Photo: John Osborn
Philadelphia Union
Philly.com spoke to Talen’s groundskeeper about the horrible state of the pitch.
Tranquillo Barnetta is officially retiring.
Union Academy defender/midfielder Brandan Craig is off to Italy as part of the U.S. U-15 team.
The latest episode of the Union’s Pitchside Podcast features goalkeeper Matt Freese. Also, his alma mater wrote about him.
I’m assuming Picault got into a car accident:
Everyday before I step out of my home I pray for traveling mercy. Then I call my parents and we pray together. #Godsprotection #devilisaliar #soldier 🙏🏾💪🏾✊🏾 pic.twitter.com/wpvWfzSpGK
— Fafa Picault (@Fafagoal23) April 23, 2019
MLS
Sporting KC‘s got more injuries than wins at the moment.
Awww, Jozy Altidore and Toronto FC president Bill Manning have hugged it out and made up.
ESPN has an update on Inter Miami.
MLS’ shrinking rookie class.
Pretty cute: MLS logos with rival teams’ colors.
MLS is getting a new general counsel from the NFL. Good news for wifebeaters, I guess.
NWSL
Out of five contenders for the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year, three play in the National Women’s Soccer League.
Alanna Kennedy‘s bicycle kick is the NWSL’s Goal of the Week.
U.S. Soccer
The New York Times Book Review interviewed Abby Wambach as she’s out hawking her book, Wolfpack.
A promoter has sued the U.S. Soccer Federation over a proposed Ecuador match in Florida.
Around the globe
Three youth clubs in the Carolinas have merged, calling themselves the Charlotte Independence Soccer Club. They’re boasting almost 12,000 players.
Monterrey refused to release Jonathan Gonzalez so he can play for Mexico in the U-20 World Cup.
Southampton’s Shane Long scored the quickest Premier League goal at 7.69 seconds.
Stephanie Frappart will be the first female referee in Ligue 1 when she keeps an eye on Amiens and Strasbourg this weekend.
Highlight of the day
I spent last week in Sweden and Copenhagen and caught two football matches. The featured image in today’s roundup is F.C. Copenhagen’s supporters section before kickoff in a playoff match. I also attended a game in Malmö, Sweden:
![F.C. Copenhagen (a.k.a. F.C. København [FCK]), supporters section, April 18, 2019. Attended by PSP's John Osborn.](https://phillysoccerpage.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/IMG_0174-310x233.jpg)
Isn’t Charlotte in North Carolina? Is it the pollen or am I missing something.
Indeed.
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To be fair, one of the clubs (“Discoveries”) does look to be based in SC.
Charlotte is pretty much on the border of the two states.
“MLS is getting a new general counsel from the NFL. Good news for wifebeaters, I guess.”
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Or MLS is getting ready for the CBA discussions with the Charmin-soft MLSPA.
“she oversees all commercial, intellectual property, mass tort, labor and employment, insurance recovery, antitrust, and class action litigation involving the NFL and its affiliated companies. She has led the NFL’s most high-profile litigations, including the League’s ongoing multi-district litigation and landmark concussion class action settlement, the right of publicity class action brought by retired players relating to the use of historic game footage, the class action filed by retired players alleging that they suffer from injuries resulting from the alleged improper administration of prescription painkillers during their playing days, antitrust claims relating to the televised distribution of Sunday Ticket and an antitrust challenge by the players’ union during the 2011 lockout.”
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She’s basically an assassin. MLSPA (think Taylor Twellman) has been making noise about concussions. Outside of a Will Smith movie, NFL pretty much diverted and shutdown the concussion stuff. She handles labor litigation and the NFLPA is widely acknowledged to get its collective ass handed to it in every labor conversation. MLSPA gonna get curbstomped.
Useful scottymac. Thanks.
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Makes one wonder what will be on the table.
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All that comes to mind immediately is charter flights for travel.
Concussion is too high profile in youth sport consciousness to be simply squashed. The league would take aPR black eye. Might be an attempt to come up with a better concussion protocol.
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The issue of labor law and youth signings might be out there. And compensation for youth clubs investments.
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Interesting.
There’s also a conflux of attorneys who crossover from other leagues and big law firms with a sports management business. Proskauer Rose is one where you see a lot of networking. Also, really great to see a more diverse hire on this one, as general counsels in sports are overwhelmingly white guys in their 40s.
OK, so then why is she leaving the NFL for MLS?
Money. Prestige. Challenge. Who can say.
Reasons entirely her own I would assume.
Thanks, very helpful.