Photo: Earl Gardner
Philadelphia Union
PRO has announced the officials for Sunday big home game against Orlando. Holding the whistle will be Ricardo Salazar. Running the lines will be Andrew Bigelow and Jeffrey Greeson. Lifting the sub board and getting yelled at by the coaches will be Jorge Gonzalez.
At the Orlando City website, a generally cringe-free guide to Philadelphia for traveling supporters.
At Philly.com, Marc Narducci reviews the Union’s playoff scenarios.
At Delco Times, Matthew De George looks at this year’s rookie players and says “the group has superseded the loftiest of expectations heaped upon them.” De George quotes Jim Curtin, “They’ve done a lot of great things for us. But they’ve also had a lot of coachable moments where they’ve had mistakes in big spots in big games. The only way you learn is go through them. I’m happy for all of them, and the future for all of them is very bright.”
De George’s article includes this interesting info:
The Union’s rookie class, including Fabian Herbers and Josh Yaro, has logged a combined 5,340 minutes. That’s the most by a club’s Super/Supplemental draftees since 2006, when Chivas USA’s draft contingent, led by Jonathan Bornstein and Sacha Kljestan, played 6,721. The Union have one of only three classes in the last decade to surpass 5,000 minutes. The club record, from the inaugural class in 2010 at 3,087 minutes, has long since been eclipsed.
If you factor in affiliate Bethlehem Steel, which utilized defender Taylor Washington and midfielder Cole Missimo, the Union have doled out over 9,500 league minutes to rookies.
And also this: “Herbers, taken with the sixth pick acquired from Houston, has the same tally of assists as the players traded for the pick (Andrew Wenger and Cristian Maidana). His seven helpers rank among the most by a drafted rookie in MLS history.”
At Philly Voice, Kevin Kinkead talks to Jim Curtin to break down the goals the Union conceded in the loss to NYRB.
MLSsoccer.com picks Alejandro Bedoya to start for the US against Mexico.
At the Union website, recaps in words and social media of Wednesday’s minicamp for members of the media to celebrate the opening of the Power Training Complex.
At Goalside FC, former Union man Michael Farfan writes about playing in the 2012 MLS All-Star Game at PPL Park.
Bethlehem Steel
USLsoccer.com notes Cory Burke’s goal for Jamaica in Tuesday’s win over Guyana. It was the Bethlehem forward’s first-ever goal for the senior national team.
Local
Saint Joseph’s fell 2-1 at home to Davidson on Wednesday, ending a three-game win streak. Drexel was thumped 4-1 on the road by Hofstra, extending Drexel’s losing streak to seven games.
The Daily Pennsylvanian previews this weekend’s game between Penn and reigning Ivy League champions Dartmouth.
Shea Moyer (FC Revolution; Wyomissing, Penn.) has been called up by the US U-18 WNT for the Women’s International Cup in Northern Ireland, October 13-24.
MLS
Ten-men Seattle, fourth place in the Eastern Conference (45 points, 13-13-6) failed to clinch a playoff spot on Wednesday, drawing 0-0 at home with last place Houston (33 points, 7-13-12).
Tonight, last-in-the-East Chicago (27 points, 6-16-9) hosts eighth place Columbus (35 points, 8-12-11) at 8:30 pm. At 9 pm, second place in the West Colorado (54 points, 14-5-12) hosts eighth place San Jose (37 points, 8-10-13). Both games are on MLS Live.
A coin toss on Sunday will determine whether Atlanta United FC and Minnesota United FC has priority in six different player acquisition methods at the league’s Expansion Priority Draft.
At ESPN, Jeff Carlisle on the “science and art” of helping foreign players settle into MLS.
US
At SI, Brian Straus reviews some key performances in the recent USMNT friendlies as players transition back to their clubs ahead of November’s World Cup qualifiers.
At ASN, Brian Sciaretta has four thoughts on the US’s “drab draw” with New Zealand.
At the Washington Post, Steven Goff looks at the slumping attendance numbers for both the US men’s and women’s teams.
At ESPN, Jeff Carlisle has a Q&A with Bob Bradley.
Elsewhere
This: “FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s proposal for a bigger World Cup is complete insanity, putting more pressure on already stretched players and risking damage to the sport’s showcase event, Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke told Reuters on Thursday.”
International breaks are one of the worst aspects of MLS. Hands down, please, someone argue differently.
No need. You are perfectly centered in the bullseye.
I disagree, in general. It can be used as a bye week in the season. This one at the end is terrible though. Completely kills the flow of the end of the season for no reason.
International breaks are one of the worst aspects of world football.
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Fixed it for you.
I like the idea being kicked around on different sites recently about having 2 months during the year where all international fixtures are played (i.e. the month of June and the month of December). All leagues would stop play during these windows, but there wouldn’t be any other international windows the rest of the year. It’s strictly a media generated and discussed idea at this point as far as I know, but it makes so much sense. Allows players and managers to actually assemble a team and implement a cohesive gameplan.
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I’m not sure it will ever come to fruition, but I really like the idea.
Agreed, that would make international play so much better as it’s hard to through a team together to play 2 matches in 9 days with no real practice time.
Should be “throw a team together”
Means “internationals” get no time off. Hard on them as players, unles their clubs are strong enough to do without them for their few weeks of R & R.
I disagree. International breaks are fine as long as the league schedules consistently around them. Players can use a break now headed into the playoffs and this is it. It’s just that all teams should have off now and don’t give byes during non international break weeks.
This team better win on Sunday. That’s it. All there is.
+1 HA! Made me (nervously) laugh
Another complaint, that mural on the training facility should be straight up and down.
“Lifting the sub board and getting yelled at by the coaches will be Jorge Gonzalez.”
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God, I love the writing on this site.
Correction needed:
“Ten-men Seattle, fourth place in the Eastern Conference…”
Seattle is in the Western conference.
Seeing the actual minutes totaled makes the contributions of R’Berry-Yaro-Herbers even more impressive.