Photo: Wilf Thorne/Houston Dynamo
Congratulations to Jeff Palo for winning two tickets to Saturday’s Union home game against DC United!
Philadelphia Union
So, yeah. Chaco.
Playing their sixth game in 17 days, and unable to start either of the three players who have played up top this season, the Union made the 1,350 mile flight to steamy Houston only to be undone by some calls made and unmade, and a nice free kick from former Union man Cristian Maidana deep into stoppage time.
Maidana, who did not start, said, “I’ve waited for this match since I was traded over from Philadelphia, and everything started out great since I entered the match.”
“It happens a lot in soccer,” Jim Curtin said, “where guys who move on to different teams come back and score big goals for their teams. Chaco’s a great player. He’s a guy that got us to two cup finals in Philadelphia, had a great career with Philadelphia. He’s a good player and he has a good left foot, and he showed it tonight.”
As for his team’s performance, Curtin said,
Disappointing obviously, to drop a point that late. I think we had a little bit of — playing Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday — for a while now, just couldn’t find the extra energy to push and get a goal out of the night.
Not our best night, but still probably did enough to get a point. Difficult place to play, difficult conditions. Obviously, the field is… poor. The weather is hot. Our guys fought hard, had some decent moments, but at the end of the day, credit to Houston.
Next up is DC at Talen Energy Stadium on Saturday.
Recaps and reports at PSP (recap, postgame quotes), Philadelphia Union (recap, notes), Delco Times, Philly Voice, Philly Soccer News, Brotherly Game (recap, analysis), Pattison Ave, Section 215, Prost Amerika, SBI, Vavel, Section 215, MLSsoccer.com (recap, Union, Dynamo), Houston Dynamo, Houston Chronicle, CBS Houston, Dynamo Theory (recap, report), Keeper Notes, MLS Multiplex, and the AP. At USA Today and Keeper Notes, photos from the game.
At Philly Voice, Kevin Kinkead talked to Andrew Wenger before Saturday’s game.
Power rankings! At ESPN, the Union drop three spots to No. 12.
Andre Blake’s save in the 24th minute against Vancouver was voted MLSsoccer.com’s Save of the Week, besting a Clint Irwin save with 51 percent of the vote.
The summer transfer window opened on Monday (and will close on August 3). MLSsoccer.com looks at what the Union needs and also has a list of European-based free agents that might be of interest to MLS teams. Section 215 on the Union’s need for depth at forward. Also at Section 215, an “Essential Philadelphia Union Dream Transfer Shortlist” (warning: slideshow).
Unauthorized Bethlehem Steel FC Blog wonders if the Union are missing Eric Ayuk.
Here’s a link to the extended podcast of Earnie Stewart’s appearance last week on Men in Blazers. At the Union website, a look at how Stewart’s long-term vision for the team is becoming reality.
Interesting read at the Union website on the use of film at the Union Academy.
Bethlehem Steel FC
A set-piece goal from former Union man Jimmy McLaughlin was enough for FC Cincinnati to defeat Bethlehem Steel in front of a home crowd of 17,380 on Saturday. Cincinnati, third in the Eastern Conference (31 points, 9-2-4) has now won 11 games in a row. With the result, Bethlehem is 10th in the Eastern Conference (18 points, 4-5-6). Recaps and reports at PSP, Bethlehem Steel, Unauthorized Bethlehem Steel FC Blog, Philly Soccer News, Brotherly Game, USLsoccer.com, FC Cincinnati, Cincinnati.com, WCPO (analysis, photos), WLWT, Local 12, and Cincinnati Soccer Talk.
At the Union website, Mihir Pandya notes Ryan Richter’s leadership.
Auston Trusty started (according to this photo on Twitter) in the US U-20 MNT’s 4-0 win over Panama in the NTC U-20 Invitational on Friday. The team faced Japan in the tournament final on Sunday, with Trusty again getting the start, winning 2-1.
City Islanders
The Keystone Derby match against Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Monday ended in a 0-0 road draw for the City Islanders, ending a six-game losing streak. The result finds Harrisburg 11th in the Eastern Conference (14 points, 4-11-2) and Pittsburgh in 13th place (10 points, 2-8-4). Recaps and reports at Philly Soccer News (Harrisburg, Pittsburgh), USLsoccer.com, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Pittsburgh Tribune, and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
PDL
Paul Marie opened the scoring 62 seconds after the start of play as Reading United rolled over Baltimore Bohemians with a 4-0 win on Saturday night. Recaps at Reading United, Reading Eagle, and Philly Soccer News. Reading is back in action on Wednesday when they host Evergreen FC.
Ocean City Nor’easters had a winning weekend, defeating Lehigh Valley United 3-1 on Friday before pummeling 10-men NYRB U-23s 5-1 with four second half goals on Sunday. Chevaughn Walsh scored one goal in the win against Lehigh Valley United, and two goals in the win over NYRB U-23s, bringing his season total to 12 goals, tying the franchise record with three games remaining in the season, all at home. Recaps at Ocean City Nor’easters (LVU, NYRB U-23s) and Press of Atlantic City (LVU, NYRB U-23s).
In the latest Eastern Conference Power Rankings at uslpdl.com, Reading remains at No. 3, and Ocean City enters at No. 6.
Local
Reading Eagle notes FC Revolution midfielder Shea Moyer (Wyommising, Pa.) has been called up for the US U-18 WNT camp in England, July 6-15.
MLS
In the Eastern Conference, NYCFC (27 points, 7-5-6) moves into first place following their 2-0 win over fourth place NYRB (23 points, 7-9-2). Philadelphia (26 points, 7-6-5) is in second place following their 1-0 stoppage time loss to Houston. Third place Montreal (24 points, 6-4-6) came from 2-0 down to defeat eighth place New England (19 points, 4-6-7), 3-2. Fifth place DC (21 points, 5-6-6) scored in stoppage time to draw 1-1 on the road with Salt Lake. Sixth place Toronto (20 points, 5-6-5) conceded one minute after taking the lead to draw 1-1 at home with Seattle. Seventh place Orlando (20 points, 4-4-8) was thumped 4-0 on the road by Dallas. Ninth place Columbus (16 points, 3-6-7) lost 3-2 on the road to Kansas City in stoppage time after scoring first and then coming back from 2-1 to equalize. Last place Chicago (14 points, 3-7-5) defeated San Jose, 1-0.
In the Western Conference, Dallas moves into first place (34 points, 10-5-4) with a commanding 4-0 home win over Orlando. Colorado is in second place after a 0-0 draw against seventh place Portland (24 points, 6-6-6). Tim Howard started for the Rapids in his first league game since leaving Everton. Third place Salt Lake (28 points, 8-5-4) conceded late to draw 1-1 with visiting DC. Fourth place LAG (26 points, 6-3-8) defeated sixth place Vancouver (24 points, 7-8-3), 2-0. Fifth place Kansas City (25 points, 7-8-4) topped Columbus, 3-2. Eighth place San Jose was defeated 1-0 on the road by Chicago. Ninth place Seattle (17 points, 5-9-2) came from behind to draw 1-1 on the road with Toronto. Last place Houston (17 points, 4-8-5) defeated Philadelphia, 1-0.
FC Dallas has signed Trinidad and Tobago defender Aubrey David from Deportivo Saprissa on loan through the end of the 2016 season.
Orlando Sentinel reports Orlando City and Adrian Winter have mutually agreed to part ways.
Toronto will be without Michael Bradley (knee sprain) and Will Johnson (tibial plateau fracture) for six weeks.
On Friday, three American youth soccer clubs filed a class action lawsuit in a federal court in Texas against the MLS Players Union, three current and former MLS players—DeAndre Yedlin, Michael Bradley, and Clint Dempsey—and the defendant class, in an attempt to recoup hundreds of thousands of dollars in training and solidarity fees. A win or even a settlement between the parties could force a dramatic restructuring of the U.S. youth soccer system…
The teams—the Dallas Texans; Crossfire Premiere of Redmond, Washington; and Sockers FC of Chicago—are seeking a declaratory judgment from the court that allows them and any other U.S. youth team to collect fees for the international transfer of U.S. players, and for the court to declare that it is legal for these youth teams to arrange a domestic compensation fee system with the U.S. Soccer Federation, MLS, and any other American professional soccer league.
Dan Kennedy, a member of the MLSPU Executive Board, said in a statement, “It is unfortunate and sad that these supposedly non-profit organizations have chosen to sue us. The Players Union is the players’ organization, and this lawsuit is frivolous and untimely.”
MLSPU Executive Director Bob Foose said, “The FIFA system that these clubs are seeking to exploit would be immensely damaging to the development of soccer in the United States. By filing this lawsuit against all players, even before FIFA or U.S. Soccer has acted, these youth clubs have revealed their true colors. Their focus appears not to be on the development of players, but instead on ensuring themselves a piece of the action when a player makes it professionally. Parents should take notice. We will aggressively defend ourselves, our members and all players against this baseless suit.”
Foose was joined by MLSPU board member Ethan Finlay in describing the suit as a “shakedown.” More at Vice Sports, ESPN, and Soccer America.
On attendance numbers, reported vs. actual.
Pioneer Press notes groundbreaking for Minnesota United’s new stadium was supposed to take place in June and is now “in standby mode, waiting on key tax exemptions that may not come this year.”
St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a progress report on efforts to bring a MLS franchise to the Mound City.
The USL officially announced Nashville FC on Friday. The team will begin play in 2018.
NWSL
Fox Soccer considers if there is a solution to the continuing disruption of NWSL rosters due to USWNT commitments.
US
The draw for the final round of CONCACAF qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup will take place on Friday, July 8, at 10 am.
The US defeated Russia 3-0 on Saturday in Italy to win its second consecutive Deaf Women’s World Cup.
The auction of the rainbow-flag captain’s armband and the jersey Michael Bradley wore in the US win over Ecuador in the Copa America Centenario raised $5,655.55 for the OneOrlando Fund and Equality Florida. Bradley will also match the money raised.
Elsewhere
The AP reports, “A UEFA official has urged players remaining at Euro 2016 not to allow their children to join in post-match celebrations…[Tournament director Martin Kallen said] “It is a European Championship not a family party…a stadium is not the most safe place for small kids.”
From Goal.com: “FIFA has branded a leaked internal memo that accuses Gianni Infantino of rampantly poor ethical behavior as ‘misinformation’ spread by those who oppose the president.”
Infantino says the World Cup field could be expanded to 40 teams.
From The Guardian: “FIFA has revealed the ticket prices for the 2018 World Cup, with the cost of the cheapest tickets available for foreign fans increasing more than 16% since 2014.”
The AP reports, “Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law the visa-free system for fans visiting the 2018 World Cup. Fans who have tickets and have been issued a ‘fan ID’ by the Russian government will be allowed to enter Russia without a visa for the period surrounding the tournament, according to the legislation published online. A similar system was in place for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, with spectators entering personal information in an online database in order to receive the identification document from the Russian authorities.”
At Fox Soccer, Ryan Rosenblatt on why the yellow card accumulation rule for tournaments in which yellow cards are not cleared until after the quarterfinals needs to be changed
When is the All-Star roster announced? IE When will we find out that Don Garber has decided Tim Howard and Ashley Cole “Won” the voting over Blake and Rosenberry
Where is the transfer news? Rumors? It’s all silence. I haven’t heard a single thing. This league needs more intrigue. The MLS.com piece doesn’t cut it.
i’ve noticed that too. i feel like this year there have been way less rumors than in years past. i wonder if its partially because the @mlstransfers person announced that this is his last year sniffing out rumors
The unauthorized BSFC blog is pretty damn harsh on the Steel players, though entertaining for sure. I agree with missing Ayuk. He has a skill set that few others on the Union have (the ability to take guys one on one), and the onions to go out there and try it. I’d certainly be more nervous as an opposing defender to see Ayuk come on over Leo, Restrepo, or Missimo.
Training notes from twitter reporters:
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1) Sapong trained in full
2) Le Toux passed the first part of the concussion protocol but was not able to train today. He will be tested on the second part of the protocol tomorrow
3) Herbers seems to either have not train or did individual work
4) Yaro’s red card cannot be appealed because of some nonsense about that “it came from two yellows”
How about if they appeal and ask the league to give a suspension for a dive? I seem to recall that happening in the past.
So the way I read it, they should be able to appeal it.
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http://pressbox.mlssoccer.com/content/appeal-review-red-card-decision
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It does also note that each team has the “right to make up to two (2) unsuccessful appeals.”
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So maybe the Union made two unsuccessful appeals this season then they cannot make another.
That lawsuit filed by the youth clubs in incredibly intriguing. The argument is being made that if these clubs can receive portions of transfer fees, like everywhere else on the planet, it will help to remove the Pay-for-Play necessity of a lot of clubs. On the surface, that seems like a very good thing.
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But in order to accomplish that, you will have to take money out of the pockets of players and agents who are already making large salaries. That rarely works out well…
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Please keep us informed of any developments, in case we miss them.
I’d argue the fate of proper youth development hinges on these rulings…. the MLS narrative as contradiction…. typically… is being spun.
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This is not about now…. it’s about how things should look in the future.
I’m admittedly ignorant on this part of soccer.. How does this work in other countries and at what ages?
So a U5 player who starts at “Hometown Soccer Club”, then at U8 takes his talents to “County F.C.” where he excels and is scooped up by MLS Academy at U11 and rises up the ranks to 1st team to be sold to a 2nd tier Euro team and subsequent transfers to bigger and better…
Does every team that the kid played for get a cut of each sale?
My understanding is yes and there’s a formula that they apply based on amount of time spent in each academy.
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I just did a little research and found this article: http://www.lawinsport.com/articles/item/a-guide-to-training-compensation-and-solidarity-payments-in-football. There’s some stuff behind a login, but the free info here gives you a pretty good idea.
If anyone hasn’t listened to the Men in Blazers pod with Earnie Stewart, please give a listen. It’s a very good conversation.
Hell yeah.
Definitely agree. Worth the time since the man is THE MAN in the organization now.
The most annoying MLS story is whenever an uncapped foreign player plays well for a few matches, some dumb reporter always has to ask whether he would consider playing for the US in the future. Please make it stop.
Reporters have to grow and learn also.
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Keith Pompey started out with the Union as his “beat”. Now he writes about the Sixers.
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There are no local Ray Didingers and Jim Salisburys yet. If we could have kept Moreno and Twellman, such foolishness would not be in this market, but there is a dearth of knowledgeable, decent soccer reporters.
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the cadre will grow along with the game.
So, from the MLSSoccer.com article on possible targets…
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Kevin-Prince Boateng. Transfermarkt.com lists him at 2 million Euros (or about $2,215,100 as of this moment). He’s only 29, and currently out-of-contract, so he’s a free transfer. If we’re gonna aim big for our new #8, is he a viable candidate there? His primary position is attacking mid, but transfermarkt lists “center mid” as one of his secondary positions.
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Let’s dream big and aim for sliding him into our #8 role, with either Barnetta or Alberg in front of him.