Photo: Daniel Studio

Philadelphia Union

Looking ahead to Sunday’s big game at Talen Energy Stadium against Orlando (which, remeber, kicks off at 3 pm, not 5 pm), Jim Curtin acknowledges to CSN Philly, “There’s a sense of urgency.” But, he adds, “It’s still a confident group. It’s obvious we need to get a win, but the focus has been getting back to basics. If we play like we’re capable of and everyone puts in a good performance at home, where we’ve been good this year, the rest will take care of itself. I believe that.”

At Philly Voice, Kevin Kinkead reviews how the Union has finished out the season since they last reached the playoffs in 2010.

Orlando Sentinel reports Brek Shea is questionable for Orlando City this Sunday due to a foot injury. Orlando head coach Jason Kreis says, “Since he’d been suspended from last game, we were really trying to safeguard it from then until now, to hopefully put him in a situation where he can begin training again on Wednesday, after our day off tomorrow, and be in contention for the weekend.”

The Mane Land has some food and beverage recommendations for Sunday’s game.

Also at the Union website, Matt Bodiford has the latest weekly “By the Numbers” post.

Derrick Jones got his second straight start for the US U-20 team to close out the Four Nations Tournament in England. The US lost 2-0 to England on a 84th minute goal and penalty kick in the 94th minute to go 0-3-0 in the tournament after earlier losing to Germany and Netherlands. SBI reported of the game, “Derrick Jones was also causing a ruckus for England’s defense, but like [Gedion] Zelalem, he could not score the decisive goal for the Americans.” US Soccer has not posted boxscore information about any of the Four Nations Tournament games so it is unclear if Auston Trusty, who did not start in any of the games, saw minutes as a sub.

Speaking of Jones and Trusty, MLSsoccer.com has an intersting Q&A with Fred Lipka, the league’s Technical Director of Player Youth & Development, Player Personnel, who includes the Union among a handful of MLS teams that have established “a clear line from the academy to the first team.” Lipka says,

To me, our league will change when we are able to create a domestic star. Not only a young star, but a domestic star. That will change the face of this league. I’m not sure if we sign Luis Suarez or Lionel Messi that it will change everything. If we develop very good young American and Canadian players and several, it will change the representation of everyone. It’s like a lottery. If you don’t play, you can’t win. If young players don’t play regularly, you won’t win. That’s the challenge. We have to play younger. If we don’t play younger, we won’t have the chance to create a future international star. We have to move smartly, and not just quickly.

A post at US Soccer notes Julian Green’s recent call up for this month’s friendlies is thanks to Alejandro Bedoya withdrawing from the US roster following the injury he received in the loss to NYRB.

Philadelphia Union Academy

The Union Academy U-17’s gave up a 2-0 lead thanks to two goals from Issa Rayyan (one from the penalty spot) to finish 2-2 with NYCFC in their final game at the Generation adidas Cup East Regional qualifiers at the Power Training Complex on Monday to finish with 4 points from three games. The Union then lost 5-4 on penalty kicks so NYCFC picked up an additional point. As of this writing, the standings have not been updated at MLSsoccer.com so I can’t say

From the Union U-17’s loss to Atlanta United last Friday:

From half field? Why not.
What a GOAL from @AcademyATLUTD player, Jackson Conway #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/zYCxSKnQDS

— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) October 10, 2016

That’s gotta sting a bit. (Update: The Daily Mail picked up on the goal and is says in a headline, “America’s answer to David Beckham is finally here – and he could be even better”.)

Bethlehem Steel FC

At Delco Times, Matthew De George has a good read on some of the challenges and contradictions of “weird hybrid” Bethlehem Steel’s first year.

Local

After a two-win week that included two shutouts, Temple saw players honored in each category of the latest weekly Philly Soccer Six awards:

Co-Players of the Week: Matt Crawford, Saint Joseph’s (2 goals, 2 assists in 2-0 week for SJU); Jorge Gomez Sanchez, Temple (2 GWGs in 2-0 week for Temple)
Defender of the Week: Alex Cagle, Temple (2 shutout, 1-0 victories)
Rookie of the Week: Zach Brown, Temple (played 128 total minutes of strong defense in the midfield in Temple’s two shutout wins)

Gomez Sanchez, the leading goalscorer in the country, was also named the ACC’s Co-Offensive Player of the Week, and Cagle was named the AAC’s Goalkeeper of the Week. Senior captain Matt Mahoney was named to the conference Honor Roll. Temple is on the road tonight to face Columbia in its final non-conference game of the season.

MLS

Salt Lake has permanently acquired Armenian international forward Yura Movsisyan from FC Spartak Moscow and signed him to a new deal for through 2017. Movsisyan, who was previously with RSL 2007-2009 after first signing with Kansas City Wizards, was on loan from Spartak this season.

Bloomberg reports, “D.C. United’s managing partners Erick Thohir and Jason Levien have bought out partner William Chang’s 40 percent stake in the team, giving the pair complete ownership of Washington’s Major League Soccer club.”

NYRB announced on Monday Red Bull Arena will “host concerts and live entertainment events beginning in 2017.”

US

The USMNT hosts New Zealand tonight at RFK in a friendly (8 pm, ESPN, WatchESPN). Previews at PSP, US Soccer (preview, five things), MLSsoccer.com, ESPN, and Pro Soccer Talk.

While last Friday’s friendly in Cuba can be viewed as an exercise in diplomacy given the thawing of US-Cuba relations, what’s up with playing No. 88 in the world New Zealand ahead of facing Mexico to start the final round of CONCACAF’s World Cup qualifiers?

Jurgen Klinsmann, who has made clear the US needs to play the world’s top teams more often if it is to become a top team itself, told reporters on Monday, “CONMEBOL [South America] is fully scheduled and UEFA is fully scheduled. We go [through] the list up and down, believe me. We’re trying to get the best opponents as possible, but it’s going to be a very tricky path going forward.”

Soccer America’s Paul Kennedy notes, “FIFA’s cutback in the international calendar — as a concession to European clubs — means the only dates available for the USA to get teams during these approved period in the next year are the 10 Hexagonal matches that begin in November and the 2017 Gold Cup…The reality is, the USA will see nothing but a steady diet of CONCACAF teams until November 2017 when the next friendly dates become available, assuming the USA is not in the intercontinental playoff as CONCACAF’s fourth-place team.” Klinsmann said the recent proposal by new CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani to extend the confederation’s qualification process would be a step in “the opposite direction” for the US. More at Fox Soccer and SI.

In another post at Soccer America, Kennedy argues that Montagliani’s interest in changing the qualification process comes down to one thing: politics.

Also at SI, Grant Wahl has an interesting take on why playing these friendlies could actually do more harm than good when it comes to FIFA rankings and World Cup seeding.

New Zealand announced on Monday that goalkeeper Jake Gleeson, whose club team is Portland Timbers, will not be available for tonight’s game due to “a minor groin injury.”

In his first press conference as manager of Swansea last week, Bob Bradley said of Jurgen Klinsmann giving him a “glowing reference” for the job, “I’m glad that Jurgen says some nice things now. When he did commentary on the 2010 World Cup, he was already jockeying for the job. So I’ve shut my mouth, and continue to support the team. Because I of course want to see the team do well. Michael’s the captain. So if he has said something in a nice way, I appreciate it. And if at some point he chooses to try to work again outside the U.S., I wish him the best.”

Speaking to reporters on Monday while the USMNT training at RFK ahead of tonight’s game, Klinsmann said, “It’s simply not true. I could’ve taken the job in 2006. I could’ve taken it in 2010. I was not jockeying anything.” He added, “I wish Bob the very, very best. It’s a big, big moment having an American coach coaching a Premier League club. I think it’s huge. He’s a awesome guy. He’s a good person and I just keep my fingers crossed for him.”

US Soccer announced on Monday that the World Cup qualifier in Columbus against Mexico on Nov. 11 has sold out. Tickets for the game were available via lottery. Notification emails were supposed to go out to those who entered the lottery at noon on Monday but an email sent out early this morning says notification emails will now go out today to “ensure that everyone who applied has their application handled properly.”

SI reports US Soccer wants to have the June 9 qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago at altitude in Colorado to better prepare for the following June 13 qualifier against Mexico at the Azteca.

The USWNT has announced two friendlies in California against Romania, Nov. 10 in San Jose, and Nov. 13 in Carson. Romania is currently ranked No. 36 in the world.

Elsewhere

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