Daily news roundups

News roundup: Union beat Red Bulls, NWSL restarts Sept. 5, Messi causes social media meltdown

Photo: Paul Rudderow

Philadelphia Union

Here’s our match recap from the Union’s 1-0 win over the Red Bulls.

Jim Curtin revealed post-match that offseason signing Matej Oravec, who is yet to feature for the club, is away with the Slovakian U-21 national team.

MLS

In midweek action last night:

  • D.C. 1-2 New England
  • Chicago 3-0 Cincinnati
  • Montreal 2-0 Vancouver
  • Kansas City 2-5 Houston

LAFC’s Carlos Vela is out indefinitely with a left knee injury.

NWSL

The league is returning to competition with an 18-match fall series starting on September 5th.

Around the globe

Lionel Messi’s transfer request to leave Barcelona prompted a social media meltdown.

Wolfsburg topped Barcelona, 1-0, to reach the women’s Champions League final.

Ajax defender Daley Blind had to be substituted during a preseason match against Hertha Berlin when his implanted defibrillator went off.

Strict rules and player sacrifices allowed Europe’s leagues to complete their schedules. But the coronavirus hasn’t abated, and the new season brings new risks.

Which clubs have statues of people who did not play for them? Plus other footie questions answered by The Guardian.

12 Comments

  1. I watched that game last night and thought to myself for the firtst 60 minutes…when NY sat back and conflated the midfield, thereby nullifying any service to Martinez, the Union could have shifted tactics and used Haris to drop deep in between the centerbacks to build the game… because, I guess el Brujo does not have the ability authority or approval to do so…
    .
    …then I remembered Haris plays for Cincinnati now and thought it through a shade further and decided, when those opportunities arise, I’d like to see Maritnez and Montiero switch positions… I am certain, Montiero could play the 6 beautifully and act as a deep lying play maker… forcing the CB wide and the OB high and drawing Red Bull midfielders out of the middle to create space… Aaronson drop a shade deeper to keep the lines together. And build a game. That is not the methodology however.
    .
    Credit to Union for figuring out how to manage the Red Bulls tactics… for awhile last night, I thought Curtin was getting out managed. They stuck with their plan started spreading the ball wide and began opening the game up that way… In truth, Union were the better team in almost ever phase of the game… this is a food for thought experiment for when other teams choose to keep the Union in front of them and not press (which is going to happen more and more)… oh and while I appreciate tommy’s ebullient love of Blake (earned no doubt as he’s been stellar) it still annoyes me to no end, when he waves everybody up the field for a 50-50 ball aganist a team content not to press.
    .
    I do miss fafa a bit that was the oter thou…. the team has no runners…and runners… win games. Runners, win big games… The ability to get behind a defense is not a threat at all with this team and a wide presence with speed is sorely missed.
    .
    I thought Glesnes was excellent. Ray very good too save the one turnover which was ghastly. I thought Mark McKenzie had an up and down outing. and Wagner was excellent as well. Any time a clean sheet is kept, kudos to the crew manning the back lines.
    .

    Otherwise, good stuff. It was tough for me to watch for awhile, but generally am happy with how the game went.

    • Thanks for the thoughts. I thought the Union looked much better than they did against the Revs. They combined better through midfield (Whereas against the Revs they turned the ball over too much), they looked to play forward more (whereas against the Revs Kascper seemed to play every ball to him backwards), and It felt like they won more 50/50s and second balls (Whereas they seemed to get beaten to every second ball against the Revs).
      .
      It was just one game, but they definitely showed better and played better more attractive soccer like you always ask them to. We will have to see which Union show up for the next game.
      .
      Side note: I’d still like to see more minutes from Fontana in some of these games.

  2. In Tanner We Trust says:

    Anyone see the Messi news about a possible MLS clause? Just when I thought City Football Group couldn’t get any more annoying…

  3. McKenzie’s left foot on long diagonals to the right wing were impressive, but Red Bulls was playing for him to undercut, and he did twice, both nearly disastrously.
    .
    Glesnes is a little more exposed for pace than Elliot, perhaps it’s those extra four inches of legs on th Englishman.
    .
    To me the game changed when Red Bulls stopped letting the Union center backs start play unopposed.
    .
    I like Fritz’s comment about runners, and wish that I knew why Michee Ngalina has seen not a minute since preseason. He’s got the pace and the ball skills. Cory Burke would help were he here.
    .
    I wonder if the NY decision to sit back in the first half ws taken when they saw that the best Union CB distributor, Elliott, was on the bench?
    .

  4. Scott of Nazareth says:

    Weston McKinnie to Juve?

  5. Oravec sounds like a bust. Any time I hear him mentioned by the Union the word ‘confidence’ is always involved. I wonder if the move have him play for the U21s is an opportunity to shop him around some. It certainly means he won’t be playing for the U any time soon with quarantine protocols in place.
    .
    Is Tanner trying to make him a project for next year? Or is it time to cut bait and free up some TAM?

    • In Tanner We Trust says:

      I don’t think it’s time to panic yet. I think Martinez performed even better than they expected and they recognized the value of Oravec getting consistent minutes. It’s hard to call anyone who qualifies for a U21 team a bust. He’s still young.

  6. That headline photo of Aaronson getting cleated is brutal!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*