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Philadelphia Union
Lots of interesting tidbits from Curtin’s press conference yesterday (courtesy of Union Soccer Talk):
The Union have suspended Keegan Rosenberry for their final game because of this now-deleted tweet. To quote Curtin:
“His activity on social media prior to kick off was inappropriate and something that won’t be tolerated,” Curtin said. “It’s a decision he made and one that he’ll be held accountable for. [It was] unprofessional and also disrespectful to the guys in the locker room. He’s a great young player who I think will learn from this but, as professionals, we’re held to a higher standard and to do it right before kick off is not something [sporting director Earnie Stewart] and I will tolerate.”
What exactly is Rosenberry supposed to learn from this? That his underperforming coach is oversensitive and unaccountable? Moving on…
After announcing his retirement, Brian Carroll will be in the 18 and will play this weekend. According to Curtin, he will be welcome to come back and coach.
Why to watch the finale.
Local
Bethlehem makes their playoff debut tonight at 7:30. The game will be streamed on Youtube.
Nine Union players will be on the Steel roster.
Get to know Louisville City.
The Union Academy went unbeaten last weekend.
MLS
Here’s some of the many reasons why you should care about what’s going on in Columbus.
The Independent Supporters Council supports keeping the Crew in Columbus.
In a truly despicable, awful move that will hopefully drive fans from MLS in droves, the Crew are refusing to refund 2018 season tickets. How does MLS allow this farce to happen? Fans must ask themselves whether they should support a league that allows this to happen. We are asking the same question here.
Anthony Precourt is a cartoon villain. He’s actively trolling his fans on his way out. Insane. “The team is not for sale,” Precourt said. “Why would I put myself through all of this, publicly, if I was selling?”
Portland’s Merrit Paulson publicly voiced his unhappiness over the whole situation. Click the link and read from the bottom to the top.
What 2017 has meant for every club and a look to the offseason and beyond.
NYCFC doesn’t actually have a home, do they? They’re setting up to play another home game at somewhere other than Yankee Stadium. Having your own stadium is still a key factor and definitely not how much money your ownership group has.
Around the globe
The USWNT won 3-1 against South Korea.
According to the American Outlaws, fan signs against Sunil Gulati were confiscated at the game. Seems like MLS is just taking their cues from the USSF.
The US U-17 team will take on England in the World Cup quarterfinals tomorrow morning.
Giovanni Liberti allegedly did a stunningly accurate re-enactment of what Anthony Precourt and MLS are doing to Columbus.
Highlight of the day
Olivier Giroud showing off his incredible finishing skill.
Je suis KR
As a Philadelphian exiled to Austin, I can say that as much as I miss going to live soccer I won’t spend a dime on the stolen Crew. It’s embarrassing the way some down here are acting like it’s a great thing that we’re stealing another city’s club. This is shaping up to be one of the most disgraceful months in US soccer in a long time.
Ironic how all these dominos are falling right after the MNT gets eliminated, right? It’s the rule of 3s – USMNT fails, USSF is in shambles, MLS is dealing with controversy.
I think too much credit is being given to Rosenberry on this. You have to assume he was warned before about doing this sort of thing and when he didn’t listen then he had to be reprimanded. Maybe he should have looked at how poorly he played the last half of last season and worked to get better instead of basking in the National Team call-up (which consistently seems to make Union players come back worse).
You give Curtin too much credit. I would rather see Rosenberry work through his growing pains than stagnant with Ray Gaddis out there.
Maybe you right. Maybe he needs to grow up and learn that he isn’t guaranteed a spot. Probably somewhere in the middle. I have never watched their training or anything but Rosenberry’s game was off all year and his attitude seemed off too. I agree he should have been playing most games, even if a lot were for Steel.
Rosenberry is right; he should be playing. We should be using these last few games to play the youth and build for the future. Instead we are trotting out the same veteran players who have failed throughout the season and many of which won’t (or at least shouldn’t) be back next year. This persistent benching of Rosenberry seems to have moved beyond mere coaching and is personal between the coach and player.
Erik’s point = +1. Looking past the tweet and the reprimand, has the organization done enough to promote youth development and encourage hard-working players? Furthermore, are they given the chance to work through issues and gain more playing time? Some thoughts to consider.
I’m not trying to defend Curtin about this decision or anything else about him, I’m just saying we seem o be assuming this was an out of nowhere suspension whereas I see this as something that has been brewing for a long time and this was just the straw that broke the camels back.
I agree, A. Curtin is right to bench Keegan. The problem is he (Curtin) has exhausted all his good will with the fans and might have a tenuous grasp on the locker room. And that’s largely due to how his starting XI wasn’t consistent. He’d pull some players for poor performance, yet leave others in the lineup for game after game without results. The negative fan reaction is the result of Curtin having lost all of his credibility.
Curtin is the coach. Keegan is a young player who has regressed. We can blame Keegan for the childish Twitter presence. But we should blame Curtin for the regression in Keegan’s play and role on the team. The FO all patted themselves on the back about how great a kid he was and how ready he was for MLS last year. Now they’re saying he’s childish and doesn’t practice well? Then they should take blame for using a high pick on a childish Tweeter. (I personally think Keegan has showed great restraint not Tweeting explicit criticism of this FO and coach in particular.)
Curtin is the bad coach. Pete is right. Rosenberry is done for the whole year after a few meh games – yet plays like CJ and Pontius are allowed to ride massive poor streaks into the starting lineup every week?
It’s pathetic.
as usual spot on Pete… this makes jim curtin no less correct in this.
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infantile behavior.
So playing devil’s advocate, if Rosenberry sent a pic of him and Marquez smiling on the bench for a caption contest, would he have been suspended for that? Probably not.
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What if the actual pic that he got suspended for was done at a time when the Union were losing. Would he have been suspended for that?
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If Curtin truly wanted to punish Rosenberry, just fine him and leave it at that. This suspension just comes off as petty and makes both Curtin & the club look stupid.
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If I’m Rosenberry, I would simply request a trade when I meet with Curtin & Stewart for my end of season review.
In this case it has nothing to do with supporters trust…..nothing. It’s about consistency……..with the actual players.
When gaffers play their “favorites” and leave talent on the bench that has produced before……,that is poison to a locker room.
Zizou,
I suspect the twitter post is just one minor thing in a larger set of behaviors. There is something about KR that makes me wonder if his success and call up last year pumped a little too much air into his head.
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And I don’t disagree, Alicat. I won’t defend Curtin even a little bit. I wonder about the state of the locker room right now. But just because the manager is crap, it doesn’t mean Rosenberry shouldn’t expect correction if he violates the norms / policies of the club.
And Pete, I completely agree that if he broke a club rule……he’s got to deal with the consequences. But there is a lot more to this…….,.
Pete – It could be the case, but even so, just fine him and not make a big deal about it. The suspension is just dumb.
Jim acted like a vindictive college coach……….who has a personal grudge on a player……I’ve seen this before. We probably all have at some level……..
Remember Curtin playing “running out of bounds ” Wenger for half of the season? He creates the problem not solving it. Curtin is a joke.
SaveTheCrew.com #savethecrew
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We need your help. If you believe in the fans of MLS, and what MLS means to the fans, help us show this greedy ‘Mergers & Acquistions Specialist’ Anthony Precourt that he has no place in MLS.
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Ways to help
Show your solidarity this Sunday by wearing yellow to the game
Bring signs denouncing Precourt (and Garber who is entirely complicit)
At minute 10 (Crew was the first of the original 10 teams in MLS) begin a Columbus Crew chant – i.g. clap,clap,clap COLUMBUS
Anything else that you can do that would show the league that this is not the way to do things in MLS!
Don Garber on Columbus: “Despite PSV’s significant investments and improvements on and off the field, Columbus Crew SC is near the bottom of the League in all business metrics and the Club’s stadium is no longer competitive with other venues across MLS.”
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Makes the blood boil. Blame the fans for not doing enough. Outrageous, really.I understand sports is a business, but a pillar of doing good business is having a good relationship with the customer. MLS pulls out of Columbus, it gives no fans anywhere a reason to trust it. Where does that factor into your business metrics, Garber?
Could Garber’s quote apply to the U in a few season’s time? Low financial metrics, stadium not in a downtown location, expansion has been capped…etc.
Nobody is safe now…
Sure as shit could. Imagine that: getting blamed for a relocation of the club to St. Louis. No longer inconceivable.
Philly is ten times the sports city Columbus is. Once we start to win, financial metrics will be up. Talon Park is much better than Columbus’ statdium, and our expansion has not been capped.
James, you’re assuming we will start winning…
The U are pulling in 12k a game regardless of how well/poor the team is doing, so no, it won’t apply. So, they aren’t hurting for ticket/concession sales at all, I’m sure those business metrics are looking just fine. We all bitch and moan about the stadium location, public transit, etc etc, yet people keep going and paying to be there.
So how many of you bought Season Tickets and then heard that Columbus waited until after most 2018 deposits were down before Austin announcement, then declared absolutely no refunds.
MLS is gonna hurt on pre-sales in most cities(exception Atlanta) when Columbus fans remind others of that. While MLS can’t hinder the Austin move, nor have they shown any desire to stop the move, the very least they should do for their own league integrity is allow refunds to the Columbus fans.
If this drags out next year, with protesting and lawsuit happy Columbus fans stealing the few MLS-related headlines and mentions, it will give MLS a terrible black eye, Already fans will be reminded next summer that the American players will be watching many of their international MLS teammates in the World Cup.
MLS bragging about expansion these past 3 years better stop taking fans for granted and USSF better figure out what they are going to do with that $100 million–most of which was earned by a USWNT that together was paid almost less by USSF and Gulati in 2015 World Cup year than Gulati paid Klinsmann by himself for that whole year(including the helicopter).
No wonder that idiot on Philly.com always writes that “Soccer blows”
A thoroughly disgusted UnionGoal
I expect to hear that all the teams with turf fields and of course baseball fields will also be moving.
Denounce Precourt? Sure, of course, but, scumbags gonna bag scum, know what I mean? This is on Garber and the rest of the league. It is literally the worst thing ever in MLS. So much worse than bad soccer. It’s bad faith.
Worst thing?
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Worse than outright contraction, aka, shrinking?
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That the move is without class, honor, or possibly ethics under any ethical system other than “Greed is Good,” there is no doubt.
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But it happens.
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Consider.
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Johnny Unitas did not play for the Indianapolis Colts. Jim Brown did not play for the Baltimore Ravens. Wilt Chamberlain was not drafted by the SanFrancisco Warriors. George Mikan did not play for the Los Angeles Lakers. Walter Johnson did not pitch for the Minnesota Twins. Brooks Robinson did not play for the St. Louis Browns. Sandy Koufax did not break in with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Warren Spahn did not begin with either the Milwaukee or the Atlanta Braves. And above all, Cornelius MacGuillicuddy managed neither the Kansas City nor the Oakland Athletics.
All the individuals mentioned above are in their respective Halls of Fame.
Yes worse than that
Look the tweet as just a tweet probably didn’t get himself benched. If I had to guess it was some passive aggressive shit referencing previous conversations that was probably the final straw that got him benched. Learning to not be a passive aggressive little snit(as kids are wont to be) is a good thing to learn from this.)
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I know people are so worked up over Curtin that anything he does will be taken as proof to fit into their preexisting Curtin sucks narrative. But often as far as these things go people get worked up over things then it is later revealed there is a good reason.
Remember the beginning of the year when everyone got worked up over Alberg not starting? Well it turned out there was a very good reason when he showed up overweight.
So its OK to guess(like I just did) but damn Adam project much.
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And keep in mind this is a largely symbolic suspension seeing its the last meaningless game for a player who has been rightly nailed to the bench for a year. Coacch sent him to bed without his supper is all.
This is very similar to the Nerlens Noel/Sixers situation last year. A young player gets jerked around, speaks out about it, and then gets screwed. I will side with the player 100 times out of 100. If you don’t want your players to speak out against you, don’t give them reason to. Pure and simple. Especially when you’re throwing stones from a glass house.
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At the very least, handle this in-house. Literally the only benefit of making it public is to try to take heat off himself when he starts Gaddis over Rosenberry. The heat that wouldn’t be there if he wasn’t such a terrible coach in the first place. Come on now.
Has Rosenberry’s plat been so good when he has been out there that he truly earned his spot.
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For all the talk of Curtin benched Rosenberry people gloss over the fact that Curtin mentioned Earnie in there too. (Why people constantly overlook him in personnel decisions is beyond me.)
Earnie and Jim got sick of some kids shit is just as a viable narrative here.
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Judging by external dynamics it would surprise me one bit if Jim was good cop and Earnie was bad cop when it came to handling players.
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Oh and many of the same fans who are lamenting how Jim handled this are the same talk radio goons that get tough guy hard in’s whenever some coach or whatever “calls out his players”
Haha…..Sieve, don’t take this personal but…….as opposed to comment section tough guys who get hard ins just because Jim’s a nice guy? They certainly exist too
I think the disagreement here is you are assuming the player got screwed in public, while others assume the in-house method has already been tried and wasn’t working so they had to elevate it.
*wanking motion commences*
“Slurping noise commences”…..
damn, this string made my day! hahahaha
Keegan acted petulantly. When Alberg scores and sulks on the field, the commenters here rip him. When Keegs does nothing and when he does play, sucks, Curtin is wrong…
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Look, Curtin should be fired because he hasn’t produced. The same way Keegan should be benched. The same reason Simpson should be sent away. I don’t care that Curtin had it with the whippersnapper showing him up. I lean towards pregame preparation doesn’t include tweeting (though you could make the argument the team forces players to do pregame interviews so whats the difference).
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I want my team to win. If not, let Austin take the hindmost.
Curtin had lost the locker room and doesn’t know what he is doing tactically. BUT… the price is right
Other than possibly Alberg there has been absolutely no indication that Curtin has lost the locker room until this point.
Just when I think this team couldn’t get more dysfunctional.
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Just when I think this league couldn’t get more dysfunctional.
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Everything is just so meh, right now. Very, very disillusioned with a lot going on in the world and the soccer world, right now.
In reference to the piece saying there are 9 union loaners on the Steel roster: … .
The team roster on the USL website has those nine players on it. It is the list from which,a game-day 18 May be selected.
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Ken Tribbett is listed as out of the Union’s game Sunday,with an injury, so I think it probable that the 9 are not all on the game day 18.
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The roster mechanics of a wholly-owned MLS affiliate are complex and confusing.
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The gameday 18 will become known to the general public at large only one hour before tap tonight. It will be up on Twitter after that, in the time it takes to modify the graphic to reflect whatever changes need to be made.
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One hour before tap is when the head coaches find out whom each other is starting.
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We all will be curious to see who’s available and who’s starting.
Just in case anyone hadn’t seen or picked up on this, Kaka is definitely not playing on Sun vs. the Union. Last Sun was his last match in MLS.