Photo: 215Pix
Philadelphia Union
The Union made a statement Saturday night, winning 3-1 against Atlanta United.
What they’re saying in the Peach State.
National coverage of the match.
Both Kacper Przybylko and Haris Medunjanin are named in the MLS Team of the Week. Brenden Aaronson makes the bench.
Jim Curtin is once again the MLS Coach of the Week.
MLS
What Matt Doyle makes of another big weekend in MLS.
And what Bobby Warshaw thinks.
Here’s the rest of the Team of the Week.
Is Mario Manotas off to Europe?
Should LAFC panic because they lost at home? (No, no they shouldn’t).
The Union would have a first round bye if the playoffs started today.
World
The weekly Christian Pulisic update is here.
Here’s how other Americans featured abroad.
And the USMNT roster for their upcoming friendlies.
Racism in soccer hasn’t gotten any better.
After all the rumors, Neymar will stay at PSG.
Philly Unity Cup
There were no matches played this weekend. Here are how the groups look at the end of group play.
Hey……. Timothy Herring…
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Today is a good day to: vent, repeat what we’ve said here 100x about Nick Sakiewicz, Real Estate and and and and and vex and bitch and moan about —-an owner with a ‘small’ pocketbook —–who has managed to entrust a young OJT coach and steer a franchise through a GM who was helpful but used MLS for a National Team gig– then hired a guy who has quickly adapted to MLS with a style not unlike the reigning Champion’s League Reds with a dynamic team sitting in first place almost 40 weeks into a season. Maybe it all falls apart… Maybe. Or maybe they are just good enough to make MLS Finals. Maybe in a One Game knockout…. they just might be good enough.
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Today is a good day…. to — come around and try to temper use with ‘Facts’
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As for me… I’m just pretty happy my St Patty’s day prediction about ‘looming clouds over Talen from Citizen’s Bank Park and the Boys of Summer never came to fruition…. at least not in the sense it was intended.
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Congrats to Union, First Team. Carry On.
Red Herring
/ˈˌred ˈheriNG/
noun.
something… that is or is intended to be misleading or distracting
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I’ll choose “distracting” for the timing.
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“Carry on,” indeed.
Took a look at the schedule and despite the fact that when the Union game ended Saturday night, NYCFC had 3 games in hand, by the time the Union go into the last 30 minutes or so against LAFC, the Union will be the team with the game in hand. So we should have a much better idea of where the Union stand by then, depending on how NYCFC does in the meantime.
Yea it’s not really “fair” (or perhaps appropriate for a top-tier professional league) that a team is that far behind in games played, but to make it worse the 3 games they have to make up are all at home. They even get San Jose and Atlanta at home. It’s ridiculous that a team that didn’t have major renovations or open a new stadium is backloaded like that because they share a baseball stadium.
Personally, I think a new MLS rule starting next season should be that teams who play home matches on a field that doesn’t meet FIFA’s minimum dimensions should only get two points for home wins instead of three (the away team would still get three points if they win). Maybe that would finally force NYC to get their act together.
Even though the U have the toughest strength of schedule left (3rd in MLS vs middle of the pack for Atl, NYC, DC & RB)…
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NYC has 6 games over 21 days but a week off before we play them in the final game
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ATL has 5 games over 15 days – one of which is at NYC so there will be some split points
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RB have a similar schedule to U but we get them at home after a long week
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DC only has 4 games left but will split points with RB along the way
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Yes NYC and Atl have games in hand, but it’s at a tough time in the season to have them. They both will get a work out going into playoffs. Atl was complaining about being tired this wknd, they don’t have much of a let up…
There’s no question it’s a crammed schedule, but they also more rest up until this point, theoretically at least, but my issue is that NYCFC does not leave home for a 3-game week. That’s a HUGE advantage, even more so considering their stadium is an advantage in its own right. If they had to travel midweek, like when we go to San Jose and they host Atlanta, I’d have a different take on it.
Isn’t this fun?
Bad schedules.
Bad stadiums.
Bad timing.
Six points separate second to out of the playoffs in the West and top three teams in the East by three points.
Parity parity parity.
September games should be epic to watch.