Photo: Barb Colligon
Philadelphia Union
“[A] very disappointing performance…we were beat by stars…we’re still learning how to be a strong team on the road…we were poor tonight, there’s no excuse for it…some guys showed some heart and continued to push in the second half, but not a lot of positives…We just didn’t have a good performance…they made us pay tonight.”
Those were some of the words Jim Curtin used to describe the 5-1 hiding Montreal Impact gave the Union on Saturday night. And when you lose that badly, there’s not much more that can be said.
“It’s over, it’s the past,” Curtin also said, “We’ll probably just tear up the tape and move on to Salt Lake at home.”
Fair enough, though it will suck having to face Salt Lake without Tranquillo Barnetta, who is suspended for that game due to yellow card accumulation.
That Pontius goal was quite nice, though.
Recaps and reports at PSP (recap, postgame), Delco Times, Philly Voice, Philly Soccer News (recap, report), Metro, Brotherly Game (recap, analysis), Pattison Ave, Prost Amerika, Vavel, Section 215 (recap, commentary), MLSsoccer.com (recap, Union, Impact), Montreal Impact, Montreal Gazette (recap, report), The Canadian Press, Life in Quebec, Mount Royal Soccer (recap, analysis), Goal.com, SBI, Pro Soccer Talk, MLS Multiplex, beIN Sport, Daily Mail, The Mirror, Joe.co.uk, Vital Football, The Pride of London, We Ain’t Got No History, and the AP. USA Today has a photo gallery.
At Brotherly Game, Jared Young looks at the stats to determine that the Union take the best quality shots in MLS.
At MLSsoccer.com, a Q&A with Sons of Ben: The Movie director Jeffrey Bell.
Bethlehem Steel FC
A 20th minute strike from Derrick Jones gave ninth place Bethlehem (25 points, 6-7-7) a 1-0 lead but fifth place Rochester Rhinos (31 points, 8-4-7) equalized in the 57th minute for a 1-1 draw. The Rhinos, the defending USL champions, are now on a seven-game unbeaten run. Bethlehem continue their six-game home stand on Sunday when they host Toronto FC II. Recaps at PSP, Bethlehem Steel (recap, quote sheet), Allentown Morning Call, WFMZ, Unauthorized Bethlehem Steel FC Blog, Philly Soccer News, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, The Bent Musket, and USLsoccer.com.
Unauthorized Bethlehem Steel FC Blog notes Eric Ayuk started and went the full 90 in Cameroon’s 1-0 loss to Libya in U-20 Africa Cup of Nations qualification play on Sunday. Despite the loss, Cameroon bested Libya 3-1 on aggregate to qualify for the tournament, which will be staged in 2017.
PDL
Ocean City Nor’easters defeated Reading United 4-1 in the PDL Eastern Conference championship game on Sunday. Reading took a 1-0 lead with a free kick goal by Aaron Molloy in the 22nd minute. In the 34th minute the Nor’easters were awarded a penalty kick after Reading defender Mo Conde was sent off for a foul in the box but Nathan Regis’ effort was saved by Steffen Kraus. Reading held onto the lead through the end of first half before Ocean City added four goals in the second half, with Mutaya Mwape’s free kick equalizing in the 55th minute before taking the lead through Regis’ goal in the 76th minute. A tally from Miguel Jaime in the 89th minute made it 3-1 before Regis scored again to make it 4-1. Recaps and reports at Ocean City Nor’easters, Reading Eagle, WFMZ, Press of Atlantic City, Shore News Today, and USLPDL.com.
Ocean City joins Michigan Bucks, Calgary Foothills FC, and Midland/Odessa Sockers FC in the PDL semifinals, location, date, and time to be announced.
Ocean City got to the final after defeating Charlotte Eagles 1-0 on Saturday thanks to a goal from Chevaughn Walsh. Recaps at Ocean City Nor’easters, Press of Atlantic City, and Shore News Today. Reading came from behind to defeat Carolina Dynamo 2-1 in the other semifinal on Saturday with goals from Pierre Reedy and Gilly Waso. Recaps at Reading United, Reading Eagle, WFMZ,
Two Ocean City Nor’easters players are in USLPDL.com’s Top 20 Prospects list, Chevaughn Walsh at No. 2, and Miguel Jaime at No. 3. Reading United’s Hugo Delhommelle is at No. 17.
Local
Lancaster Online notes the success of local lads Keegan Rosenberry, Zarek Valentin, Andrew Wenger, and Travis Worra.
The Drexel men’s team has announced eight incoming players.
CBS Philly notes the New Jersey Rush U-13 girls team is going for a national title in the US Youth Soccer championships in Frisco.
MLS
In Eastern Conference play, first place NYCFC (33 points, 9-7-6) was thumped 4-1 by second place NYRB (31 points, 9-9-4). Third place Philadelphia (30 points, 8-7-6) was thrashed 5-1 by fourth place Montreal (29 points, 7-5-8), Didier Drogba scoring a hat trick. Fifth place Toronto (27 points, 7-7-6) crushed eighth place DC (22 points, 5-8-7), 4-1, with Sebastian Giovinco scoring a hat trick to end a nine-game scoring drought. Sixth place New England (26 points, 6-7-8) defeated last place Chicago (17 points, 4-10-5), 1-0. Seventh place Orlando (23 points, 4-5-11) came from behind to draw 2-2 with ninth place Columbus (19 points, 3-7-10).
In the Western Conference, first place Dallas (41 points, 12-6-5) came from behind to draw 1-1 with second place Colorado (38 points, 10-2-8). Third place LAG (35 points, 9-3-8) defeated seventh place Portland (29 points, 7-7-8) 2-1 on the road. Fourth place Kansas City (31 points, 9-10-4) thumped ninth place Seattle (20 points, 6-12-2), 3-0. Fifth place Salt Lake (31 points, 8-6-7) came from behind to draw 1-1 with eighth place San Jose (26 points, 6-6-8). Sixth place Vancouver (30 points, 8-8-6) drew 0-0 on the road with last place Houston (19 points, 4-9-7).
Montreal has signed Hernán Bernardello. The Argentine central midfielder played with the club in 2013 and 2014.
Salt Lake has acquired Paraguayan forward Pedro Baez on loan from Paraguayan club Cerro Porteno for the remainder of the season with an option to buy.
Houston has acquired midfielder Eric Alexander from Montreal “in exchange for general and targeted allocation money.”
Philly.com on Downingtown’s Zack Steffen signing with Coloumbus Crew.
Is the clock is ticking on Sigi Schmid’s time as head coach of Seattle?
NWSL
First place Portland (26 points, 7-2-5) had the weekend off. Second place (26 points, 8-3-2) lost 1-0 on the road to fourth place Sky Blue (22 points, 6-4-4). Third place Western New York lost 1-0 at home to eighth place Kansas City (16 points, 4-6-4). Fifth place Chicago (22 points, 6-4-4) drew 1-1 with ninth place Houston (11 points 3-7-2). Sixth place Seattle (20 points, 5-4-5) hammered seventh place Orlando (18 points, 6-8-0), 5-2. Last place Boston (4 points, 1-11-1) had the weekend off.
The Guardian on recent tension between NWSL players and the league.
US
With goals from Crystal Dunn, Mallory Pugh, Carli Lloyd, and Christen Press, the USWNT defeated Costa Rica 4-0 in their final warmup game before the start of group play in Summer Olympics on August 3 when the team faces New Zealand.
At ASN, Wendy Thomas on US players finding Bundesliga more welcoming than other big European leagues.
Elsewhere
From the Guardian: “FIFA’s ethics committee has announced a one-year ban from all football-related activities for Wolfgang Niersbach, former German Football Association (DFB) president and vice-president of the 2006 World Cup local organising committee and current FIFA executive committee member. Niersbach has been banned for failing to report potential misconduct surrounding the award of the 2006 World Cup to Germany.”
What is going on with the Sounders? So interesting how far they have fallen, like Columbus, too. Sigi is done. Only question is whether or not they keep him for the rest of the season or ax him now.
Not sure how much is Sigi. SS tied a ton of money in Dempsey, Valdez, and Olonso. Plus Chad Marshall and Brad Evans doesn’t scream playoff bound CB pairing. Basically some poor personnel decisions to placate the large market
Might be, but coach usually gets to shoulder the blame. Unfair or not.
Pretty simple. You sell one of the 3 best forwards in the league right before the start to the season, you tend to struggle.
Their previous strategy was pretty much to have their midfield defend and launch balls up to Oba and Dempsey and let them go 2 on 4. It was very affective, they played off each other very well.
I agree Sigi will shoulder some of the blame but their front office – who loves to spend money – pretty much tied a good chunk of their cap up. Roman Torres is also injured as well.
Good story by Tannenwald about Steffen. Another Union fiasco (just like Rosenberry). What was not written down was that the Union did not keep good track of their practices and games, though it must be said the MLS never defined how to keep track. But this discovery rule is also the biggest nonsense.
That ASN article is solid. Worth a read if you have the time.
thanks for recommendation. good read. something i didn’t consider: lack of US players in those leagues and how it equates to popularity here. be interesting to see how this affects Euro leagues’ viewerships down the line. the Bundesliga had a noticeable uptick on Fox this season. long term, this is a solid investment on Fox’s part.
Pontius did not mean to put that on frame…..him and CJ were looking at each other when he headed that…..he was just trying to put it back across frame. Not that a player would ever admit that to the press……but look at it again.
I don’t think Pontius was taking credit for that goal either. No celebration or even an acknowledgement. Just running back to the center. It was a header to the back post for CJ to knock in. They both knew it.
REmember the flack Ayuk took for the celebratory flip when we were losing?
.
Pontius is part of that same ethic, most likely.
“We were poor”……yeah dude, like Montreal gave the squad free bowls of soup when they left the stadium, poor. Like TOMs gave each player a pair of shoes before they got on the plane, poor. Sums up the Montreal trip pretty well. Go get RSL and we’ll forget about this…….
Toronto FC brings its expensive stars and stellar, tactically-intriguing defense to Chester this weekend. Six area teams among a record 64 amateur teams participating in the open round of qualifiers for the 2017 US Open Cup.