Photo: Earl Gardner
Philadelphia Union
Josh Yaro has stayed in Philadelphia to rehab his shoulder injury while the team returns to Florida.
Kinkead has some good stuff on how Medunjanin came to Philly: “Earnie obviously had known Haris from AZ Alkmaar. They had contact there,” Curtin said. “They had a good discussion, in terms of communicating what we think of him as far as where he fits in positionally. I think it was important that there is that initial connection that he has, that relationship. We saw him play live a couple of times. We went over and saw him play in the Europa League. Chris Albright went over and saw him. Again, he’s a guy that fits the way we want to have possession of the ball and dictate the tempo of things. He’s a great passer. You’ve seen his qualities and what he brings. Excited to have him on board now. It’s a quick turnaround, you have a couple of weeks now to get him acclimated and bring him up to speed with the group, but we’re really happy to have him on board.”
The official site starts their preseason preview looking at the team’s forwards.
Fafa Picault and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson are apparently good friends, and Ochocinco may be coming to some Union games.
Local
The Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals U-12 team is joining the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.
MLS
The MLS Transfer Window has officially opened. Because apparently all of the moves made during the offseason don’t actually count until this window opens. The MLS transaction system is…well…yeah.
Grant Wahl reports that a Muslim Designated Player candidate broke off negotiations in part because of the president’s Muslim ban.
New York City FC acquire MF Yangel Herrera on loan from Manchester City.
Clint Dempsey has been cleared to play after suffering from an unexplained heart problem last season. Love him or hate him, it’s good to see this won’t end his career.
Brad Davis is signing a one day contract to retire as a Dynamo.
As a follow-up to a previous news item, here’s a Chattanooga tifo displaying the wisdom of the great Commissioner of MLS. As a reminder, over 12,000 people attended the Atlanta-Chattanooga game in Chattanooga.
Around the globe
CONCACAF Gold Cup 2017 Quarterfinal and Semifinal locations were announced. Philadelphia will host a Quarterfinal.
Carli Lloyd has been loaned to Manchester City until June.
Paris SG and Benfica took yesterday’s Champions League matches. Real Madrid host Napoli and Bayern Munich host Arsenal today at 2:45 PM EST.
Man City confirmed that Gabriel Jesus has a broken metatarsal.
Another one of those stories that helps explain why players would come to the MLS: Argentina’s Primera Division is on hold because of TV rights, so players are stuck in training limbo. League leading Boca Juniors saw a fight occur in training, after which both players were forced to apologize.
Highlight of the day
Paris SG slices through the Barcelona squad, ending with a clinical Angel Di Maria finish to make it 3-0.
You know when Andres Iniesta has to come way way way deep to find even an inch of space things are upside down for Barcelona… the Effort and Magnificence of the Little Owl yesterday was on full display. Hard to imagine a guy like him would ever sit… but when Thiago Motta is on your team… anyway, Marco Verratti and Adrien Rabiot and Angel di Maria were simply on a whole different astral coordinate yesterday. None more so than the breathtaking Marco Verratti… my heaven what a player.
.
For those who may not pay too close attention to Serie A… watch Napoli today. This is a club playing a brand of game seen nowhere else in the world at the moment. Sarri is a mad scientist of a manager… totally completely mesmerizing and spellbinding player and ball movement.
Brad Davis signed his one-day contract…and immediately took a dive at the podium…
To whomever made that tifo in Chattanooga… well played, sir and/or madam. Well played.
He gets skewered for that comment on Twitter a great deal…as he rightly deserves.
http://media2.giphy.com/media/b9aScKLxdv0Y0/giphy.gif
Agreed. Silly of the Dondastic One to take a run at Chattanooga. Those people know how crappy it is, they live there.
But was absolutely the single most important Railroad junction in the entire American Civil War, all four years, north or south. It’s fall cut the east coast states of the confederacy away from Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. In some ways it’s fall is more important than that of Vicksburg, MS.
.
And who doesn’t love Glen Miller’s Chattanooga Choo Choo?
Could Pep get any more unlucky than having Jesus bust an ankle? Guess he’ll have to settle for Aguero. Wish those were my problems.
–
Kind of amazing that Medunjanin signed with the club before even coming over to visit the club. Really eager to see him play.
I agree. And I would say it speaks volumes to ES and what the team is actually building… both physically and development wise. It’s really nice to have our club pointed in the right direction.
He was on the pitch at least for the first 45 minute period in the closed scrimmage yesterday. The film clip of Will Johnson’s goal off the throw in at the period’s end shows a Union Number 6 shirt for a fleeting moment.
http://www.theplayerstribune.com/bob-bradley-i-am-an-american-coach/
Crickets from the US Soccer media regarding City form the last month. Interesting.
Anybody know who all is with the team in Clearwater? It sounds like they were able to field 3 full XI’s during the scrimmage with OCSC (they played three 45 minute periods for some reason). That would have to include some definite Steel and academy guys.
MLS.com has the final score at 3-3… but literally no other details.
Simpson, Ilsinho and CJ scored in that order. Read a recap somewhere. Ilsinhos goal was pretty. Really nice strike. Eyes a clip from f it out there. Can’t remember where.
Per Union website:
“Philadelphia scored the first goal of the afternoon in the 41st minute of the first period, as newcomer Jay Simpson finished off a right-sided cross from Alejandro Bedoya after an incisive pass from Haris Medunjanin.”
.
.
I swear I heard music in the background as I read that.
No hard info available.
.
Did ask Steel Communications guy Tom Via yesterday about Hugh Roberts and Santiago Moar who had been in FL before he break. Those two together with Chambers are back in PA now.
.
My guess — emphasize guess — is that the 28 roster signees minus Yaro and probably Edu, minus Andre Blake, plus the three us signed draft picks, jack Elliott who got an assist on the third goal, and Aaron Jones and Chris Nanco.
.
If you check the photos and film clips you see Bedoya on the pitch in each of the Orlando goals, so he might have gone ninety, or at least 75.
.
It is time for the starters who are ready to have gone 75 against Orlando. Most did 60 against Chicago before the break. The older ones only did 45, so may have only done 60 yesterday.
.
A 135 minute scrimmage allows the first string to go 75 and the second string to go 60. It is a better conditioning opportunity as a single event for the entire squad than a regular 90 minute game.
.
From now on, to get the second eleven proper fitness development, they will have to add morning scrimmages against other teams’ benches, as they did with Montreal this time last year.
And Twitter has a few highlight clips –
.
https://twitter.com/PhilaUnion/status/831971243431596032
.
https://mobile.twitter.com/PhilaUnion/status/831942410993336323 (thought this was a video – might just be a pic)