Daily news roundups

Union bits, BSFC on the road, Harrisburg hosts Cincinnati, LA stadium vote, NSHOF class, more

Photo: Earl Gardner

Philadelphia Union

No game this weekend as the Union prepare for La Galaxy’s visit on Wednesday.

At the Union website, Matt Bodiford notes Sebastien Le Toux is the team’s all-time leader in 12 statistical categories.

Noting comments from readers on a Facebook post, Brotherly Game’s Eugene Rupinski proposes the Union-DC United rivalry should be called the Shertz-Gemmel Cup in memory of Union supporter Eric Shertz, who died in 2014, and the wife and two sons of DC United supporter Kenneth Gemmell, who died in 2015 when a plane crashed into their suburban DC home.

Also at Brotherly Game, the good the bad, and the ugly from last weekend’s draw with San Jose.

At Philly Soccer News, quotes from last weekend’s postgame press conference fill a piece that begins by saying an extended break isn’t welcome when a team is coming off of a disappointing draw.

Bethlehem Steel FC

Bethlehem Steel is on the road this weekend to face Orlando City B on Saturday night at 7:30 pm (YouTube). Orlando City has a preview.

Philadelphia Union Academy

The Union Academy U-17/18s and U-15/16s host Richmond United on Saturday at YSC. The U-13/14s are off from US Soccer Development Academy play this weekend.

Reading United

Poor weather has forced the postponement of tonight’s Soccer Night in Newtown benefit doubleheader in Connecticut that was to feature Reading United and West Chester United.

Harrisburg City Islanders

The City Islanders host FC Cincinnati on Saturday night at 7 pm at FNB Field (YouTube). The team is back in action after that on Monday night when they host Charleston Battery.

Lehigh Valley United Sonic

PDL side Lehigh Valley United Sonic has announced the signing of four players for its 2016 roster, three of whom have appeared for the US U-17 BNT: Yaw Amankwa, Miguel Polly, and Robby Sagel. Polly played for Temple before transferring to Villanova. Sagel, who also played for Temple before transferring to Penn State, previously played for Reading United. Additionally, goalkeeper Kyle Morton previously played for the Philadelphia Union Academy while he was with Penn Fusion.

Ocean City Nor’easters

Ocean City Nor’easters will be hosting a jersey unveiling party at Buffalo Wild Wings in Mays Landing on Friday, May 13. The team recently announced Capelli Sport will be its jersey provider.

Local

Glenside native, and former Temple and Ocean City Nor’easters player Tony Donatelli started and earned his first cap for the US futsal team in Wednesday’s 4-4 draw with Canada at the CONCACAF Futsal championship play-in series in Costa Rica. Donatelli started and registered an assist in the deciding game on Thursday night but the US fell, 5-3.

In related news, Leander Schaerlaeckens writes at Vice Sports about the soon to be launched Professional Futsal League and wonders if indoor soccer can make it in the US again. I did not know that Keith Tozer, the coach of the US futsal team for 20 years and the commissioner of the PFL played for Pennsylvania Stoners in 1979.

At Philly Voice, Kevin Kinkead talks to Live Breathe Futbol founders Ebun Olaloye and Domenick Cucinotta, who are looking to fuse performance wear with lifestyle wear with the launch of their new Maestro line. Fine looking — and functional — gear.

The Temple men’s team has added Joe Barber as an assistant coach.

MLS

Columbus Crew have waived Egyptian defender Amro Tarek, who joined the team on loan from Real Betis on February 3.

The Los Angeles City Council will vote today on LAFC’s proposal to build a new stadium where Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena currently stands.

Ladies and gentleman, Brad Evans:

US

Brandi Chastain (Player), Shannon MacMillan (Veteran), and Don Garber (Builder) have been elected to National Soccer Hall of Fame Class of 2016.

Along with the Class of 2016 announcement in Frisco was a groundbreaking ceremony for the new National Soccer Hall of Fame that is being constructed as part of FC Dallas’ Toyota Stadium. The Dallas Morning News reports, “The 24,000-square-foot National Soccer Hall of Fame Museum and event center will display the best of the more than 80,000 items in the collection.”

MLSsoccer.com reports that “not all of the 80,000-plus items in storage will make the trip from North Carolina to Frisco. Instead, the plan is to rotate items in and out of storage to correlate with specific exhibitions the museum will feature.” FC Dallas president Dan Hunt says, “Sometimes less is more. We’re also going very heavy on the interactive. Having been in some halls of fame recently and museums, it’s the future – interactive devices for education. That’s how you grab people’s attention now. We live in a little bit of a different time, and I’m excited about the fresh start with that type of stuff. I think it’ll be a really unique dynamic.”

The National Soccer Hall of Fame will be the first in the US constructed as part of a professional sports stadium. More at FC Dallas and Dallas Business Journal.

Soccer America notes the absence of Briana Scurry and Tiffeny Milbrett from the Hall of Fame.

At SI, Brian Straus looks at whose stock is rising, and whose is falling, on the US Copa America roster.

At Fox Soccer, Aaron West on how the Copa America could be 33-year-old Clint Dempsey’s last major tournament.

Elsewhere

Check out the latest Footy on the Telly for listings of live soccer on TV, online, and on satellite radio for the upcoming week.

It will be a Liverpool-Sevilla final in Basel on Wednesday, May 18 after Liverpool defeated Villarreal 3-0 (agg. 3-1), and Sevilla defeated Shakhtar 3-1 (agg. 5-3), on Thursday. Liverpool has won the tournament three times, the last time in 2001, and four-time winner Sevilla has won the previous two Europa League finals.

Sergio Jadue, former Vice-President of CONMEBOL and former President of the Chilean FA, and Luis Bedoya, former FIFA Executive Committee member, former Vice-President of CONMEBOL, and former President of the Colombian FA, have been banned from football for life by the FIFA Ethics Committee following their guilty pleas in the US-led FIFA corruption investigation.

14 Comments

  1. Liverpool saved the futbol world from having to bow its head completely to La liga. Spanish footy…alive and well.
    .
    Madrid. Madrid. Seville. Nearly Villareal too.
    .
    .
    http://www.wralsportsfan.com/railhawks-provide-next-step-for-taitague-s-promising-future/15684803/.
    .
    Yes. 1000 yes’ to this kid, and the attitude surrounding his aspirations. Love his story.

  2. LOL, I always liked Brad Evans! 🙂

  3. Great call on the Shertz-Gemmel Cup. I hope that name is chosen. Great way to honor both clubs and its supporters.

  4. Man I think the clock is slow… why does it seem every other week MLS and more specifically Union….has a bye.
    .

    • Andy Muenz says:

      OK, what’s wrong with this e-mail I just received from Major League Soccer?
      .
      Watch Philadelphia Union this weekend on your TV, computer, phone or tablet with a subscription to MLS LIVE for just $64.99 with the promotion code MLSLIVE64

  5. SLOW DAY_____ re: Bayern Munich ‘mole’ messing with Pep
    .
    Know what I’d like… I’d like to see a talented manager like Guardiola, Mourinho… go to a club with a rich developmental academy– a second tier team, mid table maybe and build it into a world power…even if it took 5-7 years to fulfill the vision…. I understand the nature of the sport anymore– the ‘Super Managers’ just recycle through the Super Clubs, but it gets a bit tedious IMO- actually really tedious… I’m all for a new paradigm. Make your bones- glory yourself at a Super Club or two for a turn then remake your bones- show the world why you are a cut above.
    .
    I’d like to see Pep take a Fiorentina, Stuttgart, Espanyol (heresy), Southhampton… clubs with a strong academy as I understand it…a bankroll but not an enormous one and build the team to create the enormous bankroll to become a large and global brand. IDK… it would take a strong vision and leadership throughout the entire organization from the owners down… but if a guy like Guardiola earmarked you…wouldn’t you consider finding the funds necessary- I mean the guy is about as sure a thing as there is in managing. Hiring him alone would boast your profit and interest.
    .
    Kinda like wishing I could see the Rolling Stones or Radiohead in a small venue because they would blow the roof off the place… think The Belly Up in Solana Beach or Electric Factory in Philly. I mean could you imagine for one second standing around with maybe 1,500 people as Radiohead opened with Jigsaw Falling into Place or The Stones opening with 100 Years Ago from Goat’s Head Soup. Damn.
    .
    “went out walking through the woods the other day….”

    • Jim Presti says:

      You’ve basically stated how I play FIFA month in and month out!

      • Haha, me too. Leyton Orient is in the prem in this edition for me. Previously, I’ve used Shrewbury, Carlisle United, and AFC Wimbledon. Plus, it’s fun learning about the players and clubs in the lower tiers of English soccer.
        .
        And this would truly be fascinating to see the top tier managers do something like this. I don’t expect them to take a 2nd or 3rd division club, but it would be very intriguing if they took a mid to lower tier top division club and took them to the top.

    • Zizouisgod says:

      It’s a nice romantic notion for a slow news day, but after climbing the ladder to get to the top, why would you go back down and start again? It’s hard to get to the top level of anything as odds are stacked against you and oh yeah, it’s a lot of hard work. So why would you risk all of that if you’re Pep or any of the other managers who have made it to the highest level?

  6. Dr. Hans Mueller-Wohlfarth says:

    Bis spaeter, Pep. Tschuess!!!

  7. Glad to see BSFC has their own website under their shield now!
    http://www.bethlehemsteelfc.com/

  8. alicat215 says:

    Well played Brad Evans!

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