Philadelphia Union
If you have not seen the Union’s holiday jingle video, do yourself a favor and check it out ASAP. Link to video here.
The Union U-17 team did not lose once during their trip to sunny Florida at the US Development Academy Winter Showcase. Hear from U-17 Coach Gary Lewis here.
PSP’s Jim O’Leary named Jack Elliott “Newcomer of the Year.” Catch Jim’s story here.
Local / Bethlehem Steel FC
The 2017 Steel FC Toy & Soccer drive is still going on. The donation drive will run until December 18th. Learn more here.
Bethlehem Steel FC captain James Chambers opened up about this past season. Read his story here.
MLS
Click here to vote for the Latino player of the year in the MLS.
MLS waiver draft begins today at 3PM.
MLS released a brief statement yesterday evening regarding expansion.
Check out this full list of MLS players eligible for the first stage of the 2017 MLS Re-Entry draft.
USA
Christian Pulisic became the youngest man ever to be named US Soccer Male Player of the Year in 2017.
Photo courtesy of ussoccer.com
Kyle Martino, an official candidate for U.S. Soccer President. Planet Futbol brought Martino in as a guest for an interview regarding what he sees as the future of US soccer.
Around the Globe
PSP’s Christian Sandler dropped a story regarding NBC Sports’ Premier League Pass. Check that out here.
Check out a brief preview of the round of 16 in this year’s UEFA Champioins League.
Everton’s Wayne Rooney won goal of the month in November. Watch the goal here.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola won a third consecutive Manager of the Month award. They are averaging three goals a game.
I was already frustrated about our roster and lack of doing anything, when I started reading an article about LAFC (https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/12/14/armchair-analyst-lafc-roster-starts-take-shape) when I got to this gem.
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“Bradley has been so flexible with regard to formations and approaches over the course of his managerial career”
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Stopped there, closed the article, and deleted the 10th email from my ticket rep asking if I will get season tickets again. Sorry Sean, that decisions already been made.
And LA already making bold moves to get Ciman, Zimmerman, and Klestjan. In addition to big name FA signings. That’s even more disheartening. The top tier of teams really are distancing themselves from the pack.
but parity.
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but parity- what makes THIS league SO special will be the parity.
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……literally blowing a whole into the wall of all the parity-mongers…. of which there are many. ahem.
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guess what one thing makes is so much more painful… you got it…. being under the wall.
There is a lot to be said for parity. In a leagues with no relegation, a weak open cup and no interest in its champions league and no Europa league. A league where half the league is eliminated by August first and even with the eternal playoff format one 2-3 teams have a realistic chance of winning the championship. Teams have nothing to play for for half the year. This doesn’t do well for the overall health of the league.
Parity can have different levels of measurement, though – it’s true that Toronto, Seattle, and it looks like Atlanta and LA are starting to distance themselves in terms of championship contenders, but in terms of the playoff race a team can go from out to in relatively easily, or vice versa. I think in a league with playoffs that has to be the measure of parity, not who wins the whole thing every year. Seattle got hot last year and won the title, and based on the summer tables they shouldn’t have. Isn’t that a level of parity – going from out of the playoff race to a title in 2 months?
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And not for nothing, lack of parity can be boring on a national level. I love the NBA but outside of the 76ers growth there’s really no intrigue to the season. Come mid June the Warriors will be raising another trophy – does that create compelling drama outside of local storylines, even if the product is watered down for the sake of parity (i.e. the NFL)?
What you said is true, Sieve, particularly from the perspective of clubs that find themselves on the short end of the parity stick (and their supporters). But from a broader context, parity as a force suppresses talent levels across the league. What people want to see are the best players playing the game at its highest level. If teams like Atlanta and LA start swashbuckling across the country, they’ll be big draws for neutrals and supporters who want to see the better talent. One would hope that the rising tide will lift all boats, and that clubs like the Union will feel pressure to improve and put up a fight, if nothing else. Union could always completely Cleveland Browns the whole thing and suck in perpetuity…. we’ll see.
I think through mechanisms like TAM the overall talent pool of the league was improving.
If you amplify the despondency of the Union fan base through 70% of the league that can have a disastrous effect throughout the league.
Sieve, such is the existential question of all supporters of middling clubs. How do supporters of Stoke City get on every day? They’ve won virtually nothing. An FA cup in the 70s and a couple EFL trophies. Their highest top flight accomplishment was coming in 4th and that was in the 1930s. That’s it in 154 years of existence. Why do people bother? There are far more clubs like that than those that can claim to be in contention for some sort of glory. I would guess a lot of people go to bet365 stadium to see the big 6 clubs. Same as a lot of people who support cannon fodder clubs in La Liga go out as much to see what Messi or Ronaldo will do to their club as to cheer their club on.
A lot of those middling teams are broke.
And most of those teams aren’t competing against 4 other sports.
Sorry Sieve, that’s simply not true.
A Guardian look at finances last year found profits at Stoke, Watford, Leicester, Southampton, West Brom, Bournemouth, Norwich and New Castle (this was mid 2016). CLubs more likely to operate at significant loss were Liverpool and Chelsea. Sunderland has been a disaster, but is the exception to the rule.
Curtin is a toddler in ‘Coach Years’.
What Bob Bradly is a good coach now? And not a MLS 1.0 retread? I think people fixate too much on the formation thing. Some teams are flexible with formations Some are great, Some suck most are meh. Some have a rigid system Some are great, Some suck most are meh.
The Union are a meh team in a meh+ federation where approx 80% of the teams are meh.
Lots of familiar faces on that re-entry draft list: Sheanon Williams, Amobi Okugo, Jack Mac…. Not to mention Edu and Davies…. One guy that intrigues me on that list is Mike Grella, who I know has had some rough injury issues, but when healthy, he had a lot of pace and quality on the wing. I still well remember that record breaking opening goal he scored against us (due more to our shockingly poor defending, but still…) I have to admit I have no idea how the re-entry draft works. Just that we pick 7th.
Sheanon should be a squad player somewhere. So should Okugo. I am convinced there is an alternate dimension where Jack Mac got his shit together and became a great MLS striker.
If a team takes a player in the first round they must exercise their option or offer a “bona-fide” offer to the player – one would assume that means a noticeable raise. If they refuse, the team has right of first refusal within MLS.
If a team takes a player in the 2nd round they are free to negotiate a new contract.
After both rounds they become de facto free agents.
Came on here to write the same thing…Doesn’t say much for the pedigree of players that have come through and been considered quality prospects here…They go elsewhere and fizzle.
the guardian’s article today on manchester city’s plan for global domination is interesting
Read that this a.m. How I wish CFG had bought the Union. As much as I’m not inclined to enjoy rooting for the products of global corporations, the football is fun to watch.
I know right? I read it this morning, on my iPhone, when it popped up on my facebook, which I opened to get people together to go watch the new Disney I mean Star Wars movie. Global corporations suck so much. At least we have PSP. For now, I mean, while the internet remains neutral…
Sorber leaving for LA.
wow, the Union are hopeless.
you are aware they don’t mean Join Or Die literally right?
That has been in the wind for a while.
Maybe the new guy will actually smile during the second half interviews…Meh Sorber. Buh bye.
Four years of watching the Union close up, what did Mike Sorber have to smile about?
Cool write-up by Micheal Farfan on Brian Carroll
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http://goalsidefc.com/favorite-professional-mentor-brian-carroll/