Photo: Courtesy of Philadelphia Union

Philadelphia Union

The Union have announced Power Home Remodeling as the naming partner for the club’s training facility at Talen Energy Stadium, which will now be called the Power Training Complex, which includes the training fields outside of Talen Energy Stadium and the indoor facility at the former machine shop by the Wharf Building. The indoor facility houses “a weight training area, physical therapy and sports science development area, nutrition center, locker rooms, state of the art video theatre and a players’ lounge,” as well as the offices of the coaching and support staff. The official unveiling will be on Oct. 13. More at Philly.com, Philadelphia Business Journal, Delco Times, SportsPro Media, and Brotherly Game.

At Philly Voice, Kevin Kinkead looks at the the Union’s playoff picture:

I’ll risk jinxing it:

The Philadelphia Union are going to the playoffs.

All that remains is to take care of business, at home, against a mentally fried and defensively pitiful Orlando City team that has already been eliminated from the postseason.

And if the Union can’t do that, then they deserve to see the longest playoff drought in Major League Soccer extended for another season.

The Union face Orlando on Sunday, Oct. 16. Orlando head coach Jason Kreis obviously wants to finish the season on a high note even if the team is out of playoff contention: “We have to recognize the importance of it. Because we want to finish well. In particular, this group has worked extremely hard and it would be a real shame to not give ourselves the respect, and our fans the respect, to do everything we can to get points and wins in these last two matches.”

Power Rankings! At MLSsoccer.com, the Union drop one spot to No. 9: “Winless since August, Philly are now in real danger of slipping out of the playoff places entirely, which would be quite a gut punch given their progress this year.” At SBI, the Union drop one spot to No. 10: “It would be a shocking collapse if the Union missed the playoffs, they’ll need to get back on track against Orlando City after the break to avoid it.”

Andre Blake was nominated twice for this week’s Save of the Week and after beating out Steve Clark and Luis Robles in the first round of voting, now faces himself in the semifinal round before facing either David Bingham or Nick Rimando in the final vote. Cast your vote here. (Apparently in recognition of Blake’s double nomination, the league site is re-running Dave Zeitlin’s profile piece on the goalkeeper.)

Speaking of Blake, how did this author not include the “last year” part of Kevin’s tweet, regardless of whatever MLS Rumors tweeted in reply?

Warren Creavalle tells the Guyana Chronicle (who call him “Wayne Creavalle”) of his call up for the Guyana national team, “Representing Guyana is something I have always thought about in the past, so being here is like a dream come true. It is a great feeling to be in the country of my Dad’s birth for the first time and I must say I already feel connected. I am eagerly looking forward to the games and hope my experience can add to the team’s performance.” The report says Creavalle arrived in Guyana early on Sunday morning.

At the Union website, Andy Jasner on Keegan Rosenberry’s case for Rookie of the Year.

Also at the Union website, the latest edition of the  weekly by the numbers post.

MLSsoccer.com highlights the 20-minutes-long condensed highlights of the Union’s loss to NYRB available to MLS Live subscribers.

The best of Bedoya Box.

Philadelphia Union Academy

Dirty South Soccer reported on Monday that the Union Academy will be hosting the regional qualifiers for the Generation adidas Cup this weekend, beginning with the Union U-17s against their counterparts from Atlanta United’s academy on Friday at 2 pm. Brotherly Game’s Matt Ralph says the Union U-17s then face New England Revolution on Saturday, and NYCFC on Monday.

Local

Temple defeated Philly Soccer Six rival Villanova 1–0 at home on Tuesday, Jorge Gomez Sanchez scoring the gamewinner in the 22nd minute. The Owls are undefeated at the new Temple Sports Complex where they have a 6-0-1 record.

Drexel fell 2-0 on the road to Colombia on Tuesday.

University of Delaware received votes in the latest NSCAA/USA Today Division I poll.

Conestoga (Berwyn, Pa.) leaps 13 spots to come in at No. 2 in the latest NSCAA/USA Today High School Boys national poll. Salesianum School (Wilmington, Del.) remains at No. 5. Lower Dauphin (Hummelstown, Pa.) and West Chester Henderson (West Chester, Pa.) received votes.

In the girls poll, Pennsbury (Fairless Hills, Pa.) drops one spot to No. 8.

MLS

World Soccer Talk reports Barcelona has been invited to play in 2017’s MLS All-Star Game. You will recall we recently linked to a report that said Chicago’s Soldier Field was in the running to be the site of the game.

Fox Soccer ranks “all the ridiculous mascots of MLS.” Let us all take a moment and give thanks to the Union for being one of six MLS teams without a mascot.

US

Pulisic!

At ASN, Brian Sciaretta has a good read on Perry Kitchen, the former DC United man with the USMNT for the upcoming friendlies who is also captain of Scottish Premier League side Heart of Midlothian.

The US friendly in Cuba will be the first between the two countries on Cuban soil since 1947. MLSsoccer.com looks at five other USMNT matches that had political significance. Also at MLSsoccer.com, four questions ahead of Friday’s game.

The US was defeated 2-1 by Ghana at the U-17 Women’s World Cup in Jordan on Tuesday. Sydney Zandi (West Chester, Penn Fusion) was an unused sub in the game. The US now needs a win when they play undefeated Japan in their final group game on Saturday if they hope to advance to the next round (11:55 am; FS2, NBC Universo).

At Philly.com, John Smallwood on what Bob Bradley’s hiring by Swansea means for US soccer.

Carli Lloyd says she plans to retire from the USWNT in 2020 at the age of 38 after the Tokyo Olympics and the 2019 Women’s World. Cup.

Lloyd also echoes earlier comments by Jill Ellis that Hope Solo’s suspension is the result of a series of transgressions — the “sum of many things” — not just her calling Sweden cowards. “Eventually you run out of lives.”

Elsewhere

The AP reports, “Expanding the World Cup to 48 teams will enhance North America’s credentials in the 2026 bidding contest, CONCACAF hopes.” The report quotes confederation president Victor Montagliani, “From a 2026 perspective, pick a number [of finalists] and North American can handle it. A CONCACAF bid would be strong regardless of what number we finally set on.”

The Guardian reports, “The FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani has suggested it may be ‘the best thing that happened in football’ that Russia and Qatar have been chosen to host the next two World Cups as it has given the game the opportunity to clean up the corruption within the sport.” Montagliani tells the AP, “I don’t think you will ever eliminate [corruption] — you get it in regular society. But what we need to do is put enough checks and balances in place so we minimize the impact on the game and make it very difficult for people who are entering our game who want to do those nefarious things to be successful.”

At ESPN, Gabriele Marcotti writes that a 48-team World Cup “actually makes more sense than the 40-team World Cup.” He explains, “A 48-team World Cup, as outlined by [FIFA president Gianni Infantino], wouldn’t actually be a 48-team World Cup. It would still be a 32-team World Cup, but with what’s effectively a play-in round.”

The AP reports, “The Mexican Soccer Federation says it will appeal a fine imposed by international soccer’s governing body over anti-gay chants by fans.”