Photo Credit: Philadelphia Union
Union
Curtin talks about the first week of preseason.
Highlights of the 3-2 victory in the scrimmage against the Red Bulls.
The final back tag winners for the 10th season jerseys have been announced.
Local
Steel trio Michee Ngalina, Ben Ofeimu and Zach Zandi all saw some action in the Union scrimmage against NYRB.
Jeremiah White, who is from the Philly area and played in Europe for about six years discusses his experiences with racism in European soccer.
MLS
Atlanta sells Miguel Almiron to Newcastle in a record-breaking transfer of $27 million. The fee has not yet been confirmed, only heavily reported and Atlanta confirmed it will break Alphonso Davies’ fee of $22 million.
Sebastian Giovinco has been transferred from Toronto to Al-Hilal FC in Saudi Arabia.
Curtin won’t be missing the two in weeks one and three.
The 2019 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup schedule and format have been released.
Mauricio Pochettino says he’d be willing to manage a MLS club in the future.
International superstar, Wayne Rooney talks about how he flies economy with the team.
US
A behind the scenes look at the USMNT’s 3-0 victory over Panama.
The USMNT will play Costa Rica in a friendly on Saturday at 3:30pm. Here’s MLS’ Warshaw’s starting XI.
World
10 things to look out for in the Premier League this weekend.
Europe’s transfer window closed.
A record crowd of 48,121 attended a women’s soccer match in Spain, between Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid.
Jim gave us a tell in his post match interview. He knows his job is on the line. Results are paramount.
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The best 11 and those players “most able and quick to adapt to the new system will play…”
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…then we read about how hard it is to sign players and blah blah blah…. as though it only appears to be a problem in this city. Because I am convinced the only MLS team who suffers when it comes to the countless things that have to occur for this to go right… is Union.
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the cheap shit mentality rears its head again and again and again and again and again. Such a bummer.
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Union have been at this for 10 years and an academy now operating for 5 and have sold exactly ZERO players. ZERO.
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Derrick Jones is arguably best player on the field in a world cup, plays pretty stellar in first couple of games of the season last year, gets benched—turns out to be stalwart for Steel with highlight reel shit… yet ‘just isn’t ready.’
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If I’m Derrick Jones, and I’m sitting behind Warren C with a potential lame duck manager who knows he has to perform– when for years the company line was “there’s no pressure” and still couldn’t get on the field – I’m trying to get the fuck out of here asap. Literally his career is going to be over and he’ll get sold to Las Vegas Lights… which incidentally, playing for Wynalda wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, but you get my point.
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Same for Matt Real. Kid captained his National Team… you can’t possibly tell me Fabinho is the solution in this position.
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Oh so interesting to see how this preseason plays out…
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all I know is– if Haris and Warren and Fabinho and Alejandro are featured players and Ilsinho is the CM… I’m like– Tony the Tiger…They’re great…
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Oh hey did you see Almiron was transfered for $25,000,000 after being brought to Atlanta for $10,000,000 I believe… His salary was $2.2 million last year.
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Literally, what are they doing.
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No really. What are they doing.
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this is how you chose to start the year with me…. stream the damn preseason games.
The Elephant speaking truth to power. Don’t ever stop.
*Slow clap into a resounding crescendo
Lucid.
+1
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Well put.
Erudite!
I would add only one factual observation to everything that the Mighty Elephant has trumpeted.
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It is possible, repeat possible, notice the uncertainty of conditionality here, that Matt Real may not be the best left back on the U20s. Somebody else was starting ahead of him at the end and made the Concacaf all-U20 championship team along with McKenzie.
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The other possibility is that there may have been an unpublicized injury, but the other kid made the tournament best XI.
Watching a good share of Bethlehem Steel games last year because of the excellent deal you get when subscribing to ESPN+, I agree that Jones looked good on the Steel. He seemed to dominate in USL because of the time he had to make decisions, but had a tendency to turn the ball over in MLS when the pace of the game picked up.
The fact that the team made the playoffs with two teenagers getting huge minutes should get some credit in the rant. Spend money is what everyone shouts but maybe sign language is what’s needed.
For real with the teenagers?
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I’m all about youth but don’t come at me with playoffs and teenagers when NYCFC are set to sign Alex Mitrita for $9,000,000…after recently signing Keaton Parks.
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while Union are about to ink Michee Ngalina for what— $60K or $70K.
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I have a universally known language sign for this.
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I agreed with the money, I guess you missed that. But one who thought they made good judgement with Keegan seems to be picking and choosing when it comes to when they think the youth is ready or not. “\_(°~°)_/”
“Union have been at this for 10 years and an academy now operating for 5 and have sold exactly ZERO players. ZERO.”
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My dude, it’s like you’ve totally forgotten the sale of Mike Lahoud to Miami FC.
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We’ve sold ONE player. As you were.
The McKenzie situation has me intrigued. With Warshaw adding him to his starting 11 (yes I realize this means nothing), if he doesn’t even make the bench do we start to get concerned USSF is playing politics?
At least we have back tags! Who needs a #10?
+1
Good news about Balotelli—he is now 68 miles closer to philly than he was earlier this month. Almost here. Maybe by2022?
Good for the union to realize they need to save that unspent money for summer transfers. Such foresight. So smart!!
UnionGoal
Good news about Balotelli—he is now 68 miles closer to philly than he was earlier this month. Almost here. Maybe by2022?
Good for the union to realize they need to save that unspent money for summer transfers. Such foresight. So smart!!
UnionGoal
I was so close to getting tickets after declining for 2 years. I just can’t do it. I just need to vent. Where is the signing to replace Dockal and the starting LB? Is it still a priority? Am I surprised? Not really. I sincerely believe that Ernst is trying. However does it really need to be this hard? The signing of Santos is intriguing, but is that it? I still say that what’s left of this fan base, in what is a top sports and media market, deserves better than a consistent 10 year strive to be mediocre. It’s great that we have a top 5(?) academy. However, Philadelphia deserves better than an underwhelming inability to bring in at least 2 top DP talents. It should be embarrassing to any competent and financially competitive ownership that the Union are rarely (if ever) mentioned nationally or even locally after 10 years.
Ed Farnsworth, managing editor emeritus, used to do a tremendous service by transcribing audiovisual events, press conferences, into text. He took a half-hour event and condensed the time to digest it by at least 2/3rds, depending on reading speed.
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I refer to Ed because none or few of us have either the time or the patience to listen to a 50 minute video, especially one that starts with over 5 minutes of dead silence. I refer to the Tanner/McDermott Q & A from about ten or so days ago.
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I am a hunt-and-peck typist so I cannot transcribe the event. My ears were struck by three things, all from McDermott.
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1. The Union spent 3 1/2 million last year on the Academy. He claimed that was the highest amount spent on one.
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2. A year or so ago, they bought the old Chester Power Station office building in which they have always had their HQ. They intend to lease space to other companies, etc.
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3 they recently have also bought the pieces of their “campus” that they had previously not owned.
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McDermott hen speculatively envisaged some possibilities for the campus.
We critics need to be aware, whether we like it or not, that these items are on the agenda for the organization as a whole.
Agree Tim. Just might be the elephant gets wheeled into the arena in a wheelchair… one or two marbles, plate for the incisors,… britches that are shit brown and 70 years out of date watching our beloved MLS III team play in MLS 3K. At least by then the Delaware will have oxbowed around the stadium, roads will no longer be needed leaving Commodore Barry forlorn and Talen First Island Field.
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I hope not. But all harbingers point this way.