Ilsi…I mean Selmir with a lil bit of spice #DOOP | #VamosLaU | #PHIvPumas 3-0 pic.twitter.com/4pXtHZqNai
— X – Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) September 8, 2019
Photo: Marjorie Elzey
Philadelphia Union
The Union defeated Pumas UNAM 3-0 in a friendly on Saturday night.
Also on Saturday, Bethlehem Steel drew North Carolina FC 3-3 on the road.
This upcoming Saturday is kid’s night when the Union take on LAFC.
You can check out the rest of the Hispanic Heritage month events here.
MLS
The Union are no longer in first. NYCFC took over with a 2-1 win over New England.
A depleted LAFC went to Orlando and came out with a draw.
What to take away from a short MLS week.
Get the ball in the box and good things happen?
Currently, the Union would host the Revs in the playoffs.
World
The USMNT lost to rivals Mexico 3-0 on Friday night in the Meadowlands.
The USMNT is apparently making progress, but only Gregg Berhalter can see it.
2022 World Cup qualifiers have already started in Africa.
For Robert Lewandowski, soccer is just a game he’s really good at.
Atletico Madrid turns to crypto-currency.
Philly Unity Cup
The elimination games have started. Here were the matchups from the weekend.
I don’t know about anyone else but I enjoyed Haris’s first half, 45 minute, “interview” on the stream. Didn’t really miss the play by play. Though sound levels could have been better.
Agree with all of that. Haris was fun to listen to. And Adam always does a good job talking soccer.
Does anyone else have the gut feeling that it will take failing to qualify for 2022 for US Soccer to be forced they admit they made a mistake in hiring Berhalter. Apparently my eye for the game isn’t very keen, because I’m not seeing the “progress”.
He’s building a system and it takes some time. Clearly Mexico is well ahead of the USMNT at this moment but I can’t see them moving away unless they don’t qualify as he deserves that chance.
I mean, they did waste a year waiting to hire him. And his brother is the Chief Operating Officer for US Soccer. And they didn’t look at Tata because he “doesn’t speak English.”
.
It just feels like US Soccer refused to learn anything from the last cycle.
+1— John.
.
Greg Berhalter is in a swimming pool, trying to stop a whirlpool a whole bunch of kids made when we were 10 and 11…
.
Takes time. Is not easy to do ‘alone’…. I would like to see some different player selections…
.
…too many defensive minded midfielders… and then there’s Zardes, who by all accounts is a top top human… but just not very good at soccer the way GB is trying to organize and fulfill it.
.
What I am most hopeful for is a commitment to changing the culture of how we play. Many seems to think it is too much, but I do not… I think we are on the cusp of it and it may just be the generational culture right behind the current sitting youngest members of team: CP, WM, JS, etc.
.
This is what needs to change, and hopefully Berhalter has recognized it in the short term.
Just saw what the qualifying procedure for CONCACAF for 2022 and it is MESSED UP! The top 6 teams in the FIFA rankings as of next June go straight to the Hex where the top 3 go to Qatar. 4th place in the Hex plays a home and home against the winner of a tournament involving the other 29 teams to determine who goes to the Intercontinental Playoff. The June date could make even less sense give that the finals for the CONCACAF Nations League don’t happen until June so they probably won’t count. At least the US is comfortably ranked 2nd right now and still has 4 games left against Cuba and Canada in the Nations Cup to get some more points.
Yeah very odd qualifying procedure by Concacaf. But I guess it’s to give the Nations League and Gold Cup ’21 more precedence in a way. Sure you go straight to the Hex, but the biggest news I see is that the Hex starts in September next year and 6 out of the 10 matches are played before 2020 ends! And no qualifying matches in the summer of ’21 with the Gold Cup. So basically it’s make or break this time next year for Greg Berhalter. In that way, I kinda like it, because it forces urgency. As for nations 7-36 playing just to play the 4th place team, that’s somewhat silly to me, kinda giving a backdoor entry almost. But they’re giving everyone a chance I guess at the same time.