Daily news roundups

Reading and Ocean City draw, Harrisburg wins, USMNT readies for Honduras, more

Photo courtesy of the USL PDL

Philadelphia Union

I got nothing. Everyone must be laying low ahead of tonight’s Team Dinner.

Local

Reading United hosted Ocean City Nor’easters on Saturday. Moments before the halftime whistle, Anthony Asante put the visitors up 1-0 for a lead that would be held until the 86th minute when Jason Plumhoff equalized for Reading and the game finished 1-1. More from Reading United and The Reading Eagle.

Harrisburg City Islanders defeated Antigua Barracuda 3-1 on Sunday in a performance head coach Bill Becher described as the “worst of the season.” The win, their fourth in five games, gives them sole possession of second place. More from Penn Live and The Sentinel.

The game was followed by a charity match between City Islanders U-23s and Newtown Pride FCU.

At Penn Live, Michael Bullock profiles Union loanee Jimmy McLaughlin.

Seamus O’Connor has been named the new head coach of Temple’s women’s team.

MLS

In Eastern Conference play, last place DC (6 points) fell 2-1 at home to ninth place Toronto (11 points). Seventh place Columbus (20 points) defeated first place Montreal (26 points), 2-0. Sixth place New England (20 points) lost 4-3 on the road at Vancouver after leading 2-0. Former Union defender Jordan Harvey scored for Vancouver in the comeback win. The top five teams in the East are Montreal, New York (25 points), the Union (22 points), Houston (22 points), and Kansas City (22 points). Eighth place Chicago has 12 points.

Columbus center back Glauber is out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL suffered in last week’s US Open Cup win over Chicago.

DC United have terminated Brazilian midfielder Raphael Augusto’s contract.

It looks like Chivas USA’s Eric Avila is joining Chivas de Guadalajara.

Apparently, LA Galaxy let fans design and vote on the team’s new third kit. The result is, to put it kindly, atrocious.

Expansion news—why not? The LA Daily News reports on efforts to build a soccer stadium in downtown Los Angeles. An editorial in the Orlando Sentinel says Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs must do more to back Orlando City’s efforts to get a soccer stadium built. More from the Orlando Sentinel on some of the questions surrounding the stadium plan. Finally, USA Today looks at some of the moves New York Cosmos have made to compete for a place in the now crowded New York soccer market.

Indy Week has an interview with NASL commissioner Bill Peterson.

NWSL

On Saturday, third place Western New York Flash defeated seventh place Washington Spirit 2-0 on the road. On Sunday, second place Portland Thorns defeated last place Seattle Reign, 2-0. Sixth place Chicago Red Stars came from behind to top fourth place FC Kansas City, 3-1. First place Sky Blue FC defeated third place Boston Breakers 3-2 on the road.

Saturday’s USWNT friendly against South Korea was scheduled on a NWSL matchday. ProSoccerTalk considers what such scheduling costs the league and whether it is worth it.

The USWNT defeated South Korea 4-1 in  Saturday’s friendly. Abby Wambach scored to pull within two goals of Mia Hamm’s record total of 158 goals and Hope Solo came on in the second half for her first US appearance since February. More on the game, including highlights, from ProSoccerTalk and ASN.

US

It will be a weakened Honduras that faces the USMNT in Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier in Salt Lake (8:30pm: ESPN, UniMas). ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle recounts a long list of injuries and suspensions, on top of which is Jerry Bengston abandoning the team because he was upset he didn’t start in last week’s win over Jamaica.

Soccer America expects as many as three changes to the US lineup for Tuesday’s game. ASN has a tactical preview. At ESPN, Doug McIntyre writes that Jurgen Klinsmann’s next test will be to build on the momentum gained from the wins over Jamaica and Panama.

At Goal.com, Seth Vertelney looks ahead to what the US hopes to gain from Tuesday’s qualifier looks back over the campaign to ask where was the turning point for the USMNT.

Kyle Beckerman has been added to the USMNT roster for Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier against Honduras.

Part one and two of ProSoccerTalk’s interview with Clint Dempsey.

Puebla president Jesus Lopez Chargoy announced via Twitter on Saturday that DaMarcus Beasley will remain with the club.

A year out from the 2014 World Cup, Soccer America looks at where the USMNT is compared to where they were a year away from the 2010 World Cup.

The New York Times looks at why World Cup qualifiers are held in different stadiums across the US and why it is unlikely that the US will ever have a single home stadium a la Wembley or the Azteca.

The USMNT U-20s defeated Portugal 3-1 on Friday in their final game ahead of the start of the U-20 World Cup in Turkey. The team will face Spain in their opener on Friday, June 21 (2pm, ESPN2, Univision Deportes). Postgame quote sheet here.

Elsewhere

Police in Rio de Janeiro fired tear gas and rubber bullets at a crowd of protesters outside of the Maracana as Italy was playing Mexico in Sunday’s Confederations Cup match. Demonstrators were reportedly protesting the high costs of the Confederations Cup and World Cup, as well as an increase in public transportation fares. On Saturday, police fired tear gas at protestors in Brasilia outside of the opening game of the Confederations cup between Brazil and Japan.

It seems the dispute over Confederation Cup bonus payments between players on the Nigeria team and the Nigerian federation isn’t over. After refusing to leave their hotel last week to board a flight to Brazil, the team arrived in Belo Horizonte early Sunday morning ahead of their game today against Tahiti (2:45pm: ESPN, Univision, ESPN3).

6 Comments

  1. Aren’t family dinners the worst? They are hoping
    1) nobody cries
    2) the food is edible
    3) nobody gets drunk and pukes on the desert
    4) their crazy uncle doesn’t start spouting racist conspiracy theories before they can reasonably say it is time to leave
    5) no fights
    5A) nobody cries

    I would lay low before it begins too. Probably in zen like meditation

    • Dan Walsh says:

      Any readers who go to the team dinner, be sure to come by and say hi to the PSP crew. A few of us will be there. I think it’s me, Eli, Ed, Greg, and Earl. I think Mike too, not sure about who else.

    • I bet Cruz and Keon take turns sitting on Hack’s lap while they all yell at Torres and Leo to keep it down at the kids table.

  2. Andy Muenz says:

    Here’s some Union news. Keon leaves after Sunday’s game for Gold Cup duty.

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