Photo: Daniel Studio
All of us at PSP wish you and yours a very happy New Year!
Philadelphia Union
The January transfer window is open in Europe.
At MLSsoccer.com, Chris Pontius comes in at No. 10 in a list of the Top 10 US players in MLS in 2016. Keegan Rosenberry just misses making the list.
Rosenberry comes in at No. 3 in Soccer America’s rankings of MLS right backs.
At MLSsoccer.com, Andre Blake makes Matthew Doyle’s First XI for 2016. Keegan Rosenberry isn’t Doyle’s pick for Fullback of the Year but he is mentioned and he makes Doyle’s Second XI. Chris Pontius makes Doyle’s Third XI.
Also at MLSsoccer.com, re-posting of articles previously published on each MLS team’s No. 1 offseason priority (“A primetime center back” for the Union), tactical identities (” Deep-lying mids the focal point in 4-2-3-1″), top 10 moments (“Charlie Davies beats cancer”), and Top 10 acquisitions (Keegan Rosenberry).
SBI has an offseason State of the Union.
CSN Philly has Union 2016 awards. Brotherly Game has best and worst Union moments for 2016. Section 215 has a list of the top five Union moments of 2016. Philly Sports Network reviews the 2016 season. At the Union website, a “young fan’s year with the Union 2016”.
At Brotherly Game, Nick Youngstein isn’t sure Tranquillo Barnetta was the best player to wear a Union jersey.
Also at Brotherly Game, Evan Villella says he’ll quit if the Union sign Landon Donovan.
The Sons of Ben are celebrating their tenth anniversary with a river cruise on Saturday, January 14.
Local
The Philadelphia chapter of the American Outlaws is accepting nominations for its leadership positions. Nominations can be proposed through January 13 with the online election opening for 48 hours on February 2.
Jamaica Observer reports City slanders forward Craig Foster is returning to Red Stripe Premier League side Reno FC.
Former Harrisburg City Islander Lucky Mkosana, who was last with New York Cosmos, has signed with Finland champion IFK Mariehamn.
MLS
Houston have acquired Colombian midfielder Juan David Cabezas on loan from Deportivo Cali using Targeted Acquisition Money: “Houston has the option to execute a full transfer at the conclusion of the loan period.”
Vancouver and Japanese forward Masato Kudo have mutually agreed to part ways.
Columbus Dispatch reports, “Crew SC is expected to acquire 26-year-old defender Jonathan Mensah as its second designated player”.
US
Former U-20 MNT coach Thomas Rongen has been named US Soccer’s chief scout, filling the role that Carlos Juarez did under Jurgen Klinsmann, which is to scout upcoming MNT opponents.
Elsewhere
Clubs and players in Turkey have offered their condolences after yet another terrorist attack, this time after a gunman opened fire in a nightclub in Istanbul on New Year’s Eve, killing 39 people.
I appreciate the hyperventilating of the LD rumor, but he’s not coming here. He’d want to make about what we pay the rest of this merry band of misfits combined.
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Hopefully, Earnie is lining up contracts to use his $1.2M in TAM besides Edu’s albatross contract.
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The SBI link is meh, I’d prefer the CB signing to start, and not “depth behind Yaro and Tribbett”. Behind Tribbett doesn’t sound like a recipe for success.
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Also, why does everyone keep saying what a young core the club has? Of the 23 current roster players, only 9 are under 25 and only 5 of those saw any real playing time. Blake is 26, remember he is older than MacMath who had a ton of games in when Blake was drafted.
Goalkeepers acquire experience, particularly involving their hands which is only 30% of their touches says Jay Cooney, more slowly than do field players, although Coach Cooney says training procedures are beginning to ease the discrepancy.
Ok, but that doesn’t stop time for him.
Yup.
Happy New Year to Ed and everyone at PSP! Thanks for doing the hard work and keeping us entertained throughout the year.
Amen to that! PSP is the gift that keeps on giving throughout the year!
Union and Kolbeinn Sigthorsson rumor.
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https://www.reddit.com/r/MLS/comments/5l7m29/iceland_national_team_striker_kolbeinn/
Sigthorsson certainly fits the bill. He’s a big, target #9 that Curtin likes and has Ernie S./Union connections in spades: Nantes and Alkmaar. This is the first rumpor I’ve heard with a whiff of the possible.
agreed
I’m really not sure why people dislike Donovan, and why it’s persisted for so long – money aside, he’s been one of the best American players for over a decade, and it was criminal that he was left out of the last WC squad – definitely a good choice bringing a striker like Wondo. If the price is right, I’ll take Donovan every day.
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It’s January, transfer windows are open, can we get some moves now? 😀
In complete agreeance. It’s just a superiority complex wherein Americans think they’re smart and European influenced soccer geniuses if they love European players and hate on Americans. Donovan was and always will be one of the greatest amejfcans of all time and proved at the Galaxy he was still a good player. He brought defensive shape and balance to them that other older DPs don’t because he was willing to work hard. Great player, would love to see him keep playing in MLS even for the Union (which isn’t going to happen).
Same reason a lot of people dislike Lebron James. We just don’t like very successful athletes who aren’t country-musician-aw-shucks humble or who make the game look easy.
If Iwere a Mexican National team fan, I would dislike him intensely.
Sorry guys, but this was a funny typo:
“Jamaica Observer reports City slanders forward Craig Foster”
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“City Slanders” is a fantastic name. They just make up rumors about all their opponents.
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Amazing what a difference one letter can make. 😉
I appreciate the new scout hiring (actually the rebranding retreading of US Soccer power elites is passe )…. now if we could just increase the number of scouts 100 fold we’d really- maybe- possibly—— be getting somewhere.