Philadelphia Union
It may not have been the prettiest game in the world but a win is a win, right?
After falling at home last Saturday to Toronto, the Union went on the road and defeated Columbus Crew, 2-1, to sweep the three-game season series with the Crew.
The goalscorers for the Union? Two rookies who each got their second goal of the season in the win, Fabian “The Claw” Herbers and Keegan “Shush” Rosenberry. Fellow rookie Josh Yaro started at center back in place of Ken Tribbett.
Jim Curtin said after the game,
We’re a club that trusts young players and believes in playing young players, and they rewarded us tonight. If you were to tell me before the game started that we’d get goals from Herbers and Rosenberry I would probably tell you you were a little crazy; but, happy for them…
[F]for Keegan, for Josh, for Herbers to step up the way they did tonight in what I would call a big boy game — it’s a real game out there where a team is fighting and is desperate to make a playoff push and we had to be alert for ninety minutes — I think it shows them growing as players…These are the games you grow up in; it’s tough hanging on in those last five minutes, it’s something I can’t recreate in practice, you have to go through it and they did.
And that Columbus goal, did it cross the line? Curtin said “we didn’t concede a real goal,” adding, “I know it didn’t go in. Yeah, my guys are as honest as can be and they were there and they said it’s actually not even close.”
So my model says no @ColumbusCrewSC goal vs @PhilaUnion, best guess is 3" inbound and most liberal est is 1.5" pic.twitter.com/jYhBa6fyIh
— SoccerPhotogrammetry AKA "A Nice Gentleman" (@OffsideModeling) August 25, 2016
(H/t CPfeif)
With the win, the Union (37 points, 10-9-7) remain in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, level on points with third place NYRB, who have a better goal differential.
Recaps and reports at PSP (recap, postgame quotes), Philadelphia Union (recap, report), Philly Soccer News, Brotherly Game, Pattison Ave, SBI, Vavel, MLSsoccer.com (recap, Union, Crew), Columbus Dispatch (report, commentary, analysis), Massive Report, and the AP.
Looking ahead to the weekend, the league’s disciplinary committee has suspended Kansas City’s Kevin Ellis for Saturday’s Union-Sporting match after finding him guilty of “making contact with the head” of Vancouver forward Giles Barnes in last Saturday’s 2-0 win over the Whitecaps.
The Union confirmed on Wednesday that Andre Blake has been called up by the Jamaica for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers in September. Blake will be away on international duty from Aug. 30 through Sept. 7, which means he’ll miss the road game against Chicago on Sept. 3 (as will, presumably, Alejandro Bedoya, assuming he’s called up by the USMNT). With Matt Jones out with a sprained ligament in his right leg, that means John McCarthy is next up to start in place of Blake. More on Blake’s call up at Philly.com, and Philly Soccer News.
Bethlehem Steel
USLsoccer.com notes Cory Burke’s call up by the Jamaica national team.
PSP’s Tim Jones reported on Thursday the rights to Mickey Daly have been traded to NASL-side Carolina RailHawks, the club he went on a month-long loan to at the end of July.
City Islanders
Penn Live highlights the contributions of Jose Barril to the City Islanders.
Local
Reading United’s Sheldon Sullivan comes in at No. 78 in TopDrawerSoccer’s Preseason Top 100 College Men’s Soccer Players list.
MLS
In Wednesday night’s Eastern Conference games, Toronto (43 points, 12-7-7) moves into first place after defeating seventh place Orlando (28 points, 5-7-13), 2-1, on the road with Jozy Altidore scoring the 86th minute winner. Fourth place Philadelphia (37 points, 10-9-7) defeated last place Columbus (23 points, 4-9-11), 2-1, on the road. Fifth place Montreal (34 points, 8-7-10) came from behind at home to draw 1-1 with sixth place DC (29 points, 6-8-11). Eighth place New England (27 points, 6-11-9) drew 0-0 on the road with San Jose. Ninth place Chicago (23 points, 5-11-8) drew 2-2 with LAG at home after taking a 2-1 lead.
In the Western Conference, LAG (39 points, 9-4-12) are in fourth place after drawing 2-2 on the road with Chicago. Seventh place San Jose (32 points, 7-7-11) drew 0-0 at home with New England. Eighth place Seattle (31 points, 9-12-4) came from behind with a 94th minute goal to draw 1-1 with last place Houston (25 points, 5-10-10) after former Union man Andrew Wenger gave the Dynamo the late lead with a goal in the 75th minute.
In CONCACAF Champions League play, Dallas drew 1-1 on the road with Nicuaraguan side Real Esteli.
LA Galaxy has announced, “LA Galaxy forward Robbie Keane has been named to the roster to represent the Republic of Ireland in a friendly match against Oman on Aug. 31 at Aviva Stadium in Ireland. The match will mark the final time that Robbie Keane, Ireland’s all-time leader in goals and appearances, will represent his country in his historic international career.”
Soccer America on how the struggles of last season’s MLS Cup finalists, Columbus Crew and Portland Timbers, are to be expected from small-market teams.
USL has suspended Orange County Blues midfielder Richard Chaplow “for two games and fined him an undisclosed amount for offensive and abusive language” directed at Robbie Rogers, who was playing for LA Galaxy II against Orange County on Aug. 20. Rogers said after the game that a Blues player repeatedly called him “queer” in the last 15 minutes of the match.
Chaplow told The Telegraph, “I have been banned for swearing at a player, not homophobic slurs. At no point in the statement is a homophobic slur made reference to, and the simple reason for this is it didn’t happen. I swore several times at Rogers for over reacting to a foul, but at no time was the language homophobic and no evidence has been found of this, hence the way the statement has been wrote…I have a close family member that is openly part of LGBT community so to suggest I’m homophobic is ridiculous and there is no evidence to support this.”
OC Blues head coach Barry Venison said, “I am delighted that Richard has been found 100 per cent innocent of the false accusations of him directing homophobic language towards an opponent. I encourage all news outlets, reporters and responsible human beings to read the USL statement and report what it actually says and not what they would like it to say.”
US
US Soccer has suspended Hope Solo for six months “for conduct that is counter to the organization’s principles” as a result of her comments following the USWNT’s loss in the Olympic quarterfinals in which she referred to Sweden as “cowards.” US Soccer president Sunil Gulati said in a statement, “The comments by Hope Solo after the match against Sweden during the 2016 Olympics were unacceptable and do not meet the standard of conduct we require from our National Team players. Beyond the athletic arena, and beyond the results, the Olympics celebrate and represent the ideals of fair play and respect. We expect all of our representatives to honor those principles, with no exceptions. Taking into consideration the past incidents involving Hope, as well as the private conversations we’ve had requiring her to conduct herself in a manner befitting a U.S. National Team member, U.S. Soccer determined this is the appropriate disciplinary action.” Solo will be ineligible to play for the USWNT until February of 2017.
Solo says she is “saddened” by the federation’s decision, adding, “I could not be the player I am without being the person I am, even when I haven’t made the best choices or said the right things.”
Rich Nichols, the executive director of the USWNT Players Association, says an appeal against the suspension will be made on the grounds that it is “excessive, unprecedented, disproportionate and a violation of Ms. Solo’s First Amendment rights.”
Matt Caulkins writes at the Seattle Times that Solo’s ban has nothing to do with “justice” and “everything to do with convenience”: “No significant games coming up. No big revenue streams at risk. And as a result, no chance of compromising a women’s soccer empire…don’t for a second think this punishment would have come down if Solo was still needed.”
More on the suspension at New York Times, FourFourTwo, Fox Soccer, Soccer America, Yahoo Sports, AFP, and the AP.
Pulisic! German sports publication Bild reports that Stoke City have made a €20 million offer — that’s $22,591,000 — to Dortmund for Christian Pulisic: “Can Dortmund really say NO in such an offer from England?” Red Bull Leipzig and CSKA Moscow are also reportedly interested in Pulisic.
DeAndre Yedlin has completed his transfer to Newcastle for a reported £5 million ($6.5 million).
Elsewhere
Reuters reports, “The former FIFA president Sepp Blatter said he would accept the verdict of his appeal against his six-year ban from football as he arrived for the hearing on Thursday.” More from PA Sport.
ESPN reports, “Gianni Infantino is set to get a pay deal after six months of working as FIFA president without a contract.”
Reuters reports, “FIFA’s ethics watchdog has opened formal proceedings against ex-South Africa football chief Kirsten Nematandani and two other functionaries over alleged violations connected to fixing international friendlies in 2010, it said on Wednesday.”
Also from Reuters: ‘South America soccer was run as a fiefdom by a few leading officials for personal gain before they were brought to account by U.S. law enforcement, the head of the regional governing body CONMEBOL said on Wednesday.”
On Saturday I made the impulsive last minute decision to go to the Union game. I bought one of the last tickets and headed up to the game. The Septa train to Wilmington was cancelled and I had to wait for the train that would have pulled in at 7:04.Naturally that train was late. On my way up I heard the Union were down 1-0. While undergoing security I heard the crowd roar for Tribbetts goal. I did manage to watch everything else that happened in the game, and boy was that a miserable experience.
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On Wednesday I had to work and missed the game entirely. (Blame When Harry Met Sally) We won. I cannot recall the last time I saw the Union win. But I certainly recall watching that Montreal game.
So it seems if I watch a game we lose if I miss it we win. So really I have no choice but to ask(extort) Union Fans for donations(protection money) I get out of work at 6 on Saturday and I could easily make the trek to the Stadium on time.
Paypal is apocmondo@gmail.com thank you very much I also accept gold, classic Vinyl records, and Blu Rays. TAM will not be accepted.
Hurry up! My phone is ringing and I’m sure its a Union rep wanting me to buy season tickets.
GAM work?
^^^WIN!
Well played 🙂
sieve – lemme know if you regularly train it from CC. kinda hate that there are enough people that would rather not put up with the Septa experience but are forced to deal with it. i ubered it down earlier in the season — silly me thinking uber pool extended further than city limits $15 (shown) vs $30 (really) — but defraying the cost among others might not be bad. i also got free tix from work (sponsor) but all gone.
Seeing a $22M bid for Pulisic makes me laugh at all the comments (mostly on Facebook) that I ready saying, “the Union screwed up not making him a Homegrown Player!”
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Yes, I’m sure that was EVER a possibility…
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That said, I don’t think he’s built for the EPL. I would love to see him continue in the Bundesliga. The style of play fits him better and he will develop more there. Just one man’s opinion…
Agree; Union screwed up big time. But had he stayed with the Union he would not be the player he is today. Think Stoke is a good place for him. He is still young and he has a lot of time to work on building up his strength. Hope to see him play for Stoke this year!!
If I remember correctly the Union were never in play for Pulisic as I think he went to Europe early on and as far as I know he didn’t play for any academy team cause there was none at the time. As far as him going to Stoke I say he should stay as far away as possible from Stoke. How many US players have gone there an just dropped off the international map. Lets see from memory I think there is Edu, Shea, Cameron (for some time he now clawed his way back), Yedlin.
Indeed.
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Pulisic was entertaining offers from europe in early adolescence and he choose not to accept them until he was a bit older and capable of handling the rigor associated.
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Christian and his father had their fingers on the pulse of this stuff all along.
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Christian was never going to be an MLS player.
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That said— it too am not at all happy about him possibly going to Stoke.
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Would never have been eligible… So what does it matter?
Apparently my comment didn’t read correctly:
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WE WERE NEVER AN OPTION FOR PULISIC. Any thoughts that he EVER would have played for us is unrealistic.
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Sorry for any misunderstanding.
It’s amazing how they suspend Hope Solo at the exact moment her ability starts to slip and they don’t need her any more.
Glad to see Solo got suspended, too bad it wasn’t at a more meaningful time. It would be nice to see US Soccer stop promoting her as a star which leads to her being a role model.
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The suspension is not a first amendment issue. The first amendment prevents the government from limiting speech, not a private organization.
+1 It drives me nuts when people misrepresent the First Amendment to imply it protects against all forms of punishment by anyone.
She might have a weak case here. Can you honestly see many other players getting suspended due to some pretty weak comments after a disappointing tournament loss.
Soccer players say dumb things all the time.
I agree.. Her employer wants to cut ties with her for her conduct on the job. Nothing to do with the 1a
Agree that it’s not a first amendment issue, but it’s a pretty extraordinary suspension for unremarkable comments. We want athletes to be honest in interviews and then suspend them for being emotional. She called them cowards. Is that really that awful?
Keep in mind that Solo’s comments in Rio were just the latest in a series of actions that have raised concerns regarding her continued association with the USWNT, and not a first-time offense.
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“Taking into consideration the past incidents involving Hope, as well as the private conversations we’ve had requiring her to conduct herself in a manner befitting a U.S. National Team member, U.S. Soccer determined this is the appropriate disciplinary action.”
Fair.
agree. it’s a lifetime achievement award for her. It’s the equivalent of getting a yellow card for persistent fouling. And 6 months sounds dramatic, but it amounts to something like missing two friendly matches.
Solo is absolutely classless, and her comments embarrassing and unprofessional. But even still, 6 months seems extraordinarily harsh. I mean, that’s the kind of suspension you get for an evil tackle that breaks someone’s leg.
It would be harsh if it was 6 months with a club team. 6 months with the national team that only currently has 2 games scheduled in that time is not all that harsh for a repeat offender (IMHO).
Yedlin to Newcastle is great news.
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He should be the #1 RB and get plenty of playing time, Rafa is a good coach and can help him develop, and finally, the team should be good enough to be promoted right back to the Premiership.
Was last night in the 1513 Samson Grill for dinner and they were so kind to change the channel to the game! Was great fun to watch that game during dinner and scream loudly when the Union scored those 2 goals!
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Was happy to see them bounce back after the terrible loss on Saturday.
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Ivy Funds, the sponsor of KC, has invited me to their box this Saturday. They also mailed me a nice KC blue polo shirt which I may wear at some point but not this Saturday!
Someone is really trying to push AUM for their BoB
Saw a note on the game recap on the Union website that Fabinho is now tied for 7th all time in games started in a Union uniform with 73. Seba, Carroll, and Sheanon are all ahead of him, but who else is ahead of him and who is he tied with?
I would guess that MacMath is ahead of him.
Good call on Zak. I checked Wikipedia and it shows games played rather than started. Amobi, JackMac, and Marfan all have more games played but Jack had a LOT of games off the bench. The other possibility is Valdes who has 73 games played so if they were all starts (I don’t remember him coming off the bench), he would be the one who is tied and Marfan would have enough sub appearances or they are just including outfield players.
Amobi would be another guess. Maybe Jack Mac. Tempted to say Valdes too
Ms. Solo’s first ammendment rights? Really. Last I checked the USSF is not the U.S. government or any local branch of government. The first ammendment doesn’t apply here. The first ammendement does not prevent any employer for taking action against an employee for their speech. If you damage my business with your words, I can suspend or fire you.
I had Hoped for a better response than basically “I’m an asshole and I wouldn’t be me if I weren’t” but the bar for public apologies has been set So low…
Not even sure why she needs to apologize… What she said wasn’t even that bad. She’s a sore loser. I get it. But her comments just don’t check any boxes for me to categorize it as “offensive” or “distasteful.” USSF & SUM are more worried about the damage to the USWNT brand than anything else.
She said I wouldnt be a good goalie if I didn’t beat up people and drive company cars around while drunk. That’s what she said publicly after being suspended. Imagine what she is like in private.
Lack of impulse control might be a good trait for a goalie.
Someone told me once that in England they look for the kids with ADD/ADHD to be molded into goalies.
if anyone watches hockey, they know, goalies… the same everywhere. the legacy of Solo will be divisive for sure. but we’ve immortalized worse to the annals of sportspersons-as-icons
don’t care about the issue, loved the response O.
golf clap.
Hope Solo runs her mouth like a sore loser, gets suspended.
Ryan Lochte causes an international firestorm, gets a gig on Dancing With the Stars.
What a world!
Hope already did Dancing With The Stars and the general consensus of all involved with the show was that she was an absolute pain in the ass to deal with.
Oh the humanity.