Photo: Earl Gardner
Philadelphia Union
What does it mean to be a Union fan in 2017? Kevin Kinkead asked and the fans have spoken.
A Union Fact Check ahead of the weekend clash with DC United.
Alejandro Bedoya continues to be a key cog in the USMNT scheme.
The Union announce their annual U Camp Out schedule.
MLS
Seven takeaways from the limited Week 4 action.
With Sacha Kljestan on international duty, Tyler Adams showed he is a top attacking prospect for the USMNT senior team.
St. Louis’s MLS bid picks up steam with Don Garber and Taylor Twellman in town.
Time to (historically) panic, Loons.
With Romelu Lukaku’s future in doubt, could Everton be going for a like-for-like replacement in Orlando City’s Cyle Larin? Will Luis Gil reunite with Jason Kreis to replace him?
USL
Bethlehem Steel announce Scott Evans as new Managing Director of Business Operations. Evans, a Bethlehem native, has served as Director of Ticket Sales since October and previously headed ticket sales for Lehigh Valley IronPigs for nine years.
The league set a new opening weekend attendance record with nearly 60,000 fans coming out – a 38% increase in attendance from 2016.
Former Union and Harrisburg City Islanders man Raymond Lee signs with Rochester Rhinos.
Youth
The Union U-16s drew Monterrey, New England and Chicago for their group in the Generation adidas Cup final. After missing out on a very stacked Championship Division, the Union lads will compete in the Premier Division. The tourney begins April 7.
U.S. Soccer
A tactical preview of tonight’s match versus Panama.
How will five squad changes affect the lineup and what will be Clint Dempsey’s role going forward?
Some interesting quotes from the ever-quotable Bruce Arena ahead of the qualifier.
Bobby Wood says he would have quit soccer if it wasn’t for Jurgen Klinsmann. Oh?
Extra time
An Icelandic doctor reports a rise in epidurals exactly nine months after the country’s historic win over England. Cue that slow viking clap.
That Minnesota article was pretty brutal. But the author who called Vadim Demidov the worst player in MLS history — Rais MBolhi wants a word with you.
+1000
Kevin Kinkead’s article “What Does It Mean To Be A Union Fan In 2017? is spot on!
I agree, it couldn’t be more spot on. Some of the negatives ring true with people because they know they can’t/won’t change. At least the current plan has a better overall ceiling, even if it is below other teams.
I agree, I like the thoughts. The one thing that drives me nuts about the team isn’t that they don’t spend enough money, it’s that they don’t spend money correctly. There are ways to succeed without destroying the bank account. Invest in youth and develop them – emphasis on develop (see Derrick Jones). Another way is to find players to fill spots of need – trades within MLS is a good and cheap way – and I present left back, which has been a position of need for awhile, nothing against Fabinho (and the lack of depth behind him).
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Moneyball may not always translate to an MLS Cup, but at this point consistently being the 3 or 4 seed would be a short term success, and then the focus can be adding the pieces to get the Cup from there.
Chris Sherman’s SEBA piece elsewhere on this site has an excellent passage critiquing the FIFA ranking system, particularly as regards to UEFA.
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Since that ranking system will determine who makes “Pot 1” for the world cup draw later this year/early next year, it’s worth reading.