Daily news roundups

Union schedule to be announced today, Restrepo, locals in NWSL draft, more news

Photo: Paul Rudderow

Philadelphia Union

The league will announce the 2016 schedule today. Stay tuned.

Kevin Kinkead tweeted on Wednesday evening the Union are about to sign midfielder Walter Restrepo, who last played for New York Cosmos. He adds he does not believe Leo Fernandes going to the Cosmos is not part of the deal. (Two other tweets about Restrepo — this, and this — are worth reading.)

Here’s a highlight reel of Restrepo at work:

Two articles here at PSP on the latest info from the Peter Nowak lawsuit against the Union following the release of new documents on Tuesday. Dan Walsh’s looks at how the Union were directed to fire Nowak by the league, while Steve Holroyd breaks down the arbitration process and looks at what expect next. More at Philly.com, CSN Philly, Brotherly GamePhiladelphia Sports Nation, SBIEmpire of Soccer, Paste Magazine, and from the AP.

Speaking of the Nowak lawsuit, there’s this from early this morning:

Legend.

At SBI, a team-by-team review of key needs across the league. Here’s what was written about the Union:

KEY NEEDS – Centerback, Attacking midfielder

OUTLOOK – The Philadelphia Union have many holes to fill this year, especially since only 13 of 28 roster spots are currently taken. The addition of Chris Pontius is a major plus for the Union, but a proven playmaker is what this side needs after dealing Cristian Maidana.

The Union also had its share of issues defensively in 2016, and adding a top-notch central defender would help Jim Curtin’s side move closer to being a playoff contender.

The Armchair Analyst’s mock draft has the Union selecting left back Brandon Vincent at No. 3, and midfielder Omar Holness at No. 6 in next Thursday’s SuperDraft.

According to Metro, former Union CEO Nick Sakiewicz will be named commissioner of the National Lacrosse League.

Prost Amerika has a review of the Union’s 2015 season.

On the design front, Dirty South Soccer loves the Union logo and colors: “Consider this club’s identity a home run.”

Local

Penn Fusion alums Christa Neary (West Deptford, N.J.) and Casey Morrison (York, Pa.) are available for selection in the NWSL draft that will take place on Jan. 15 at the NSCAA convention in Baltimore. Other area players include Nicole Baxter (Pennington, N.J.), Nicole Belfonti (Galloway, N.J.), Melissa Blevins (Voorhees, N.J.), Holly Hargreaves (New Hope, Pa.), Megan Hunsberger (Bethlehem, Pa.), Jenna  Kalwa (Pennington, N.J.), Ally Kasun (Lancaster, Pa.), Brittany Ratcliffe (Williamstown, N.J.), and Erica Skroski (Galloway, N.J.).

MLS

Player moves:

  • DC have acquired winger Patrick Nyarko from Chicago. The Fire receive United’s natural second round pick in the 2016 SuperDraft in exchange.
  • New England have signed Diego Fagundez to a new multi-year contract.
  • LA Galaxy have signed Jeff Larentowicz.
  • San Jose have signed Jamaican international midfielder Simon Dawkins as a Designated Player. Dawkins spent two seasons on loan from Tottenham with the Earthquakes from 2011-12 and joins the team from Derby County.

L’Equipe reports Didier Drogba will retire as a player in order to take a position at Chelsea (crappy Google translation here). However, Drogba later tweeted, “I have not yet announced my retirement & am still in discussion with @impactmontreal about my future.”

NYCFC has named Jon Patricof as its new President. He’ll take up the position in March.

LA Galaxy have named Peter Vagenas Vice President of Soccer Operations. The former Galaxy captain has been the team’s academy director since 2013.

The new San Antonio USL team that is being backed by the Spurs will name their first head coach today. According to Orlando Sentinel, the new head coach will be Darren Powell.

The city of Louisville is funding a study on the feasibility of building an 8,000- to 10,000-seat downtown stadium for the Louisville City USL team. The stadium would be expandable to 20,000 seats. An announcement on the Louisville City website says, “With Major League Soccer expected to expand to as many as 28 teams, a move toward a soccer-specific stadium in Louisville sends a clear message.” More at Louisville Courier-Journal,  Louisville Business First, Insider Louisville, and WDRB.

Rochester Democrat & Chronicle on how new ownership for the USL’s Rhinos, which you will recall was taken over by the league on Tuesday, could be just what the team needs.

US

Jurgen Klinsmann has named his 23-player roster for this month’s USMNT camp in California, which runs from Jan. 11-Feb. 6 and includes friendlies against Iceland on Jan. 31 and Canada on Feb. 5. At US Soccer, Klinsmann discusses the roster and the camp. More at ASN, Soccer AmericaMLSsoccer.com, and SI.

Elsewhere

From Reuters: “FIFA’s ethics committee said on Thursday it has opened formal proceedings against Jérôme Valcke, after its investigators recommended a nine-year ban against the secretary general.” More from the AP. The official FIFA announcement is here.

From Sky Sports: “Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein says he can be trusted to run FIFA and rejected the idea that the sport’s world governing body could not be changed by an insider.”

78 Comments

  1. pachy are you ghost writing for Danny Califf?

    • No but the Ghost of Johnny Cash is….

    • Zizouisgod says:

      +1.

      Califf’s next tweet was “Vision, Plan & Philosophy”

    • I love that Califf’s Twitter handle is: Dude, Dad, Deliverer of elbows.
      .
      Yes…across the board.
      .
      It is no surprise he is a Johnny cash fan.

    • As if I didn’t miss Califf enough already…It be wonderful to have him involved with the team somehow. Though I assume that would be to huge an ask.

      • Was teaching the youth up at YSC for awhile… lamped my kid one day with an errant volley.
        .
        was fun giving him hell about it.

      • Really? I had no idea he had been involved. That is nice to hear. Here’s to hoping he gets back into the fold. For me it’s hard to find another guy that fit the ‘Philly’ mentality more than him. Heart, grit, toughness. Nowak, I thought I couldn’t dislike you any more than I did. Once again I’ve been proven wrong.

  2. If you are wondering where that Califf line comes from:

    • Darth Harvey says:

      “Death is but a door
      Time is but a window…
      I’ll be back.”
      ~Califf the Carpathian

    • +1 to you for pointing that out. I didn’t know that.

      Not sure anybody ever did with covers what Johnny Cash did during his last years. His cover of Hurt might be the best cover I’ve ever heard. (Crazy Mary by Pearl Jam competes though. And random other cool performances by small bands.)

      • Can’t agree with you, Dan. Best cover ever was Jimi Hendrix All Along the Watchtower. Only cover I know where once it was made the original artist changed the style to match the cover. Everything else is competing for 2nd place.

      • Ah, I always thought that one overrated, though I know it’s loved. I go for more chilled and bluesy Jimi. Hey Joe, Little Wing, that sort.

      • el Pachyderm says:

        Little Wing is one of my favorite songs of all time. Good call.

      • ‘Hard to Handle’ Black Crowes

      • Sorry, All4U, Black Crowes version is good but my preference is for Pigpen singing it with the Dead.

      • Indeed I enjoy it too. Love the Dead. But for commercial success? Black Crowes by far. God Bless the Grateful Dead.

      • All good choices and I will add tinder to the fire as well…but can I recommend the drop dead gorgeous brazilian songstress Ceu. May not be an all time great but it is an all time great.
        .
        Check out her version of Marley’s, Concrete Jungle.
        .
        …. when you hear her sing….. ‘no chains around my feet but I’m not free’ ……phew

      • Will check it out. Sounds interesting.

  3. “he does not believe Leo Fernandes going to the Cosmos is not part of the deal.”
    A bit of a confusing double negative. Does that he mean he thinks it is likely Fernandes is part of the deal?

    • Like you, I was confused by that particular sentence, so I checked the original source.
      .
      According to the link, Kinkhead actually wrote: “I don’t think Leo Fernandes is involved in this “transaction”.”

    • I believe its confirmed by Empire of Soccer that the Union will loan a player but it will not be Leo. So that’s definitely a plus.

  4. One good thing about the release of the court documents is that all the sudden player rumors started popping up out of the blue. Maybe they will start signing people in hopes that will make this blow over.

  5. Zizouisgod says:

    Oh, how I love to read Kristian Dyer’s “articles” about Sak. It’s like reading the Nutmeg News.

  6. Looks like Jesse Gonzalez is staying with Mexico. :/

    • Do you blame him though? Grew up and played down in Dallas, and has represented Mexico at the youth levels. He probably identifies more with his and his parents’ heritage than U.S. culture.

      • Not at all.
        .
        The face is coming from the US side of the story. Both Howard and Rimando are now 36 years old. Guzan (31) has been struggling with Villa.
        .
        Who else could be a near-future option?
        .
        Only really Hamid (25), Johnson (26), Yarbrough (26), and now Robles (31).
        .
        Players like Cropper (22), Horvath (20), Steffen (20) have yet to get a real senior team shot but are promising.
        .
        Would be nice to have Gonzalez in the mix as well.

      • If you ask me the future of the National team from a goalkeeping standpoint after Howard and Guzan is clearly Hamid and Steffen as there level is already above those others mentioned. Although Johnson and Yarbrough make decent backups.

      • Is Guzan really struggling or does Villa just stink? I feel like it’s the latter.

      • I’ve watched a few of their games. Guzan looks indecisive. He’s not making good decisions. It’s more than likely a bit of both. But I think more of the blame goes to Guzan.

      • +1
        .
        Can’t say I have seen all their games but of the 2-3 that I have, he does not look like he did last year.

      • It’s both. Guzan isn’t confident with the guys in front of him, so he’s [or at least seems to be] second-guessing himself.

      • OneManWolfpack says:

        I think it’s a bad combination of both

  7. I’ve watched Walter Restrepo play, for reasons previously mentioned (closet Cosmos fan cough cough) and I’d be remiss not to say I’m pretty excited about this signing… guy is quick, plays quick..technical, clever and intelligent… and in complete truth more complete than most Union players I’ve watched…
    .
    I hope he adjusts and sees quality time. This is a good move.

    • He looks like a good pick up. Speedy, goal scoring winger. Hope it’s true.

    • Lucky Striker says:

      I’ve seen him play live as well. (Strikers fan, cough cough.)

      Not an altogether bad player, had some ability-all about the adjustment.

      Kinkead tweeted another player likely to be loaned out.

      If not Leo….I’m struggling to think of a possibility beyond Yuk or Pfeff……….

      • My guess is Ayuk.
        .
        If Restrepo and Leo are coming to Union, then the Cosmos need wingers. Ayuk would be in competition for playing time with Le Toux, Pontius, the two listed above, and Pfeffer for playing time. At only 18, it would make sense to loan him out to maximize his playing for development.

      • Also possible to re-sign a player like McLaughlin as the Union still have his rights. Could then immediately loan him.

      • Possible.
        .
        But he is 23 years old and has been with the Union for 5 years with barely a sniff of playing time.
        .
        It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for the Union to use a roster spot on him unless they think he is only another year or two away from a breakthrough (try to sign to BSFC?). Also does not make sense for McLaughlin career-wise to stick with a team that has yet show enough confidence in him to give him any real minutes.

      • Jim Presti says:

        I was using McLaughlin as an example. As in a player that’s be recently release but can be re-signed and loaned to the Cosmos.

      • Fair enough.
        .
        But if I am the Cosmos I am not agreeing to a transfer fee and the “loan of a player to be named later” when I am trying to build my own roster as defending champions. I know who I am getting and how they will fit into my team before signing off on the deal.

      • Old Soccer Coach says:

        If I am the Cosmos, I want Ayuk, not Pfeffer.

      • Old Soccer Coach says:

        After reading the Wikipedia piece on Restrepo, I need to walk back m comment about Ayuk, unless the Cosmos liked what Ayuk did at ACM in that exhibition at the Lancaster baseball stadium, because Pfeffer has more versatility to provide the ACM role that Restrepo offers.

      • A bit confused by a possible Cosmos player loan when we just added a team owned USL team where we can get young players like Ayuk or Pfeffer additional playing time and still have him train with the larger squad. What’s the advantage of having him or anyone out with Cosmos?

    • Restrepo will be a solid contributor. Great pick up

      • Is the Restrepo thing definite yet or just hear say? Does he come on a free transfer?

      • Definite transfer. Restrepo to the Union for a transfer fee [not sure of the amount] and 1 loanee to the Cosmos. The loanee is definitely not Leo.
        .
        Supposedly when the teams were negotiating, there was talk of 2 loanees for Restrepo, but the Cosmos opted for a transfer fee instead.
        .
        Restrepo is decent winger. More cultured than Le Toux or Ayuk, but not necessarily a lethal finisher. Exciting to watch.

      • Who do you think the loanee will be? Looking at the current roster, Ayuk, Pfeffer and McCarthy are the only real candidates.

      • Jim Presti says:

        They can also re-sign any player that has been recently released or even a draft pick. Until the full roster develops its almost impossible to pinpoint exactly.

      • The U are paying for one of the Cosmos’ road trips in exchange for Restrepo.

        http://90minutesstrong.com/2014/01/walter-restrepo-traded-san-antonio-scorpions/

      • What, they didn’t offer a bag of balls in return?

      • The balls are useful on the field.
        .
        If you want to send them something useless, send them McCarthy.
        (PLEEEEEEASE let it be McCarthy)

  8. How does Sak keep landing on his feet? The only other exec I can think of with his ability to crush a franchise is Isiah Thomas.

    • The ability to project confidence and competence is a completely different skill set from actually possessing confidence and competence.

    • NOBODY can compete with Isaiah Thomas. Nobody. This Knicks fan knows too well.

    • Funny you mention Isaiah, considering he also managed to crash an entire league (CBA).
      .
      Maybe the NLL should be a bit worried about those parallels…

    • I’m putting the over under date for the National Lacrosse League folding at June 30.

      • I just don’t get lacrosse as a viewing activity. I respect the hell out of the athletic requirements and as a sport without question…. as something to watch though? I’ve tried. And I do admit to thinking those Gait Brothers back in the day were pretty spectacular but…
        .
        …holy hell I’d rather watch Parker Bohn’s fist pumping right wrist brace after a turkey in the tenth.
        .

      • And that is what non-soccer fans say about our game…
        .
        To each their own.

      • Indeed…I was careful to offer its due respect… pretty hard to beat the Parker Bohn or Marshall Holman fist pump… looks similar to when I pull a Ronaldo after scoring in a sunday game.

      • At least I recognized the Gait name…Parker who? Bon Scott, maybe??

      • Bowling. My other sporting vice.

      • I did get the turkey reference. Without that, only the Weber name would have kept me from being lost. Lame attempt at a joke on my part.

      • Well we know he’s got his shovel at hand to help with the burial.

      • now that’s ruthless… funny too.

    • Well at least Sak found a league where his miscues will get less news coverage than MLS.

    • Major League Soccer’s loss is National Lacrosse League’s (greater) loss.

    • Zizouisgod says:

      To be fair, did he really land on his feet? The NLL has been at it for a long time and has never made the progress that MLS has made in a much shorter time as well as in a tougher global marketplace.

    • Atomic Spartan says:

      As a Union and MLS fan, all I can say to NLL is, “We are truly sorry. Please don’t blame us.”

  9. Finally a name. Restrepo. Glad to see some movement.

  10. Can’t say I know too much about Restrepo, but it’s always a good thing to bring in a pacy, athletic winger, and for probably a reasonable price.
    .
    However, someone who knows more than I, don’t we need somewhere around 20 players, just to fill both teams?

  11. Full Schedule isn’t posted yet on MLSSoccer.com but I did notice that the Union home opener is listed as a 2pm start.

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