Photo by Earl Gardner
Philadelphia Union
Jim Curtin is shifting the focus from making the playoffs to… something more realistic presumably.
Local
The 2018 U.S. Open Cup draw has been announced. Among the record-high 108 teams entering the local qualifying round are Junior Lone Star, Upper Darby FC, Phoenix Soccer Club, and other Philadelphia-area teams.
MLS
Just going to leave this here.
A look at how effective MLS’s draft system is.
Columbus Crew SC have dealt defender Nico Naess to Eredivisie side SC Heerenveen.
USA
The USMNT faces Costa Rica in a key World Cup Qualifying match Friday. Here are four keys to the match.
According to Fabian Johnson, Bruce Arena is committed to playing him at midfield, not the vacant fullback position.
Perhaps Christian Pulisic isn’t getting enough hype in the mainstream sports media.
Around the globe
It’s deadline day. Here’s who to look out for (minus Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. See below). If you want to follow super-closely, get live updates here.
Liverpool has agreed to a transfer deal with Arsenal to sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Bayern Munich’s CEO believes a salary cap is in store for European soccer.
better live transfer updates here: http://www.bbc.com/sport/live/football/40954578
That list of coaches his interesting. I’ve always like Savarese, but DeBoer is intriguing. I also like the idea of Fraser. If I’m not mistaken, he’s a friend of Stewart. Some good coaches out there….
The next leap that MLS will take is with the managers. Martino is a good start, but we need to start hiring more international managers with top-level experience. Let’s stop with the MLS veterans just because they played here. If you can spend $5M on a player, you can drop $2-4M on a coach. Make a splash, make a difference.
I can get behind that. I still think a better manager makes this same squad a playoff team. Not a top 4 but definitely a 5 or 6.
Historically, coaches from other leagues have not done all that well in MLS. That may be changing some now that there is a little more flexibility to bring in players, but Viera and Martino have been the exception more-so than not.
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Gary Smith (Colorado 2010) is the only foreign coach without previous MLS experience (playing/coaching) to win MLS Cup. You really have to know the ins and outs of this league to be successful.
My ideal is the elite manager that considers a job from MLS when he also has offers from BPL, Bundesliga, etc.
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I’m not saying David Moyes or Harry Redknapp would succeed here, but guys like that coming to MLS help to further legitimize the league, which in turn draws in better players. We’re still in an evolutionary phase, and higher-profile managers are the next step.
JC: Please stop emphasizing Fab’s crosses. Much more imagination is needed on the attack from that side. “Give it to Fafa and Pray” is not always a good strategy either. Aerial crosses from the wing? How productive have they been? Usually snuffed out easily because the D knows it’s coming.
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This is one more proof of lack of offensive acumen on JC’s part. Deep wing runs with cutback to The Spot are rarely even tried. Grasscutter crosses from the wing before you get to the goal line – rarely tried. Deep wing runs with tikitak combinations to free an attack – rarely tried. I could go on.
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Look, I know JC’s probably feeling saddled with players with limited skills, trying to get them to do the few things they know how to do. But that is not working often enough, just look at the results.
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JC should be apprenticing under a master. We should not be paying for his OTJ coaching education.
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Earnie, you weren’t here back when Dallas Green took over the coaching job of the Phils on a short term basis. Look up the history of what happened when he did.
Also look up how long Dallas Green lasted, either here or elsewhere.
You both make good points. Let’s keep in mind Danny Ozark had a lot more talent on the field than Jim Curtin does.
“This is one more proof of lack of offensive acumen on JC’s part.”… Atomic, I would argue he doesn’t have much defensive acumen either… given the multiple late leads lost over his tenure. As a former CB it’s beyond frustrating and totally unacceptable
Coaches can very easily lose games, but the fthey win very few. Players do that.
Kevin Kinkhead on way out rubs Union’s nose in it.
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Where is he going?
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Regardless, there hasn’t been much that he has written in the last month that I haven’t completely agreed with.
He is moving to CrossingBroad. It’s not clear whether he will continue to cover the Union.
He said in his tweets that he’s covering all teams. Though a lot less Union stuff obviously. Did anyone see if he’s even being replaced at PhillyVoice? I got the impression it was in doubt.
He’s absolutely right though. If people keep going to games and town halls and Union organized events, the Union(Sugarman) won’t care what the product on the field is. At some point, probably pretty soon, it becomes the fault of the consumers. By still paying for tickets and concessions they allow the team to continue with such a bad product on the field. If you keep paying for excrement, you’ll keep getting it.
Yeah saw Kinkead is leaving. I check out CrossingBroad. It’s ok and has decent stuff from time to time. Hope the Union coverage isn’t abandoned completely. I always enjoyed his writing.