Philadelphia Union
Earnie Stewart is “in negotiations” to become national team GM. There’s a rumor going around that all USMNT players are being strong-armed into getting 4-2-3-1 tattoos.
Too soon to note that the Union haven’t gotten better results under Skipper Stewart?
Borek Dockal piece over in The Athletic, if you don’t mind a paywall.
ICYMI: a fan wonders if a stadium in Philly would have made a better fan experience.
Bethlehem Steel
Fabian Herbers named to the USL Team of the Week.
Brandon Allen transferred to Nashville.
Local
West Chester United defeated Torch FC, 6-0, on Sunday.
Speaking of West Chester United, their summer camps are coming up.
Area youth picked up hardware last weekend at the Eastern Pennsylvania cup finals.
U.S. Open Cup
The Ocean City Nor’easters are out of the running after losing to North Carolina FC on Tuesday, 4-1.
About last night:
- Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC 1-3 FC Cincinnati
- Richmond Kickers 3-2 Penn FC
With the Third Round in the books, the Union will enter the competition in the next round. The Fourth Round draw will be at 11:00 a.m. today. Possible opponents for the Union are D.C. United, Richmond Kickers, and North Carolina F.C.
$10,000 flights and personal credit: How the U.S. Open Cup cripples smaller clubs.
MLS
Zlatan’s stunning debut is starting to look like an exception. Burn!
Jermaine Jones is head coach of Real So Cal Soccer Club’s U-19 Boys Academy Team in Woodland Hills, California.
Now, NYCFC coach Patrick Vieira is linked to Nice.
Around the globe
Arsenal gots a Wenger replacement. Here’s hoping they avoid the Moyes curse.
Borussia Dortmund also have a new manager. And they had a friendly with LAFC, resulting in a 1-1 draw.
Portland Thorns’ Caitlin Foord details the injury she says she had to have.
RELEVENT acquired BRC Group, and, with it, Alianza de Futbol, the United State’s largest amateur Hispanic soccer program.
Highlight of the day
"Something struck me as odd!" @brandichastain is being an unbelievably good sport about PlaqueGate 😂😂😂 (via @jimmykimmel) pic.twitter.com/Dn1nKwb9Ed
— SI Soccer (@si_soccer) May 23, 2018
I’m sure this is will a hot topic for a couple of days starting soon, but I want to get in on the ground floor and say I am surprised of the amount of people who are unerplaying what ES has done.
There is no denying our results have not been good.
But this is a GM who came in, preached the academy and the pipeline since day 1 – and what are we finally seeing this year?
– a 19 year old CB starting since day 1
– a 19 year old CB with two starts in a row, looking good, and could possibly have taken Elliots job
– a 19 year old LB in the wings and getting minutes
– a 19 year old CAM in the wings and getting minutes
– A bethlehem steel striker looking like our best option right now
On top of all of that, our pipeline is matured, all facets of it are finally providing results.
So on that topic … I wold say ES has done a lot.
The LB, Matt Real, is listed as 18 still on the club’s Website’s roster.
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The CAM Anthony Fontana is also listed as 18.
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And the 19 yo RCB Mark McKenzie is a high school graduation year behind Trusty at the Academy, and not because he was held back. The birth dates make him almost a full year younger..
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Trusty should turn 20 in early August, if I remember the approximate date of his signing to the first team correctly.
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If the first team shares culture with the Steel, on that day Trusty has to bring treats for the entire squad, and run the gauntlet of a tame equivalent of Klingon pain sticks.
Damn didn’t even realize they were 18! That’s even crazier.
Damn didn’t even realize they were 18! That’s even crazier.
Stewart’s going to have a hard time untangling the first team’s results from his brief tenure here if he does leave for the NT. And I don’t think we’ve settled who is most responsible for those results — Curtin’s coaching? Stewart’s player recruitment? Stingy ownership?
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Stewart’s experience on the academy side is what makes him a good pick for the NT job. That and contacts and with players like himself — dual nationals. Though the only concern I have from a NT perspective with Stewart is that he’s demonstrated a bit of a blind eye for Latin talent in his time here. Now that may not be fair given the Union’s lack of scouting infrastructure, but that’s really important thing for the next NT front office to get right.
(Gestures towards Earnie’s many poor signings, terrible relationship with fanbase, and team’s record)
To be fair the academy pipeline was being preached well before Earnie got here and was his main stated reason for joining the team. All the young academy players now on the first team were all in the system before Earnie got here. Not sure how much credit he really deserves for any of them.
May 24, 2018 at 11:13 am
SEriously? I hear this attitude and its crap. These players were 15 years old when he got here. There is a BIG FUCKING GAP between “promising 15 year old” and “signed to the first team, got proper development at the USL level and is now following producing at the MLS level.”
Like what do you think ES was doing the past 3 years? Do you think he skipped out of Academy meetings when Trustys name was uttered? Do you think Curtin tied him to the chair when they were going to talk about how to best develop Real?
What a joke. ES was the head of ALL SOCCER operations for 3 years. Give him the fucking credit he deserves for turning promising 15 years olds into 19 year old producing MLS players
Wow, ES made 15 yr kids into 19 yr old ones in only three years???
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That is truly amazing, James.
Following up the Brandon Allen transfer, he scored Nashville’s first goal last night in their 3-1 win in the 3rd round of the USOpen Cup against the side that took down Undy Eleven, Mississippi Brilla I believe.
Vision.
Philosophy.
Plan.
Ernie is an infrastructure guy. Or at least that is what he was brought in here to do.
So considering the Unions resources he hasn’t done a terrible job.
NOTE: This is in response to A. The comments section has bee nmessing up for me today…
SEriously? I hear this attitude and its crap. These players were 15 years old when he got here. There is a BIG FUCKING GAP between “promising 15 year old” and “signed to the first team, got proper development at the USL level and is now following producing at the MLS level.”
Like what do you think ES was doing the past 3 years? Do you think he skipped out of Academy meetings when Trustys name was uttered? Do you think Curtin tied him to the chair when they were going to talk about how to best develop Real?
What a joke. ES was the head of ALL SOCCER operations for 3 years. Give him the fucking credit he deserves for turning promising 15 years olds into 19 year old producing MLS players.
So the GM identified the talent that was already in the system. All these players had been hyped by Curtin long before Earnie got here. I’m not saying he didn’t help develop them but lets not go crazy on giving him the most credit for these players. Give Jim Curtin credit for working with these players since they were kids and now incorporating them into the first team. It’s hard to say who deserves what credit and what blame in a lot of things. I think Earnie really did help streamline the process and get everything working together, but the whole visions was there before him. I think the most credit to these players developing belongs to the players themselves.
As I think about it, the more I think that the final assessment of Earnie’s tenure with the Union might come down to how one player plays for the rest of this season, and that player is Borek Dockal.
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CAM was the area of identified, gigantic need going back a full year ago. Yet Stewart waited until February to pull the trigger, even though doing so put the player behind schedule in fitness, acclimating to the league, and learning the system and his teammates. And the guy is quite expensive (though presumably the Union aren’t paying all of his salary). Basically, that was the linchpin signing for this season, which looks to be Earnie’s last. And it’s only a one-year loan, not a long-term move.
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If Dockal plays (mostly) the way he did against RSL, then he was a savvy European signing (in a league where the creativity comes almost exclusively from Latin America), we’re a very competitive team, we might well make the playoffs, and I’ll count Earnie’s brief tenure a success.
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If Dockal (mostly) reverts to how he’s been for the prior 8 matches, then he was a huge bust, we have no one else who can play the position, there’s yet ANOTHER season down the rabbit hole… and I would have to count Earnie’s tenure a failure.
He’s not even signed for next year. Technically he’s on loan and the Chinese team want him back.
Union hosting Richmond in the next round of the Open Cup. If they win, they’ll be on the road against DC-North Carolina winner.
So if Earnie leaves before the summer window we can throw out the youth plan and pick up a 35 year old Colombian? Right? That’s what I want. That’s what we all want! Where’s Coudet at nowadays?
On Stewart leaving, meh.
This wasn’t meant for here. Apparently James isn’t the only one having trouble today.
For me it’s all about who we hire next. ES wasn’t a failure, but he was a resounding success either. He jump started the – Vision Philosophy Plan – The Elephant is always talking about, and that is vitally important. He brought in a guy like Fafa, (kind of off the scrap heap) who has proven to be a quality player in MLS. He also didn’t fire Curtin, when he clearly had just cause to do so and is paying Jay Simpson $600k to sit on a bench.
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With that said, again… for me it’s all about who is next. I was shocked the Union paid to acquire a guy like Stewart to come in and fix the mess that was the Nowak/Sak debacle. So maybe we are surprised again and a guy like Ali Curtis is brought in. He knows a how to run a team in MLS and for me, would show the fans that the organization still gives a shit and wants to get better. If they do nothing and let’s say, Albright runs the ship, we are in big trouble.
Albright apprenticed under Ernie, it’s strange you would label the Union being in big trouble if one of his pupils took over. Ali Curtis got fired for a reason and hasn’t been interviewed for any positions since. Makes you wonder why, no?
I suppose Ali Curtis, although I wouldn’t mind him specifically, is a metaphor for – not Albright. I want someone who isn’t inside the organization. Someone who can look at Curtin objectively and make a decision. Someone who has experience in the league and is respected. I don’t want Albright or anyone already here because that to me, means more of the same: 7th-8th place finish… Curtin… 4-2-3-1, etc.
i agree with all of this this. it’s a mixed bag. any competent hire would’ve built upon the academy and brought Vision Philosophy Plan through to first team. but the team didn’t get better, his coach didn’t get better and it had contributed to the organization’s sinking. i’m looking at his tenure more as a what could’ve been rather than look at what we’re losing.
another season of an uphill battle that i’m considering a loss. so now what’s the move?
I don’t think he jump started the VPP at all. If that was the case the academy, train facility, and Steel wouldn’t have existed before he tenure. He without a doubt improved it, but the general outline was already there.
I’ve pretty much agreed with everything you’ve said. The way I see it Stewart brought a professionalism and corporate backbone to the Union. Gave them a way to implement their blueprint. His on the field moves have been hit or miss and even downright suspect when it comes to the #10 position. Maybe his true impact won’t come through till later on down the line. As of yet, I’m still luke warm on his tenure.
So if/when Stewart goes, who IS hiring his replacement? I know it was basically Curtin and Albright that got Stewart interested, but do we trust the blind squirrels to do it again?