Daily news roundups

Blake graduates from Generation adidas, more news

Photo: Earl Gardner

Philadelphia Union

MLS announced on Monday that Andre Blake is one six players to have graduated from Generation adidas at the conclusion of the 2016 season: “Such players will no longer be classified as Generation adidas players on club rosters and will not be automatically protected in the 2016 Expansion Draft to be held on Dec. 13.” While the Union will presumably protect him in the expansion draft, will they offer him enough money for a new contract or will they be shopping him for a big payoff from abroad?

The Generation adidas announcement notes that Fabian Herbers and Josh Yaro are among nine players who retain their Generation adidas status for the 2017 season”and will be automatically protected in the 2016 Expansion Draft. Also automatically protected in the Expansion Draft are MLS Homegrown Players on a club’s Off-Budget Roster.”

At Philly Voice, Kevin Kinkead considers the impact of Vincent Nogueira’s unexpected departure in June on the Union’s finish to the 2016 season.

At Delco Times, Matthew De George talks to Warren Creavalle about playing for Guyana, the country of his father’s birth and a place he himself had never before visited, for the first time in October’s Caribbean Cup qualifiers.

Section 215 wonders why Charlie Davies didn’t play more.

Local

This week’s Philly Soccer Six award winners are:

Player of the Week: Jorge Gomez Sanchez, Temple (GWG in OT vs UCF)
Defensive Player of the Week: Alex Cagle, Temple (shutout win over UCF)
Rookie of the Week: Dami Omitaomu, Penn (2 goals in 2-1 win over Brown)

At Philly.com, Kate Harman on the retirement of longtime Sant. Joseph’s Prep soccer coach Jim Murray, “after five decades, the second-winningest high school soccer coach in Pennsylvania history with 620 career victories.”

MLS

Toronto head coach Greg Vanney wants David Villa retroactively suspended for kicking out at midfielder Armando Cooper in Sunday’s Eastern Conference semifinal game.

Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson is “cautiously optimistic” about plans to add 4,000 seats to Providence Park.

LAFC announced on Sunday it has surpassed the 10,000 mark for season ticket deposits. The team is, whose goal is to reach 15,000 deposits, begins play in MLS in 2018.

NWSL

At The Guardian, Beau Dure on how pay disputes could see NWSL players heading to Europe.

US

FourFourTwo looks back at the heyday of the Major Indoor Soccer League, which for a time was the biggest league in the US.

Elsewhere

The AP reports, “Two more stadiums for the 2018 World Cup in Russia have fallen behind schedule, this time in the cities of Volgograd and Nizhny Novgorod. An amendment to spending plans published on a Russian government website has changed to 2018 the dates when both stadiums will be ready for use. They had previously been listed for completion in December 2017.”

Also from the AP: “FIFA wants fans to vote in its rebranded ‘The Best’ world player award. Online voting will now be a one-quarter share of polling for the annual men’s and women’s player and coach awards, FIFA said on Monday…A popular vote will also decide who wins a new ‘Fan Award’ celebrating what FIFA described as ‘remarkable moments throughout the year involving exemplary and passionate football supporters.'”

Also from the AP: “Silvio Gazzaniga, the sculptor who designed the World Cup trophy, has died. He was 95.”

51 Comments

  1. I don’t understand this:

    “will they offer him enough money for a new contract or will they be shopping him for a big payoff from abroad?”

    Is he under contract with us or not? Seems like a simple question … but if he isn’t we wouldn’t get any transfer fee if he moves.

    That quote + based on what Kevin K. is talking about, it sounds like we WOULD get a big payday if he is sold.

    So, is he under contract with us or not? For how long? Does it expire on Dec 30 and we need to sell him before then (and in my years with FM I know players on a expiring contract never get sold for much) or do we have him for all of 2017?.

    • I think I remember reading that he has one more year on his contract

    • He is under contract, but his pay will remain at the GA salary, which is not really competitive for an All-Star keeper. So I think the question is really whether or not they want to offer what a team abroad will shell out or just take the profit and run. I love Blake, but he is worth a LOT of money on the transfer market, and that’s 100% profit since we got him in the draft.

      • Blake is worth half a million although I suppose it could go up if he practices his punting

      • On the open market I’ve read multiple times from multiple sources Blake would command between $3-4 million…. of which The Cartel, The One Ring and/or Don (Fannuci) Garber — if you are so inclined, takes $1,000,000 leaving the rest for the team.

    • Blake is an interesting case this offseason. He’s the only player you want to bring back but could also want to sell. Crazy how much roster cleaning we did last year and now this year you could theoretically look to replace all but 3 (Rosenberry, CB, Bedoya) starting positions and most of the bench.

  2. I read KK’s article and it is well thought out and really, he put a great deal of work into it.
    .
    Enjoyed.
    .
    then commented to him in fun…..
    .
    … that my analysis of the Vincent Noguiera departure would be a bit simpler was nothing more than the loss of a french midfielder… 80 – 85 touches a game 92% or so passing accuracy.
    .
    This was my point when I commented the day after he left that he was indeed irreplaceable…
    .

  3. Noticed that Barnetta and Bedoya are facing each other in the round of 16 for Goal of the Year.
    .
    Blake had two entries for Save of the Year, one lost last round to Seattle and the second is getting beaten pretty badly by the same save.

  4. You better find another option besides McCarthy if you are going to move Blake……….he’s like a chicken with his head cut off back there!

  5. Lucky Striker says:

    Blake holds his own cards. If he refuses to extend, the choice is bringing him back for one more, and then losing him on a free-or cashing in while you can.

    Methinks Stewart prefers the latter, so the stalemate won’t continue long unabated………

    • OneManWolfpack says:

      ES’s rep tells me Blake is sold this offseason. He gets value when value is to be had. Blake is solid, but goalkeepers are plentiful in America. Sad to see him go, assuming he does, but it is the right move for the club.

  6. How can you play for a country that you had never visited before actually playing for their national team. How does that represent the populace of a country? The FIFA rules are so weird.

    • I have no problem with this, particularly given how many people playing this game in many countries around the world don’t have spare cash to fly /visit. Why restrict it? If you have a connection to a homeland under the rules, I say keep it open. Good for Warren to get a shot playing for Guyana.

  7. Two more Russian stadiums behind schedule? That’s Novgorod.

  8. Old Soccer Coach says:

    Add goal keeper to the list of urgent problems to address. [my version of priority].
    .

    1. Central midfielder aka #8
    2. Defensive central midfielder #6
    3. Striker #9
    4. Goalkeeper

    Notice that the list comprises an arithmetic majority of the players on the pitch in the central channel.
    .
    Chances are excellent that next year’s results will not be as good as this year’s therefore.
    .
    Remember that the last time two central spine midfielders were brought in at the same time – Maidana and Nogueira – there was a considerable period of adjustment, in Maidana’s case the entire year for physical conditioning.

    • Amazed Striker is only #3. Striker is my #0.

    • I would add that elusive left back, Fabs still isn’t the answer

    • Agree, though I really don’t know where Bedoya figures in here. Or Edu for that matter. Stewart may intend to work in our young academy guys earlier, as in, right away — like this team did with our rookie draft class this season.

      My #1 is a striker. No player for this team has ever topped Le Toux’s 14-goal 2010 season. That’s insane. You have to get someone in here who can be an honest to god threat to score at that #9 .

      Any oversees signings need to take place before training begins this season. Need to have players in shape and ready to go asap.

    • It really does depend on where they want to play Bedoya and if they really do want to keep the 4-2-3-1 formation or more accurately how they want to play.

    • Lucky Striker says:

      fine with the order, but add CAM, LCB and LB to complete the puzzle.

  9. MLS yearly award finalists were announced a little while ago. On the list for the Union:
    .
    Blake – Goalkeeper of the Year Finalist
    Rosenberry – Rookie of the Year and MLS Fair Play Finalist
    Pontius – Comeback Player of the Year Finalist

    • Nice, sadly none will win.

      • Section 114 (former) says:

        While Blake deserves it (largely as a condemnation of the defense in front of him), the other two probably don’t.
        So what? It’s a great honor to be nominated and all three deserve to be recognized as a finalist.

      • Agreed that it is good for them to be recognized. All three were some of the biggest bright spots for the team.
        .
        But disagreed that Pontius and Rosenberry do not deserve it.
        .
        Pontius was solid all year and finished with 12 goals and 6 assists after a few rough injury years in a row. Those numbers are right in line with the other two finalists for the award.
        .
        Rosenberry will likely lose out to Morris for ROY because the latter is a goal scorer and his team has made it further in the playoffs. But, in addition to playing every minute as a rookie, he somehow only committed 13 fouls and did not get a single card, which makes him the favorite for the Fair Play award in my opinion (Marshall had the same number of fouls but also 2 yellow cards and played over 400mins less then R’berry, Tierney had less fouls but played over 700mins less and got carded once).

    • I thought before the season Curtin made a point of saying he didn’t want to U to win anymore good sportsmanship awards, he wanted more fouls and tougher play. Will Rosenberry have to be punished if he wins the fair play award?

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