Photo: Paul Rudderow
Philadelphia Union
The Union scrimmage the John Hackworth-coached US U-17s takes place this morning in Clearwater. There will be no stream of the scrimmage.
The Union announced on Monday was that Thursday’s preseason game against Chicago Fire will take place at 4 pm and will be streamed on the Union website.
At the Union website, an update from the Union’s training session on Monday.
Also at the Union website, Chris Winkler talks to Maurice Edu about a number of topics, including moving back to the midfield, national team call-ups, and returning to fitness after sports hernia surgery.
Apparently, during the offseason Edu participated in some informal yet high tempo 4 v 4 games in Southern California that included the likes of Stuart Holden, Servando Carrasco, Sacha Kljestan, Benny Feilhaber, Dom Dwyer, Steve Birnbaum, A.J. DeLaGarza, Robbie Rogers, Hector Jimenez, A.J. Soares and Rafael Garcia.
An article at SI says the Union are one of 12 clubs that have undergone an assessment by Double PASS, “The company that helped turn Germany into a world champion and Belgium into the current top-ranked team in the world.” Liviu Bird writes, “By mid-2017, every Major League Soccer franchise and each member of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy will go through its process, which started in August 2015.”
At Brotherly Game, “Why I don’t want the Union to sign a superstar Designated Player.”
Former Union man Danny Cruz has signed with USL side and MLS expansion team Minnesota United.
Philadelphia Union Academy
Auston Trusty will be playing for UNC in 2016.
Bowling Green State University has announced that Robert Miller III (F: York, Pa.), a former Union Academy player, will join the school’s men’s team. In a addition to the Union’s U-15/16 and U-17/18 teams, Miller also played for PA Classics.
Local
Penn 97 notes five Pennsylvania teams will be participating in the 2016 US Open Cup: Philadelphia Union, Harrisburg City Islanders, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Reading United, and West Chester United.
Chestnut Hill Local has a nice profile piece on Springside Chestnut Hill Academy senior and Penn Fusion forward Meghan McCool, who just committed to University of Virginia.
MLS
Player moves:
- Vancouver has signed 2016 SuperDraft pick and center back Cole Seiler.
- Columbus has waived Romain Gall and Sergio Campbell.
Preseason games:
- On Sunday, Kansas City drew 0-0 with South Korean side Seongnam.
- Also on Sunday, Orlando defeated Eastern Florida State College, 4-0.
- On Monday, Colorado defeated OC Blues, 2-0.
New England DP signing Xavier Kouassi tore his ACL playing for his Swiss club Sion on Sunday and is reportedly out for 6-9 months. Kouassi was to Join New England in the summer.
Fernando Torres to MLS (particularly crappy Google translation here)? More here.
MLS will make an All-Star Game announcement on Thursday that will be streamed live at 1 pm on the league site. Ho hum.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes building a MLS stadium is a lot cheaper than building an NFL stadium.
USL side Charleston Battery has been bought by B Sports Entertainment, Charleston-based company. More at The Post and Courier.
US
Lawyers for the players union representing the USWNT filed a brief on Monday outlining their objections to an expedited schedule to resolve the lawsuit filed against the Union by US Soccer last week. The union argues US Soccer’s 2015 financial statement concedes a CBA is not currently in place and that the documentation filed in support of last week’s lawsuit is “misleadingly incomplete.”Much is being made of the fiery rhetoric in the Union’s arguments. You can read the union’s arguments here, and US Soccer’s 2015 financial statement here. More at New York Times, Philly.com, Fox Soccer, SI, Soccer America, Deadspin, OTF Soccer, Stars and Stripes FC, and the AP.
On Tuesday morning, US Soccer’s response to the players union was made publicly available (pdf here). At Philly.com, Jonathan Tannenwald writes the response “makes it clear that the governing body sees a real possibility of a strike occurring before the Olympics.”
Meanwhile players on the USWNT try to stay focused on the start of CONCACAF’s Olympic qualifying tournament, for which the final 20-player rosters were released on Monday and which begins for the team on Wednesday against Costa Rica at 8:30pm (NBC Sports Live Extra). More at Fox Soccer.
In related news, Reuters reported on Monday, “The United States Olympic Committee told U.S. sports federations that athletes and staff concerned for their health over the Zika virus should consider not going to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in August.”
At SI, Brian Straus has winners and losers from the USMNT’s January camp. Ives Galarcep does the same at Goal.com.
Former Union man Carlos Ruiz will be eligible for selection by Guatemala when the team faces the USMNT World Cup qualifiers on March 25 and March 29 after his six month ban for striking an official was shortened. Jermaine Jones must be loving that.
At the Atlantic, a piece on teaching expert Doug Lemov: “Can This Man Save U.S. Soccer?”
Dave van den Bergh has been named head coach of the US U-15 BNT.
The BBC reports, “Everton are moving closer to a £200m takeover by an American consortium and a deal could even be concluded by the end of the month.” The report notes the consortium is “led by former San Diego Padres owner John Jay Moores and fellow entrepreneur Charles Noell.”
Last week came word that Mark Cuban had purchased a principal ownership stake of the new Professional Futsal League, which is set to begin play in 2017. Dallas Morning News reports the PFL will have “multiple” NBA owners as well as “full or partial franchise stakes” from Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Boca Juniors, and Corinthians: “[R]epresentatives from the 16 franchises and officials from soccer clubs in Europe, South America and China are scheduled to meet Tuesday and Wednesday in Dallas.”
Elsewhere
On Monday, Caribbean Football Union president Gordon Derrick and Canadian Soccer Association president Victor Montagliani both announced they will stand as candidates for the presidency of CONCACAF.
The AP reports, “At least 26 African countries will defy their continental confederation and not vote for Sheikh Salman of Bahrain in the FIFA presidential election, the outspoken head of the Liberia soccer federation said Monday.”
Reuters reports, “Disgraced world soccer president Sepp Blatter and the sport’s European head, Michel Platini, will be invited to the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said on Monday.”
Reuters reports, “Qatar may create special courts during the 2022 World Cup to deal quickly and ‘very gently’ with alcohol-consuming fans who break the law in a conservative Muslim state where public drunkenness is prohibited.”
I read the Double Pass article yesterday… gives me some hope as I try not to be overly guided by a cynical worldview… which for the record is strongest regarding this game I love and not so much everything else.
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… seems though- like my four year old these days, no matter how often I tell him Core Family Value #3 is following directions… he looks at me mouth agape, allergy shiners under his eyes, unmoving as though inactivity will just make me go away….he chooses not to adapt…so for now we just go round and round covering the same ground as yesterday which is the ground we’ll cover tomorrow.
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We have the model. Doesn’t mean we will see the application.
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My son has a strong foundation around him – good leadership and he’ll get it sooner of later. Not so sure with US Soccer.
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“At the moment it’s a great pleasure to have him…he’s an integral part of our attack” said Tuchel about Pulisic in today’s pre-Stuttgart press conference. “It’s important to keep all options open; Whether he starts, comes on as a sub or plays for the Youth.”
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Integral. Part. Of. Our. Attack. 17yr old. American.
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http://www.fearthewall.com/2016/2/8/10938428/patience-with-pulisic-the-prodigy
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+10,000
One transcendent American player. Is that too much to ask?
No, but too soon to ask of one young man. Enjoy without labeling.
Agreed. I meant to speak in more general terms, as opposed to heaping the expectations upon a single player. The next generation needs an American player to emulate as “one of the world’s best.” We need an American Ibra, or Bale, or Kroos. (Purposefully avoiding the rare air of Messi/Ronaldo.)
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I doubt Christian is that player, simply because I’m also a cynic. But I hope he’s at least another step along the evolutionary ladder.
What has Freddy Adu and the media ass clowns done to us late 30 and 40 year old psyches… why can’t we enjoy Pulisic for what he is – a young kid playing and growing and showing class for a world class football club.
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“oh don’t label him… he may fail.
oh watch out… he may just be a regular player.
be careful don’t want to get burnt again. He failed us.”
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Look someday… an american player is going to be transcendent and damn if I’m going to Kid Glove it every time one comes along…which hasn’t been often. “Hey kid…. You can do it.”
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Christian Pulisic is Christian Pulisic no matter what… I hope he becomes the most significant American player to ever play… i.e. WORLD CLASS… doesn’t mean we are labeling him… doesn’t mean he failed if he isn’t able to reach those heights.
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It means he was one more player to show us the way…
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As Andy Dufraine says to Red, and I am wont to repeat ad infinitum around here… ‘Hope is a good thing.” I hope he is our first.
I hope the kid can do it too. I just don’t think we should heap expectations on him. No where did I say don’t cheer him on. And hope is a great thing. Just don’t call him the next… whoever. Firstly because he’s himself and never will be whoever he gets compared to. And secondly to let him find his own way. He’s himself and that’s all I want him to be. World class, or not.
I recognize your position… My point is I don’t read or hear people doing that and to be true in another 6 months it may happen but none of it matters. I think those who pay close attention recognize there is an event horizon of expectation out there…
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….for some player to find his way out from is going to be even harder cause we need it so bad and the media machine is going to add fuel…
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Someone is going to do it someday and it won’t be because he was labeled by those watching or the media mislabeling another’s potential…. it will because he was Neo.
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Christian Pulisic is certainly capable and in an environment that can spur him to those heights and I think it’s safe for us to say so.
Let me guess they are announcing that Ashley Cole has already made the All-Star team.
man wish I would have thought of this first. damn. well done.
Shane, I tip my hat and stand in awe. Just awesome man.
https://twitter.com/TheUMatchDay
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Yeah, it’s the U-17’s, but it’s nice to see goals on the board. And by the reporting, constant pressure.
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Again…U-17’s. Also, again…it’s just practice. Glad to see these guys getting used to each other and building some good chemistry, hopefully.
Austin Trusty choosing college. Damn. Rec league.
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I know I know. Lighten up el P.
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Think he’d be good enough in 2 years to see time for USL or NASL? National team player.. One of the jewels of our youth academy…. Maybe get signed by Bundesliga II at 21… Signed by a Bundesliga I team around mid table?
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Damn trained as a pro then go play amateur ball.
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bogner Skijacke Damen http://www.reldar.com/