Daily news roundups / Featured

MacMath to train with Everton, Adu on past & future plans, more news

Photo: Nicolae Stoian

Philadelphia Union

Following a report from SBI, the Union confirmed via Twitter that Zac MacMath will train overseas in the offseason with Everton.The tweet also said that Cristhian Hernandez would be training with Real Sociedad.

Soon after, this brief announcement appeared on the Union website which indicated that MacMath and Hernandez will leave today to begin their three week training stints in Europe.

John Hackworth’s final press conference of 2013 will be streamed live on the Union website at 1:30pm. Hopefully he’ll have more details about Union players training overseas.

In an interview with the BBC World Football podcast (it starts at 19:40), Freddy Adu talks about his career, the pressure and high expectations he faced from the start, and his plans for the future. He says, “I actually have a full season under my belt at a place where I’m wanted and I feel good about being. And I did some great things this year but I know I can do better and hopefully next year I’ll do better and just go from there…Now, I’m happy and I’m enjoying my football again.” Adu says he’s wants to have another season of MLS under his belt before returning to Europe.

An article on BBC Sport says of Adu, “He may not be equipped with the skills to be considered the next anyone in particular, but perhaps he may be better equipped to succeed than ‘wonderkid’ Freddy Adu.”

Here’s an absolutely terrible article about Freddy Adu from MLS Talk. It says nothing new while managing to say nothing new poorly and also fails to deliver on its headline.

According to the Brotherly Game, “sources within the Union organization” say that the team is targeting noted homophobe Antonio Cassano, whose name is the basis of the Fabio Capello-coined neologism “Cassanata,” described by Wikipedia as a word “regularly used by Italian journalists as a euphemism for any behavior incompatible with team spirit in football.”

Also rumored to be in the mix are 5’6″and 32-year-old Steed Malbranque; the declining Mathieu Flamini; and Frederic “The Nomadic” Namani, who after scoring 9 goals in 39 appearances for Monaco in 2006, has been on loan spells to five different teams during which he recorded 1 goal from 23 appearances. Not exactly a stand up and wave a flag list of names.

“A different source” tells tBG that the Union are talking to Peter Crouch. Just how they would be able to afford to get him out from the four-year, £12 million deal he signed with Stoke in 2011 is not described.

Regarding Sebastien Le Toux, “One source said that the deal with the Union was all but done, while another said that the two sides were still talking.” That, at least, sounds realistic. But, as is the case with with most stories based on anonymous sources, all you can do is wait and see.

Local

The La Salle women’s team defeated VCU 2–1 to claim its first-ever Atlantic 10 championship and book its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row. Renee Washington scored both goals, including the overtime winner to give coach Paul Royal his 100th career victory. The tournament pairings will be announced today at 4:30pm at ncaa.com.

The Archbishop Wood boys’ team defeated Franklin Towne Charter School 1–0 in overtime on Friday to claim the District 12 Class AA championship. On Wednesday, they will face the District One Class AA champion at Northeast High in the first round of the state playoffs.

Also on Friday, the La Salle boys’ team thumped Northeast 4–0 to claim the District 12 Class AAA championship. They will face the fourth place team of District One on Tuesday in the first round of the state Class AAA tournament on Tuesday.

Harrisburg Heat began the 2012-13 Professional Arena Soccer League season with a 6–2 loss to fellow expansion side Dallas Sidekicks on Saturday. The match report makes for some strange reading with its talk of quarters, powerplays, and “nice footwork along the baseboards.” PennLive.com has some back-story on the Heat.

MLS

The weekend’s playoff action began with the Nick Rimando show in Friday night’s 0–0 draw between Seattle and Real Salt Lake. On Saturday, DC and New York played to an own-goal fueled 1–1 draw with Sebastien Le Toux getting the start for the Red Bulls and Lionard Pajoy missing clear chances for DC. Sunday’s action kicked off with Houston doing the business on Kansas City for the 2–0 win. And a 94th minute 31-yard free kick from San Jose’s Víctor Bernárdez found it’s way through the LA wall and goalkeeper Josh Saunder’s hands to give the Earthquakes the 1–0 win in a game that otherwise largely sucked. It was the Earthquake’s tenth stoppage time win of the year, a list that includes their win over the Union in April.

Don Garber says that if San Jose make it to the final, the championship match will not be played at teensy-wheensy Buck Shaw Stadium.

At The Goalkeeper, Jonathan Tannenwald talks to former Union forward Lionard Pajoy about playing for DC United.

DC United is providing free transport, and the Red Bulls and MLS free tickets, to DC fans who want to attend the second leg of their semifinal series as compensation for switching the home dates following Hurricane Sandy.

Former Union midfielder Andrew Jacobson says it best about San Jose’s Steve Lenhart, “You always hate playing against him, but everyone wants him on their team.” Yep.

In non-playoff related news, Montreal Impact and inaugural head coach Jesse Marsch have agreed to part ways. Apparently, the key word here is “amicable.” More on the story from Montreal Gazette.

There’s an early bird special for Kyle Nakazawa’s soccer camp on the island of Kaua‘i!

Women’s Soccer

US

SI’s Grant Wahl talks to new USWNT coach Tom Sermanni about the importance of communication in this thoughtful article.

At Sporting News, Brian Straus looks at some difficult decisions Jurgen Klinsmann will have to make in 2013.

Goal.com has an interesting article looking at what it’s like for US soccer players raising kids in Europe.

14 Comments

  1. You can’t sign free agents – as Le Toux will be – until the re-entry draft, so that source is either lying or they’re discussing a trade. If we can acquire him via the draft then great but trading someone wouldn’t be worth it, in my opinion.

  2. in fact I can’t think of many i would not trade for le toux. Is le toux a god, no. is he the perfect guy to ignite the fan base, run tirelessly to open space for jack mac and hoppenot, yes. Is he a great role model for our yellow/red card happy team, yes. He would be welcomed back and some of the pain in many of our hearts would be quieted by returning the hardest working player the young union ever had. I have never heard anyone who could actually root against him. With fingers crossed and wishes made. come home to us seba we miss you.

    • James "4-3-3" Forever says:

      (Man, this Le Toux thing is going to be a big story this off season I bet)
      On your point “run tirelessly into open space” – isn’t that what Jack does, and Hop? In fact isn’t Jack pretty great off the ball as is, and isn’t his style PERFECT for a bigger, stronger hold up type?
      I won’t try to tear down LT, he is a good player and will certainly help, I just think it would be a lateral move for us. We found a fantastic young player with a style that screams out for a clear, obvious complimentary striker. Le Toux doesn’t fit that bill.

      • I have to disagree with one point. Jack has a toy cannon. he is not a threat unless the ball is laid at his feet/head well inside the box. He also is not 6″ 3″ like kenny cooper. I like Jack but how often does he find himself on an overlapping run down the wing laying the ball inside to another forward. Le toux did that quite a bit with mwanga in the first season and with others including mwanga in season 2. Jack will never be Cooper/altidore size and be able to hold up on a regular basis. fall like a rag doll and draw a foul like ali moreno, yes, stand up a larger centerback or CDM, no. I am not knocking Jack, i am just pointing out he is more chicharito than van persie.

      • Maybe Jack is still young, but I’ve watched him waste enough chances this season. Also, I am annoyed with his post game quotes late in the year repeating “I need someone to get me the ball.” Jack has not yet earned the right to say those things to the press. If he buried some of the clear chances he had this year, maybe he gets the ability to say that once or twice, but not yet.

      • You can’t blame Jack for that then call on Le “I went a whole half a season without scoring as a striker but still got 90 minutes every game” Toux.
        And yeah, he is outspoken but I also don’t mind because he is 100% right. His style is perfect for that big, strong hold up play next to him.

      • No. Le Toux is a worker but he is not a hold up striker working with his back to goal. He works hard and is okay (just okay) at finishing, but he would not be that complimentary striker.
        /
        Front office might be going after Le Toux because he is inexpensive and they feel that its a great way to satisfy the fans disappointed with a bad season and nostalgic for Le Toux.

  3. Not at all interested in Cassano. The last thing we need is another “me” guy, especially one who’s an outspoken homophobe.

    Flamini is sort of interesting. He was a very promising player who took Milan’s money and ran after his first good season at Arsenal. To be fair, he was great that year. Good passer, strong in the tackle, and can also play pretty effectively at fullback in addition to midfield. That said, I’m not sure he really fills a need for us. He’s also coming off a serious knee injury that saw him miss almost all of last season. Pass.

  4. Come on Freddy. Don’t you want to go to Europe permanently this winter? I’ll help you go/

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