Breaking Union and #ElTriEng news…@MarcoFabian_10 tells me he expects to be out 1-2 weeks with a sprained ankle. He won’t play vs. #IMFC on Saturday and probably not at #VWFC on April 27. Odds are he’s back for the May 1 game vs. #FCCincy:https://t.co/KMkMxawkbn#doop pic.twitter.com/osf8Wv0WnN
— Jonathan Tannenwald (@thegoalkeeper) April 16, 2019
Philadelphia Union
Marco Fabian picked up an ankle sprain Saturday in LA. He’s expected to miss 1-2 weeks.
Bethlehem Steel lost 2-1 last night in a hard fought match against Charlotte.
After scoring a brace, Kacper Przybylko was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week.
The U17 team defeated Sporting KC 2-0 in the GA Cup. They face the Vancouver Whitecaps next while looking for their third straight win.
The Union dropped a spot in the MLS Power Rankings. They now sit at 11th after the defeat at LA Galaxy.
MLS
“Playoffs??? We’re talking about playoffs??”. It’s early, but these are the current playoff matchups. The Union would head to Toronto.
Remember when these guys were in MLS? Here’s how they’re doing abroad.
Another MLS vs. Liga MX battle. The Union U15s will represent the league in the U15 edition of the GA Cup.
Did the U17 Seattle Sounders beat the best academy in the world?
Who lifts more silverware, LAFC or Seattle?
World
Barcelona is through to the Champions League semi-finals. Lionel Messi scored a brace (with some help from David De Gea).
Don’t doubt the kids! Ajax does it again, this time shocking Ronaldo and Juventus. Its their first UCL semifinal appearance since 1997.
Will Liverpool keep Porto at bay to reach consecutive semi-finals? The winner gets to face Barcelona in the next round.
If you were Ajax, would you rather have Manchester City or Tottenham next?
Ignorance is bliss? Apparently for Wayne Hennessey it is.
Hi Sean: Don’t get much feedback on the Canadian Premier League which starts next weekend. Your thoughts on its promise to follow the club model instead of the franchise model of MLS. i.e promotion and relagation
It’s definitely interesting. It kinda reminds me of USL now with their separate divisions. Also they don’t have a lot of teams in bigger cities, they do have York 9 FC playing in Toronto. They’re more focused on smaller cities, (Winnipeg, Halifax, Hamilton, Edmonton and Calgary) since you have MLS teams in the bigger cities. The attendance numbers should be able to tell a lot about interest levels.
That clip circling the internet of Ajax on the attack, gutting Juventus with one- and two-touch passes is stunning. A Guardian commenter said it best in the match report. The winner was football.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x75y2z4
The team that beat West Chester University for the NCAA DII National Championship was caught using ineligible players there title will probably be vacated
Links please
Came here for the Elephant’s take on Ajax…
Me too. Until then, Wow!! Ajax made me fall in love all over again…
1/5th of the regular season now over. When Fabian presumably returns on May 1 it will be 1/4th. DP, highest paid player.
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His MLS regular season stat line May 1st (again assuming that is his return) will be:
5 games played out of 9 possible
5 starts
334 minutes
2 goals
0 assists
2 yellow cards
1 straight red card
2 games missed through suspension
2 games missed through injury
1 foul committed that lead to a goal
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I bring this up because, if I remember correctly, he was signed to a 1 year deal with consecutive team options for an additional 2 years. With the emergence of Aaronson and the admitted limited finances of the team, is this good enough to justify bringing him back next year or does Tanner start to think about scouting for another DP (say a striker!) to sign in the coming offseason and let Fabian walk? Have to be proactive and smart about these things – especially with limited resources.
Let’s look at it once the season is over. Dockal didn’t do much of anything until this point last season and ended up leading the league in assists.
Agreed, and for the record I hope he catches fire. But Tanner and the organization can’t sit pat until the end of the season. They need to start a contingency plan now. Tanner was cautious enough in the contract – one year with team options. Would not suprise at all if he goes a different direction if Fabian does not kick on.
I feel you, CPfeif, but also hear Kevin1813. Let’s give it some more time. He was finding his feet and then got that bush league suspension. This unlucky injury is completed unrelated to his injury history.
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Big opportunity for him in May with five home games. Wishing him a speedy recovery and all the best. By the beginning of June we could be singing a very different tune.
And Aaronson is still quite young. He had two excellent showings, but was less effective against LA Galaxy.
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We saw an example of the need for young players to build up their stamina and endurance last night in Charlotte. Ngalina and Faris both went 90 three days after they had gone 90, and it showed in the immediacy of the transition to defending.
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Those two were by no means the only ones to show fatigue, they are the easiest examples because they were such standouts in each of the previous two matches.
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aaronson will need help and support to reach his prime. Judicious rest is part of that. When all are healthy, there are now 5 high caliber MFs, so it becomes possible without dropping quality.