Photo: Paul Rudderow
Note: PSP is looking for a volunteer to write our Thursday news roundups. If interested, please email dwalsh@phillysoccerpage.com.
Philadelphia Union
The Union waste money and have no apparent plan and are falling further and further behind teams who have no such problems, according to Brotherly Game. This offseason really is pivotal, isn’t it?
This week’s Inside Doop.
Get to know Chicago.
Local
Harrisburg managed their first come-from-behind win of the season.
Cory Burke and Jake McGuire are re-writing Bethlehem record books.
High school soccer rankings.
MLS
NASL has filed a lawsuit over their demotion to Division 3 status.
The US Open Cup Final is tonight. Here’s a good preview.
Catching up with Christos after their US Open Cup run.
Competing for the playoffs is a bad goal.
The MLS has seen a record five coaching changes.
Minnesota United poached the Minnesota Timberwolves’ President.
Much like MLS, NWSL is facing an ownership divide.
And speaking of the ownership divide, FourFourTwo says “Atlanta and Toronto are putting MLS’s complacent billionaires to shame.”
Around the globe
The USWNT beat New Zealand 5-0.
Tab Ramos signed an extension with U.S. Soccer.
Manuel Neuer will miss a few months due to foot surgery.
Everything is totally fine at PSG. Totally fine.
English League Cup roundup.
Highlight of the day
Technically this isn’t a highlight, but somebody put together this compilation and it’s too good not to share.
I don’t know much about the law, but I’m not sure how NASL can succeed when the most notable precedents in this country for monopoly operations are sports leagues. The only thing unique in this case is the claims of collusion between MLS and the USSF. Not holding my breath for NASL, that’s for sure.
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This off season could very well be make or break for the Union. Another season like this and they’ll have to pay fans to come to games.
An excellent article about the NASL in late July on FourFourTwo USA details the financial woes of the San Francisco Deltas of the NASL. https://www.fourfourtwo.com/us/features/will-nasl-stop-playing-san-francisco-deltas-division-ii-sacntioning.
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If San Francisco folds and Edmonton leaves, The two southern California expansion teams only replace and do not advance the number of NASL teams. If North Carolina jumps to the USL as is rumored, the SoCal additions do not even hold the number level.
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Interesting that the only public comment from NASL is something that will not address USSF’s concerns for quite some time. They say nothing of any other remedies.
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AT the most charitable interpretation, the emergency meeting might be working on something. They did not find agreement on how to solve the underlying problems over the weekend. The lawsuit does nothing on that front. There is not even a statement that they are continuing to meet, or will meet again.
Coaching change! let’s have some fun with this (we can’t let the current U get to us):
of the fired coaches this season, you get to pick one. who do you go with?
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Jay Heaps (Revs)
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Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado)
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Dominic Kinnear (San Jose)
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Curt Onalfo (Galaxy)
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Jeff Cassa (Salt Lake)
My shopping list would only include Heaps from MLS fire-ees. I’m looking at Cosmos’ Savarese, Miami’s Nesta and — why the hell not — Ousted Crystal Palace and former Ajax man Frank DeBoer (though rumors alread have DeBoer in Anderlecht).
I don’t want MLS cast offs. Give me someone who has shown he can do more with less.
How about None Of The Above??
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Heaps did nice work with the Revs for a while, but they have also sucked for the last few years, and with a very talented roster. I can’t say I would be excited about him coaching the Union. And as for the rest… Lord no.
No rejects, thanks. If we’re taking someone from MLS, why not go for a assistant coach from a successful franchise that does more with less, like Zavagnin at Sporting KC?
Great news! according to fivethirtyeight the Union are the 399th best team in the world just by treading water!
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/global-club-soccer-rankings/
also according to this the Scottish Premiership is festering hot garbage.
is that better than haggis?
How do we keep rising? Is it an opposite poll? None of that makes sense
Its not like we are the only mediocre to bad team in the world. Some truly dismal squads are just ramping up.