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Philadelphia Union

MLS has a preview of the Union’s game with NYCFC. The referee will be Jose Carlos Rivera.

The Union are missing their maestro.

Is Andre Blake about to be sold?

The Delco Times has a summary of Jim Curtin’s press conference, in which he states his intention to stick with the 4-2-3-1. In light of his comments, does formation matter? A thoughtful piece on how coaches love to dismiss discussion of formation, and whether style of play is more important.

Some takeaways from Curtin’s conference: NYCFC are going to be aggressive, Haris Medjunanin is playing well, and we need to be patient. In the video, Curtin also seeks to answer why Keegan Rosenberry has not got up the flank as often as counterpart Fabinho.

Major League Soccer

The evolution of the fullback position in the MLS has made the role an investment, not a way to construct a bargain squad.

Related: Who are the top five fullbacks in MLS? (Slideshow warning.)

A look at the league’s undefeated and, uh, defeated teams. Union shout out, of course.

Fenando Adi became the all-time leading goal scorer for the Portland Timbers on Saturday. Perhaps that makes his ball boy stunt acceptable.

Montreal Impact defender Wandrille Lefevre has been suspended for wielding a gun in an Instagram post mentioning 45. Not a good idea.

USL

Didier Drogba returns stateside… to Phoenix?! Yes, Drogba has joined USL club Phoenix Rising as a player-owner. He mentions the team’s MLS aspirations as the reason behind the move.

US Soccer

The U16 Boys beat Belgium.

The first round matchups of the US Lamar Hunt Open Cup have been released, with Ocean City hosting Junior Lone Star May 10. Reading hosts Clarkstown SC Eagles the same day.

The long history of the Cup to the present.

Global

Ronaldo was big against Bayern, and Real Madrid won 2-1 at Allianz.

Atleti beat Leicester 1-0, their favorite score line.

Kante or Imbrahimovitch? Both are on the short list for the PFA player of the year.

Thomas Tuchel takes issue with how UEFA rescheduled Dortmund’s match following a terrorist attack on the team’s bus. The team was given no choice. Dortmund were down 0-2 at half. Tuchel brought on Nuri Sahin and Christian Pulisic  at the half and Dortmund were able to respond with two goals (one assist from Pulisic!), but Monaco scored one for a 3-2 win.