Photo: Earl Gardner
Philadelphia Union
Grades and analysis of the Union’s must-win victory at PhillyVoice.
Medunjanin earns more accolades for his sportsmanship.
Fafa Picault’s volley is up for Goal of the Week.
Picault is making the most of his opportunity with the Union.
Major League Soccer
A review of another manic Rivalry Week.
Power rankings from ESPN FC and Soccer America. The top-10s are very Eastern Conference heavy.
Real Salt Lake’s reshuffling continues by firing their Director of Goalkeeping.
NASL
The NASL is coming to San Diego. Eden Hazard, Demba Ba, and Yohan Cabaye headline the ownership group.
NWSL
15 incredible happenings over the weekend.
Kealia Ohai will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.
U.S. Soccer
Fafa Picault and Ike Opara (who scored a big man bicycle kick over the weekend) earn a “Stock Up” nod for the USMNT player pool.
On the other side, C.J. Sapong is among these Gold Cup roster snubs who may not have a sniff of the red, white, and blue again. Remind me how Joe Bendik isn’t getting a look?
New Americans Dom Dwyer and Kenny Saief join the team.
7 young players on the Gold Cup roster who could make some noise next summer in Russia.
Around the globe
Must read: the forgotten UEFA Champions League summer qualifiers from the lesser European leagues – and the payday that accompanies them.
History lesson of the day: the Holy Water Scandal of the 1990 World Cup.
Highlight of the day
Carli Lloyd scores a banger for the Houston Dash over the weekend.
The CJ snub narrative is interesting – “Until, that is, you dig into what’s going on around him at Talen Energy Stadium – and then it starts looking excellent. He has more than a third of the goals for a Union team”, until that is, you dig into the goals he scored. A PK, a deflection, and a few take out the trash from 3 yards out goals. Arena’s job isn’t to dole these out as rewards, it’s to win. I’d want him to bring the most dangerous forwards the US has, and I don’t think CJ fits that description.
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As for why Bendik never got a sniff, at best he was what in the keeper pool, 6th? 7th? 8th?
The NASL news is interesting. Putting the team in an affluent suburb seems like it could be a mistake. An MLS team could swoop right in and take over the market. Then again if MLS is an inevitability, being 30 miles North could increase the team’s chances of survival.