Photo: Paul Rudderow
Philadelphia Union
Missed PSP’s match preview? We got you covered!
Philly.com’s Jonathan Tannenwald with features on Matt Real and Philadelphia’s stagnant offense vs. Orlando’s struggling defense.
Did someone say “stagnant offense?” Two Dave’s (Zeitlin and Accam) spoke about the latter’s hope for a breakout game.
For as bad as the Lions’ defense is, their offense has been equally as explosive. Pro Soccer USA’s Joe Tansey looks at how the Union are fine-tuning some defensive flaws ahead of tonight’s contest.
Jim Curtin spoke about his young back line being overshadowed nationally by Zlatan-ier stories. How Friday night provides the stage for Real and Trusty.
Thought the rumor mill had come to a halt? German tabloid Bild is reporting Werder Bremen attacking midfielder Zlatko Junuzovic is being targeted by Orlando City, Chicago Fire, and…your Philadelphia Union.
Local
Bethlehem Steel host FC Cincinnati this Sunday at 3pm.
MLS
Are Chicago Fire interested in superstar Spanish striker Fernando Torres?
Some mixed up headlines here. Headline reads Orlando City will be without captain Jonathan Spector tonight, but the story is about how the Lions are prepping for their trip to Chester. Either way, I guess one link works for both stories.
New York Red Bulls’ Jesse Marsch defended his tactical decisions against Chivas.
With ESPN+ launched, here’s how to watch out-of-market MLS games. Looks like there will be a free month.
Seattle’s Clint Dempsey was handed an additional one-game suspension.
Longtime MLS stalwart Javier Morales announced his retirement.
U.S. soccer
Smaller soccer countries like the U.S. might be benefiting sooner rather than later about an expanded World Cup. CONMEBOL have asked FIFA to expand to 48 teams for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Around the globe
Somber news: A bomb killed five people at a Somalia stadium. Sometimes you can’t escape a harsh reality, even in sports.
The semifinal draw for the UEFA Champions League took place this morning. It treated to a battle of two heavyweights and the ‘Salah derby.’ The semis kick off April 24 & 25.
- Liverpool v. Roma
- Bayern Munich v. Real Madrid
Roma pulled off the shock of the competition, overturning a 3-0 deficit against Barcelona. The New York Times on how a billionaire from Boston shaped the Italian club’s success.
The Europa League semifinal draw offered an intriguing contest of its own.
- Arsenal v. Atletico Madrid
- Marseille v. Salzburg
Junuzovic rumor is interesting. He seems more like a Barnetta type then Dockal from what I read. Since Dockal is a loan, I would hope they are still hunting for a longer term solution. However, German paper has OCFC as the front runners.
I’d like us to look for midfielders who aren’t already in their 30s.
Ehh, 30 y/o attacking mids are a good value. You don’t have to pay the premium for youth like on Barco, Almiron, or Rossi, and you don’t block players like Fontana and Aaronson
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Valeri, Vazquez, Alessandrini, Lodeiro,Higuain, Kljestan, and Nguyen are all 29 or older.
That would cost money the team isn’t willing to spend.
with my conspiracy theorist hat on I plod along certain the Real v Bayern semi final was intentionally manipulated to guarantee one of the giants of footy makes it to final… can’t have Roma v Liverpool in the final.
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Course, on the other hand, an excellent draw guarantees Real or Bayern to knock one of giants of footy out early. One could argue this is most beneficial to Roma or even more— Liverpool.
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conspiracy here conspiracy there.
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any chance it was actually totally arbitrary?
I heard they use chem trails to get favorable draws 😉
I read this morning, before the draw took place, that Roma was sending invites out for tickets in the Champions League match against Liverpool. Lots of fans convinced the draw was manipulated. Some of the European papers are reporting it. Saw a piece in The Mail just now. Not sure how they would have managed the trick…. Pay Shevchenko to pull warm balls first? Interesting stuff.
I heard you were really a llama secretly working for the Union Marketing Dept. 😉