Photo: Paul Rudderow
Philadelphia Union
Union coaches go back in the film room to dissect last week’s game against Toronto.
Jim Curtin held his weekly call (audio at the bottom). Full transcript at Brotherly Game. The biggest takeaways are injury-related – Ilsinho is available, but Simpson likely isn’t due to a bruised lung.
Josh Yaro has been cleared to resume running next week.
Onyewu has been good on defense, but he’s also helping to jumpstart the offense.
Medunjanin has been impressed with Derrick Jones.
How to watch the Union’s 7:30 game at Orlando City.
Local
Harrisburg City Islanders announced four new signings.
MLS
The Don offered more details on the video replay system that is hopefully coming soon.
Week 2 of RSL Soapbox’s fantastic power ranking averages.
Toronto FC signed Finnish defender Johan Brunell.
Around the globe
CAF (African Confederation) saw a major change as 29 year president Issa Hayatou was defeated by Madagascar FA president Ahmad Ahmad in their election. As always with FIFA, it will be interesting to see how this affects the internal politics.
The USMNT U-20 team has drawn Ecuador, Senegal, and Saudi Arabia in their opening group.
There have been many questions from Union fans about why Rosenberry was left out of the USMNT, which is struggling for right backs right now. Well, they may just be going with 3 at the back.
Telemundo and the Trinidad & Tobago Football Association are locked in a broadcast rights dispute that has headed to the court.
A roundup of Europa League results.
Highlight of the day
Not 1, not 2, but 3 incredible saves in a row by Jan Oblak in Atletico’s 0-0 draw with Leverkusen.
I love the highlight of the day feature on the DNR
+1. Great addition.
Was at YSC yesterday and would like to add that Jay Simpson was in street clothes mid-practice and left before the team took off for the airport together. On the other side, Ilsinho was not initially training, but joined later and looked to be participating fully.
Ilsinho was sharp in training. I appreciate Herbers contribution but in the sample size from yesterday – Ilsinho is way better… one time volley in goal, one touch feather soft layoff on a cross perfectly to Bedoya who ripped it in goal. Ilsinho directly contributed to three scores in the 15 activity.
What about the idea of playing Herbers up top and Ilsinho on the wing and then when it’s time to sub Ilsinho out, put CJ in and move Herbers back to the midfield?
I’m for doing whatever it takes to maximize the playing time of a really good creative player.
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Yesterday at YSC was a snapshot of easily one of best players on the team.
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His feet and touch and deception are ridiculous.
Most likely it is a question of giving him some playing time but also realizing he is probably not in 90 minute game shape after being out for 2 weeks with limited training.
Video replay terrifies me.
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If the game is stopped rhythm which is already an MLS issue will be further disrupted… not to mention if commercials start getting aired during a stop in play – further arguments will have merit this is a ridiculous mess and not worth taking seriously.
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How about better refs and goal line technology…. anything more than that is just.plain.dumb.
This is the most recent example of it being used that I know of: https://www.footbie.com/video/var-disallows-94-winning-goal-in-the-dutch-cup
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It took less than a minute for the VAR to make the call. No interruption of flow. When it’s used only to review goals, red cards, and the like, there’s no further interruption because there’s already an interruption. No matter how good refs get, video replay will still be better.
Yeah, you can’t let it be widespread, but the idea that the “human factor” is just part of the game kills me.
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Replay goals. Replay red cards. Replay offsides, on goals only. All are automatically reviewed. Time limit of 30 seconds. If they can’t come to a decision in 30 seconds the call on the field stands.
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Of course I’m HUGELY in favor of post-match video review for disciplinary reasons, including punishing divers.
+1, especially the divers part.
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I hope sir. The day they cut to a Budweiser commercial is the day I’m out… forevermore.
All they need to do on a goal is replay for offside. If you are concerned about stoppages why not let play continue when a player is offside and only stop when a goal occurs
+ a Ka-JILLION!
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TV is driving replay, and TV wants everything to generate a dollar from an advertiser.
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How many sports have to be ruined?
Your pants are on fire.
I’m actually with you on this one. I’m against VAR and accept the human element of referee decisions in the game. It provides a topic for debate after matches and nothing will ever be perfect. Plus interpretations and subjectivity of rules make the game great in my opinion. I’d rather keep the flow of the game. I can’t even watch football or basketball games anymore with all the stoppages and reviews.
“I Hear Ya” as Iverson said.
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The grand scale of justice, as it relates to sport, is likely just about perfectly balanced across every imaginable sample and population when left in the hands of human adjudicators.
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Once again, the day they cut to a Pizza Hut commercial during the :30 or 1:00 it takes to replay an offsides call or questionable dive…
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… remember where you stand on the idea before complaining.
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This is going to happen, because in nearly every way imaginable, MLS has distanced itself from how the rest of the world plays the game… this will be no different~~~ in my opinion.
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The Guardian’s Barry Glendenning had a compelling argument against video replay in that the controversies around blown calls are inherently one of the more interesting things we discuss in the sport and he didn’t want to see that taken away. I took his opinion to be only slightly tongue-in-cheek. There’s some truth there.
i don’t have TCN and therefore most of the Union games. didn’t discover this until week 1. i had to wait for the CSN replay the next day (which i couldn’t watch away from home so i had to wait till i got home and watch the DVR. all the while avoiding social media and this site (painful as that is).
should i get MLS Live? it says no local blackouts. anyone else in this situation have it?
I don’t have TCN and haven’t ordered MLS Live yet. I had it all of last season and I only had a couple of games blacked out. The only games the Union blackout are the nationally televised games:
https://www.philadelphiaunion.com/post/2017/02/02/mls-live-2017-streaming-mls-games
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One warning is that you might not want to follow on Twitter at the same time, or text your friends. The MLS Live feed is about 2 minutes behind.
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I’m a cord-cutter, so this is mandatory for me. Orlando will be my first game of this season on MLS Live. Definitely useful.
In general games on the computer are a minute or two behind. I’ve had times where I’m watching a hockey game on my laptop, either through Comcast or NBCSN and my wife tells me to watch it on TV, but I always wait until the start of a commercial break to switch over because otherwise I know it’s going to jump ahead.
LOL – I’m in the same situation as you Chris! My provider doesn’t have TCN, so I record the replay and attempt to duck any spoilers. Last year they tended to have them on CSN after midnight.
Just looked at CSN and they won’t show replay until 5PM on Sunday. LAME!!!
What’s odd is that CSN is showing College Hockey on Saturday night. Even at 11PM they’re showing “Truck Jumping”. Weak.
So any nationally televised matches will be blacked-out. So I think maybe like 4-6 this year. If you’re ok with that, then go for it.
USMNT news:
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Fabian Johnson has a thigh injury.
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https://www.borussia.de/english/team/news/borussia-news/news-detailansicht.html?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=22791&cHash=f599fd9f767099d981003b08943671d9