not.
At ASN, Brian Sciaretta has some names Klinsmann should consider to breath new life into the USMNT.
IS Klinsmann’s “cult of personality” wearing thin?
US Soccer has announced the USWNT will host Trinidad and Tobago on Dec. 10 in San Antonio (9 pm, ESPN2, Watch ESPN), four days after the teams face off in Honolulu. Also announced was the USWNT roster for this week’s games against Brazil.
Hope Solo, Megan Rapinoe, and Carli Lloyd are on the shortlist for the women’s Ballon d’Or. USWNT coach Jill Ellis is up for Women’s Coach of the Year.
The US Soccer Development Academy has announced the addition of a U-12 age group and that it is splitting the U-13/14s into single age groups. At Yahoo Sports, Leander Schaerlaeckens on how the move is aimed at increasing the number of premier players produced in the US.
An opinion piece at the Dallas Morning News backing the National Soccer Hall of Fame at FC Dallas’ Toyota Stadium acknowledges from local fans and also that the “Uncle Lamar’s Vision” campaign might strike some as overkill. It accidentally gets to more national criticism with this throwaway line near the conclusion: “The Hall of Fame will make Frisco of all places, one of the key soccer cultural hubs in the country.” Yep, Frisco, “of all places.” Another opinion piece at the same paper contains some informative quotes that answer the question of “Why Frisco?”, but the answers are already generally known. US Soccer CEO Dan Flynn is quoted as saying the Hunt family “were willing to move faster” to get a new Hall built.
At Forbes, Bobby McMahon notes the changing landscape of soccer on TV in the the US over the past decade. More to the point, he observes “a pattern set by US soccer broadcasters over the last few years. Pay a lot more than before but secure rights well into the future.”
Jersey swapping. In the NFL.
Elsewhere
You will recall reports last week that an announcement would soon be made that the US will host the Copa Centenario in 2016. The way for that announcement was cleared with the news on Friday that CONMEBOL had cut ties for the tournament with sports marketing firm Datisa. Links between that company and Traffic Sports, which has pled guilty to US charges of corruption, have been understood to be the main obstacle to US Soccer agreeing to host the tournament.
Meanwhile, the FIFA scandal widens. On Friday, the AP reported, “The corruption scandal sweeping world soccer engulfed Germany as FIFA said Friday that it would investigate ‘very serious allegations’ that voters were bribed to win the 2006 World Cup bid.”
Reuters reported on Saturday, “Germany’s 2006 World Cup bid committee did not bribe officials from the world soccer governing body FIFA to win the vote for the tournament, the German Football Association (DFB) president Wolfgang Niersbach said on Saturday, rejecting allegations made by German magazine a day earlier.” Another Reuters report says, “Franz Beckenbauer, who headed the organizing committee for the 2006 soccer World Cup, on Sunday rejected claims that a slush fund had been set up to buy votes and bring the tournament to Germany back in 2000.” Rejected or not, German prosecutors could open an investigation. Meanwhile, the allegations harm the otherwise clean reputation of Niersbach, who “was considered a potential dark horse for one of world soccer’s top administrative posts.”
Sepp Blatter on his desire to return to office in time for the FIFA presidential elections: “If I run away now and let everything fall, then I denigrate myself…That’s my goal, that I can lead the Congress.” A close associate of Blatter says the suspended FIFA president is conspiring to remain in power by discrediting presidential candidates like Platini.
Reuters reports, “Former Trinidad and Tobago midfielder David Nakhid launched his campaign to be president of crisis-hit FIFA on Sunday with an attack on the two Arab royals who are the frontrunners to replace the outgoing Sepp Blatter.” More at Reuters on the “two Arab royals.”
Former Spurs, Celtic, and Watford defender and Swiss international Ramon Vega says he may run for the presidency.
Reuters reports, “Michel Platini said the two million Swiss francs ($2.1 million) he received from FIFA, a payment which has cast a cloud over his bid to become president of the world football body, was legitimate reward for genuine work.” Platini says he even undercharged for his services. The AP reports Platini “believes he is ‘bullet proof’ and has not lost support in his bid to replace Sepp Blatter as the head of world soccer’s governing body.” He also says, “I am the only one who can ensure that FIFA again becomes the home of football.”
The AP reports, “The second meeting of the FIFA panel established to ‘restore the integrity and reputation’ of soccer’s scandal-battered governing body ended Sunday with secrecy imposed on the three days of meetings.”
The AP reports, “The president of South American soccer’s governing body said Friday that he supports Michel Platini to succeed Sepp Blatter as FIFA president despite an ongoing investigation involving two of the most powerful men in world soccer.”
Reuters reports, “Switzerland’s Attorney General has suggested that an investigation into alleged corruption at soccer’s Swiss-based governing body, FIFA, could take five years.”
From Reuters: “FIFA, engulfed by a wave of scandals, is still working well in operational terms, acting secretary general Markus Kattner said on Thursday as interim president Issa Hayatou assumed office to replace the suspended Sepp Blatter.”
Also from Reuters, “Kuwait, home to influential sports power broker Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, were banned [by FIFA] from international soccer on Friday because of government interference in the running of its Football Association.”
Also from Reuters: “FIFA removed the entire executive committee of Thailand’s football association (FAT) on Friday, four days after its president Worawi Makudi was suspended pending an ethics investigation by soccer’s governing body.”
Another from Reuters: “The UAE international Abdullah Qassem has been jailed for three months after insulting his national team manager Mahdi Ali in a video, according to local media.”
A bad day for stretcher bearers in Greece.
“Off the Pitch” is apparently where Michael Lahoud was on the opening kickoff.
You win this thread.
same with Madaina….that was a shitty pass to Lahoud. He’s ten yards behind you and you can’t hit his feet?
lazy pass…….
sloppy, lazy pass back. he seemed disinterested yesterday. Crazy talented as a creative playmaker, but it’ll be interesting to see what happens to him for next season. If Curtin and SD to be named feel like Barnetta should play centrally, do we move on from Maidana and really focus on adding some dangerous wingers who can lessen the scoring burden on our striker crew? Barnetta wouldn’t be as creative of a #10, but is a more complete player. I’m not sure what’s the best approach, but an interesting decision to be made there.
+++ I agree! I also believe that you play the way you practice. I was willing to wait it out but I am no longer a fan of Curtin. Vote of no confidence in Curtin and staff!
Are we sure that the pass was meant for Lahoud or was it supposed to go to Victoria? Either way, it’s a bad one, but if it’s the latter, that would explain why Lahoud reacted that way.
There is a lot wrong with that goal, but after watching the replay a whole bunch of times, I don’t see anything wrong with Chaco’s pass. Take a look here at the 0:45 mark:
http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2015/10/19/vote-now-2015-att-mls-goal-week-week-33
If Lahoud is paying attention and is prepared to receive it that ball is directly onto his foot, but he wasn’t so it shoots by. For me, there is nothing wrong with the pass, either in terms of weight or accuracy. You could say it’s not directly at his body, but 9″ to the left should easily be handled, especially if he was stepping towards the ball, as you would expect a receiving player to do.
Fair enough. I watched it a few more times just now, and Lahoud was sleeping. The pass wasn’t bad at all. I stand corrected and apologize to Chaco for my lazy pass comment above! In real time, it looked that way to me. Grella clearly jumps the gun and was offside, but no excuse for the poor play on our end.
Just one of those unlucky/weird things. Offseason can’t come soon enough for these guys.
lazy pass………
Three teams that will not win the MLS Cup
1. Red Bulls
2. Dallas
3. DC United
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It has been noted that the hunt for a Sporting Director came together really fast after Sak left town.
I wouldn’t discount NYRB or Dallas right now especially with LA’s recent regression.
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Shouldn’t every mention of Nigeria’s youth teams have quote marks around them (i.e. – Nigeria’s “U-17” side)? Those kids are huge.
in truth I think they are actually a young team too.
Haha. Exactly.
Anybody watch that U17US v Nigeria game?
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One more ‘oh boy’ to add to the sad sack USNT conundrum.
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Better get better fast.
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And speaking of group of death…. Imagine have the 4 time U17 World Cup winner in your group AND the host nation. Doesn’t get harder than that.
Yes, it was terrible to watch.
The US 17’s have never one more than one match in the opening round….look it up. They lost to one of the best teams in the tourney in Nigeria. The African teams own the 17’s and 20’s…always have. They did look awful……but I think they can still pull this out. Beat the Croatians and tie the hosts…cross your fingers. Trusty looked horrible, Christian Pulisic looked like a man amongst boys out there for the States! Troublesome as that may seem……did anyone see Mexico v Argentina last night? The Mexicans look really freakin good…….that spells trouble down the road for the US!
It was OUR OWN kickoff…
it was our own kickoff….
it was our own..kickoff?
It was…our own kickoff.
It. Was. On. Our. Own. Kickoff.
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I felt one more was necessary
Is that you, William Shatner?
That record may last forever too (go Union!). Is it even mathematically possible to better that time? We need one of those ESPN sports science shows to break this down.
So Union.
It would take a player heaving it into the net on the first touch. Kind of like Carli Lloyds WC goal from midfield.
From that distance the duration of the flight may fail to break the record.
Well at least the Union hold one MLS record!
You know what I’ve been thinking and while I didn’t think this was personally the best way to go this season just makes me think otherwise. JUST BLOW IT UP! Everything new manager, new sporting director, new players. Here are the people I want them to keep as it is the easier list to say: Marquez, Blake (even though he still makes many mistakes), Gaddis (whether or not he starts the guy still puts in effort and can play LB and RB, plus he already has the long term contract), Barnetta, Nogs, Le Toux(clearly wants to be here more than any other team let him finish his career here he’ll take a pay cut if needed), Ayuk, Sapong, also keep Catic and MacMath(makes competition for Blake also gives u a competent backup when Blake gets hurt like he has in the past). This is it everything else new. And No I don’t want to give Wenger anymore chances, no Vittoria is not an MLS player, No Nando doesn’t fit this team, No Chaco’s time has come and we can’t put all play through him he should go, No Lahoud is not the solid CDM that this team needs, No Edu is not quality enough to be a CB or a CDM on this team he just doesn’t fit. Its just the way things are we need an overhaul and something new.
I really would love to see a clean sweep to start fresh. One problem though, the Union need to field two teams next year. If they were only going to keep 7 to 10 players, where are the other 30 going to come from? The sooner that mythical SD is hired, the sooner these questions get answered. I hope.
I get that they need to field 2 teams, but I’d still do the clean sweep minus the fact that I say you put mccarthy and sylvestre on the USL team. This gives you 4 keepers all should make below 150,000$ with McCarthy and Sylvestre likely near league minimum or 10,000$ over. I know its radical, but unfortunately I just can’t see any reason to keep the rest of the roster even if you need a ton of players. Along with the sweep I would suggest they sign 4 homegrown players and stick them on the USL team which I think should’ve been done a month or two ago. So that gives you 10 guys on the first team (not all starters) and 6 on the USL team. Then you work trades and pick up talent overseas and other player out of contract. I get it would be asking a lot, but at this point with what we’ve seen could this team get much worse?
Could this team get much worse? It can always get worse. If they haven’t passed over it already, the Union are straddling the Chivas line. They are the joke of MLS. A sad joke.
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And I see merits in your plan. But the idea of trading players is just wishful thinking. I know of no “Ed Wade” (as Astro’s G.M.) equivalent in MLS, that would be willing to facilitate the resurgence of the Union. What kind of dreck could the Union expect in return for that which they could possibly offer?
My thoughts is there have got to be people who are willing to trade for Edu (he is a name in the US and certain teams are willing to trade for that). If you pair him with the likes of fabinho after a much better season then he has had in the past I think we could grab a younger CB at less salary and possibly a young CDM the point is finding the right ones. I can’t see anyone going after Wenger so he is essentially useless on the trade market. Lahoud could be traded as he is likable and a stand up player willing to either come off the bench or start, he won’t get you much, but could be traded for depth at outside back and winger. I’m not saying by any means it would be easy just that I think it should be done and there are ways to do it if you think and are willing to part with certain players.