Photo by Earl Gardner
Philadelphia Union
Philadelphia Union traveled to Atlanta, where they were clobbered 0-3. Match report from PSP and highlights.
The union will be having a coat drive at their next two home games and another Fan Spotter giveaway event on Saturday.
Local
Bethlehem Steel came from behind to draw Tampa Bay Rowdies 2-2.
MLS
NYRB tied D.C. United 3-3. USMNT U-20 star Tyler Adams scored his first MLS goal.
FC Dallas ended their 10-game winless streak, beating Colorado 2-0.
Kakà scorred a brace in Orlando’s 6-1 whooping of New England.
Houston came back from a two-goal deficit to tie LA Galaxy 3-3.
Chicago clinched a playoff berth, beating San Jose 4-1. Chris Wondolowski’s one goal moves him to third all-time in goals scored in MLS.
Montreal fell to NYCFC 0-1.
Around the globe
The next transfer window isn’t until January, but rumors are already heating up about Christian Pulisic.
Amid several controversies and intrigues, Paris St. Germain shut out German powerhouse Bayern Munich in the Champions League, 3-0. Chelsea also beat Atletico Madrid 2-1.
The rest of Wednesday’s Champions League action.
Expect to see the same names on Bruce Arena’s World Cup Qualifying roster in October.
Four referees in Malawi have been banned for life for accepting a bribe of…20 dollars?
The new FIFA game comes out tomorrow.
Someone tell me ONE thing Curtin has shown you in his four years here that makes you think he deserves more chances.
He’s local, cheap, and dresses nicely!
2 out of 3. His ill fitting skinny suits make him look like a unsuccessful hipster pimp.
They had zero chance of winning last night. I wish they had tried to hold the ball more and not played the same 11 as Saturday, but regardless there was no realistic chance of them getting a result. Take last night and throw it in the trash, and use Sunday at home as a gauge of whether last Saturday’s win was a fluke or not.
He’s freaking huge.
If you’re not paying attention, what happened to the Union last night is what’s happening to lots of teams playing in Atlanta. Somehow we beat them at home and in MLS this year, home game are everything.
We tied them at home, we did not beat them. If you saw any positives last night, I am not sure you watched the same game everyone else did.
Dear Mr. Sugarman, Atlanta, Seattle, Toronto and Orlando are starting to distance themselves with the advantage they have in attendance. Now I know the stadium was built with the idea it can be expanded to 30,000 and you started off at 18,500 to create demand. News alert, that plan is not working and you need some investment in the club to create demand. I’m guessing if the stadium was expanded you’re looking at an extra million a match. Hopefully we can get to MLS 3.0 before the league gets to 28 teams or we may never catch up. It’s time to make a choice before you lost the fan base, either ago in or sell. Thank you sir….I’ll be watching to see what you do.
John,
Phillies will be good next year. Eagles are doing better(let’s not jinx them).
Point being last 5 years, Union had a chance to build a fanbase in a city with 4 major sports teams, plus great college basketball. Heck Phillies attendance had even dipped as low as Union games at one point.
So John, who will sit in an “expanded” stadium in Chester paying $25 for a gravel parking lot and concessions that make Citizens Park Bank look cheap? They barely get 15,000 now.
Better question is what does future look like?
1. Sugarman keeps his team running at moneyball level**, and following Richie Graham’s Kevin Costner impression of “Academy of Dreams”–yet best players lured away to flashy Atlanta or Cincinnati and nothing changes.
2. Worst case–sell the team to an expansion club. Move the Union out of Philly to a market that doesn’t have 4 sports teams. New owner could move Steel to Chester, build it as a powerhouse USL team with progression from Academy and then sell players to MLS (or overseas). Turn atmosphere more family friendly with lower prices and really fill the seats with those dreaded “casual” fans. Good argument could be made that MLS team isn’t going to survive here without more Atlanta levels of investment. Stadium expands on role as multi-use venue for local college teams, Army/Navy, etc. Sorry if that upsets many of you but those most upset are probably same ones moaning about not paying for STH again. If you are committed enough to comment on this board and were a STH, and won’t be in 2018, i.e. Union loses YOU, the diehard, well continuing to be an MLS team is not a smart financial move for Sugarman.
3. Sugarman buys some great European player (THE SAVIOR) for several million who draws some fans early and either he is injured or even with him team still tanks. Like driving a Porsche in a demolition derby. (Wow, way too many examples for most sports, not just MLS, and please feel free to add your own analogy)
4. **I am contrarian and believe Sugarman really isn’t that cheap–we have USMNT talent already and someone pointed out the salaries are mid-pack. With all due respect the roster is FAR better than their record.
While beginning of the year I wanted to see Jim Curtin succeed, now I think it is best for everyone if he moved on–he’s not a bad guy but a bad fit for this team and if you google a 2012 tannenwald interview he gave when he joined as assistant. WOW! Everything people complain about him this past season is all in that prescient interview. Hell 3 weeks ago I joked with my wife Union should bring in Whoopi Goldberg to coach since she did great with the Knicks in that one movie and cannot possibly be worse than the mess we have now.
Best option—Spend a million or two and get new quality coach(or Whoopi) in before end of October. Let new coach decide who gets sold/traded/ etc so he has input on who comes into the fold that fits his system or that he can build a team around.
Bottom line–you want an expanded stadium? Make it exciting and that starts with new coach, and a brand new VPP that El Pachy loves.
UnionGoal
Fwiw Atlanta and Orlando have brand-spankin-new stadiums really close to the downtown core, I mean walkable from anywhere. I saw the construction of Orlando’s stadium last year, it’s a great location. Seattle, like Portland (who also has downtown stadium) are progressive cities who embrace soccer, Toronto has a fiercely loyal fan base and again has a stadium close to public transit. The Union, like Dallas, Chicago, Colorado, & New England has a stadium far from center city and basically inaccessible from public transit. The “investments” you speak of have been made in the academy, the practice fields and training center, the only thing lacking is the on-field product, which to be fair is the one we see the most. Stadium expansion would destroy this club financially and the on-field product might actually decrease. The only thing the team can do is ride out the next 10-15 years at Talen Energy than hope to create enough momentum and support to build a stadium in the city proper. Highly unlikely though.
Agreed stadium expansion destroys team. We’d make a good usl team tho
UnionGoal
Said it before and I’ll probably say it several more times in the upcoming offseason: For me, this coming season, the 9th, will be my last as a STH if real changes aren’t made and real results aren’t achieved. I have drank the Kool-Aid long enough and let myself believe things were getting better, or would get better or whatever. We are back to playing games against teams where we have ZERO chance at winning. The game last night was unwatchable as a Union fan. It was against a FIRST YEAR TEAM playing the 20-something game in it’s entire existence. It wasn’t a Seattle or Portland type team that had a history in former leagues or fan bases for decades. They were created a year or two ago and they are so far past MLS 3.0 they might even be in MLS 4.0 – if that’s even a thing.
.
The Union are an embarrassment with their “plans”, and “process” or whatever crap they are feeding us this week. There is about 5-6 guys on this roster worth keeping. And we have a ton of MLS funny money to spend (cause LORD knows Sugarman ain’t spending any of his) and this is the main reason I am giving it one more year. There is a chance for change. Sounds like I hit the Kool-Aid again, huh 🙁
.
There was a website that is no longer updated, although the URL still works – https://zolotalk.wordpress.com/ – It was last updated in 2015… the first thing you read is exactly how I feel right now: “I HIT MY BREAKING POINT”.
.
This is the last chance for me (as a paying STH) – I will still support my club of course, just with a significantly less of a financial interest. Last chance saloon Union… let’s see what you got.
OMW….what makes you change your mind?