Photo: Michael Reeves
Note: PSP is looking for a volunteer to write our Thursday news roundups. If interested, please email dwalsh@phillysoccerpage.com.
Philadelphia Union
Bedoya really wanted a chance to help save the U.S.
Youth soccer is about business and privilege and that needs to change, among other thoughts from Curtin.
Curtin is looking forward to Saturday’s game to evaluate players.
Philadelphia soccer fans are broken.
Why to watch this weekend’s game.
Local
While the Union are just playing out the string, go watch the Steel, who have officially qualified for the USL playoffs. Congrats to the Steel!
The Union U-15s and U-17s finished tops in their groups at GA Cup qualifying.
Notes from the Academy and around the area.
An open letter to Congressman Boyle.
MLS
MLS announced the 53 players eligible for the MVP award. Each team was able to nominate up to three players on their own team. Most notably for Union fans, the Union nominated Blake, Medunjanin, and Sapong. I’m not sure which is more concerning: that they didn’t nominate million dollar man Bedoya, or that they think that Medunjanin has been more valuable than him this season.
NYCFC continues to prove how important it is to have a soccer stadium in which you have some control over scheduling. It’s honestly a disgrace that they were allowed to join MLS with no real plan in place and no real plan in sight.
Around the globe
The U.S. U-17 squad squeaked through to the U-17 World Cup Round of 16.
The MLS released a statement on the U.S.’s failure to qualify for the World Cup. I’ve seen it said in a few places, but given how many MLS players made an impact in CONCACAF qualifying for national teams other than the U.S., I think it’s fair to ask if MLS helps other national teams significantly more than it helps the U.S.
The president of PSG and BeIN sports is under investigation for bribery.
Highlight of the day
There was no soccer yesterday, so here’s a quick laugh I think we all could use.
The President of PSG and BeIN is also a Quatari. This could become a real big issue.
Counterpoint: it’s FIFA (in regards to the 2022 Qatar WC, I mean). No it won’t 🙂
Sporting Director. Waterfront. Arena. Hire him. Immediately. Thank you.
The pay to play system as a problem should be something that US Soccer and MLS can address. Curtin is right in his interview with Tannenwald : Licensed coaches and people running these elite training camps/leagues should be able to make a living. The thing is to figure out how we can take the burden from parents and place it on the clubs and the federation. The federation is rich. It should be able to get this started. I think it already has started, but now’s the time to accelerate it.
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Clubs can do more, too, but MLS has to do more to make sure clubs can benefit by making money on their investments through sale of players to Europe. MLS should be feeding the Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Serie A and Liga MX. Taking that money and rolling it into expanded academies. I’m not an economist, but it sure seems like MLS’s economic “training wheels” are having an inadvertent adverse impact on the natural football economics that would build stronger clubs. Lack of Pro/Rel probably prevents more dollars downstream as well, where Tier 2 teams could conceivably build academies as well.
Jim is just now getting around to evaluating players? We should have been doing this a month ago. Derrick Jones should have been on the field for the last few games. Najem should have at the very least been getting some minutes if not out-right starts. Simpson should have had a start up top by now (though I would rather see us trade him and free up more $$ for a better back-up forward). etc…
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We’ve had a number of meaningless games that have already been wasted by trotting out the same regular season lineup. Yeah, it’s been good to see what Epps has in his toolbox, but it has not been enough.
I think that you’re taking that quote out of context and misinterpreting what Curtin said. Full quote below.
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“Having had the international break to prepare for Chicago, a good team that’s getting ready for the playoffs,” Curtin said. “A strong team, a lot of star power and quality within their group that we’ll need to do a good job trying to neutralize. Go on the road where he haven’t had good performances and try to get one to close out the season the right way. We recognize we’re out of the playoffs now, which is tough for the group. We’re still using these 90 minutes to evaluate players, to get better.”
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He clearly didn’t say what you are claiming he did.
My first sentence is definitely tongue-in-cheek, but the rest of my comment stands as far as my inability to understand Curtin’s line-ups given the current situation.
Arena has resigned. Still waiting to hear about Gulati.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/13/sports/soccer/bruce-arena-us-soccer-sunil-gulati.html
Gulati not going quietly into that good night.