Photo: Earl Gardner
Philadelphia Union
Ahead of tomorrow’s Open Cup semifinal, a really nice read on the 100-year history of Chicago v. Philadelphia soccer rivalries.
MLS
A loophole in MLS’ free agency policy could prove costly for some veteran players.
Some moves ahead of the MLS transfer deadline:
- Krisztian Nemeth returns to SKC
- Juan Agudelo is receiving offers from Spain and Turkey
- And in this edition of Why Didn’t the Union Make this Move? we have LAFC acquiring striker Christian Ramirez from Minnesota United
FC Cincinnati is aiming for 25,000 season tickets for the club’s inaugural 2019 MLS season.
With the USL returning to Austin with Bold FC, what does it mean for Columbus Crew’s potential move and the city’s MLS hopes?
Speaking of — and this is very cool — #SaveTheCrew unveiled their own downtown stadium plans. The 24/7 futsal courts are something every MLS team should be doing.
Meanwhile, an Ohio judge pressed pause on another lawsuit aimed to prevent the Crew’s move to Texas.
World
To the dismay of the club’s supporters trust, American rich guy and jabroni Stan Kroenke intends to purchase 100% ownership of Arsenal.
20-year-old Jamaican international and Bayern Leverkusen star Leon Bailey may be on his way to the Premier League. Which has made yours truly wonder: Why was Andre Blake unable to make a move to the English top flight? No, seriously, I still don’t understand.
If it’s your jam: The Guardian is running an in-depth preview of all 20 Premier League teams.
Ramirez was $1M. After spending on Accam and Sapong, this club is out of money. They gambled on 2 guys, assuming at least one would make a major difference. Or they would combine to make a major difference. They lost that bet and now they are screwed.
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Sucks…but nothing is happening until February. Not that I am expecting a move for Gareth Bale or anything…
You mean, nothing is happening until March once the team is already in Florida training, then our new moneyball stud gets to work into his fitness for the following two months.
YUP
so true…
Sorry…Yes, that was precisely what I meant. My bad.
Can’t wait for that early-season sluggishness from our shiny new toy unearthed from the Euro Bargain Bin!
How/why have they not tried to unload Simpson last year/last winter/this transfer window? Sell the man at a loss, at least you get some money back that we can use rather than paying out so much for a practice squad guy!
Leon Bailey has never played a senior match for Jamaica and could potentially play for England, Belgium or Germany. That’s why he should be able to get a work permit to play in England.
Ah, thank you for that! Didn’t realize he was eligible elsewhere.
Absolutely, you’re welcome.
But I still don’t think this adequately answers the question as to why Blake hasn’t been moved to Europe. Might be hard to get a visa in the UK, but that shouldn’t preclude France, Germany, Portugal, Netherlands, Italy, etc. Stewart has said he’s never received a call for Blake, if I remember correctly. I don’t believe it.
i thought it was that PL/UEFA/whoever doesn’t recognize Jamaica as a top country for talent. can’t recall exactly but that’s what i recall reading here.
The PL has a pretty good history of Carribean players from the old colonies, I think. Don’t know about the rest of Europe, but that would just mean a bias was in play rather than a real issue over visas. That may very well be the case.
http://www.goal.com/en-us/amp/news/andre-blake-among-jamaican-standouts-paying-price-for/isgkn2fmvgsq145u0j2r9ok8w
It was just the UK because Jamaica is outside the Top 50 FIFA rank.
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Other countries/jurisdictions use other criteria for the issuance of work/residency permits.
When I once heard Stewart comment on Blake, the exact words were “formal offer” if my memory can be trusted, itself an iffy proposition.
props to #savethecrew for that presentation. real thought and energy went into that. agree with the futsal. Kenney is a good ally with Unity Cup support. if Parks & Rec and mayor’s office could get this for many of the parks in the city, it’d lead to other awesome cup and community events
Interesting read…
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http://www.espn.com/soccer/english-premier-league/23/blog/post/3585632/espns-luck-index-smashes-cliche-that-luck-evens-out-over-time