Daily news roundups

Pfeffer gets US U20 call-up, local college postseason heats up, MLS conference final first-leg results, more

Photo: Paul Rudderow

Philadelphia Union

Zach Pfeffer, on loan to Hoffenheim, has been called up for the US U-20 MNT camp that got underway in Italy on Nov. 10 and runs through Nov. 20. During that time, the team will face Serie A side Hellas Verona’s academy team, Iran’s U-20 National Team, and a yet-to-be-confirmed opponent. U-20 coach Tab Ramos says, “This is purely a camp where we can get a better idea of where our players are. They are all players who are getting great experiences, and this particular camp gives us a good chance to see them in an international camp, playing in an international environment, which will give us a good idea of what these players can do.”

Called up with Pfeffer was Hoffenheim teammate and Lancaster Pa. native Russell Canouse.

The Brotherly Game has end of the season awards for the Union.

The opponents for the Union Academy U-16 and U-18 teams in December’s US Development Academy Showcase in Sarasota have been announced.

The Union Academy U-14 team defeated Continental FC 5-0 on Saturday (that was the last score tweeted, anyway).

Local

The La Salle women’s team defeated top-seeded Dayton on penalty kicks to claim its second-straight Atlantic 10 title and a berth at the NCAA championship for the third year in a row. La Salle conceded an opening goal 42 seconds after the opening whistle before equalizing in the 36th minute. The game went to penalty kicks after two scoreless overtime periods. La Salle will find out their opponent at the Division I College Bowl championship tournament today at 4:30 pm in a draw that can be viewed at NCAA.com.

The University of Delaware men’s team defeated defending Colonial Athletic Association champions Northeastern 1-0 on overtime in the CAA tournament quarterfinals on Saturday. They will face No. 1 seed Drexel on Thursday at Vidas Field.

The Temple men’s team will have to wait to see if they have won an at-large berth for the NCAA Division I tournament after falling 1-0 to University of South Florida in the American Athletic Conference Tournament Quarterfinals on Saturday.

The Philadelphia University men’s team won their first Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference championship with a 1-0 victory over Post on Saturday. They will learn who their opponent will be  in the first round of the NCAA Division II College Bowl in a draw that will be streamed today at 7 pm at NCAA.com.

MLS

In the first leg of the Eastern Conference Championship on Saturday, Houston and Kansas City played to a scoreless draw. More on the game from ProSoccerTalk, ESPN, SBI, SI, and the AP.

Sunday’s Western Conference first leg game was a bit more interesting, with Real Salt Lake counter attacking its way to a 4-2 win over Portland. Frederic Piquionne’s 94th minute goal for Portland was just what was needed to keep interest up in the second leg. More on the game from ProSoccerTalk, ESPN, SBI, SI, Goal.com, and the AP.

At SI, a “high ranking source” at Toronto FC tells Grant Wahl that the club is targeting Samual Eto’o, currently on a one-year deal with Chelsea.

Last week we linked to a story about the league’s sagging TV ratings in 2013. Now comes a story from Forbes on the league’s surging popularity. Meanwhile, the BBC has a long piece on developments in the league in which a big takeaway is concern league expansion will dilute the quality of play. The BBC article contains a link to an excellent article at BuzzFeed that wonders how long the league will be able to convince young players of quality to stay in MLS on paltry wages.

The New York Cosmos defeated the Atlanta Silverbacks 1-0 to win the NASL’s Soccer Bowl Championship on Saturday.

USL PRO president Tim Holt says the league is committed to pursuing an aggressive expansion strategy.

US

The USWNT defeated Brazil 4-1 in a friendly in Orlando on Sunday, making 2013 the second year in the team’s history with an undefeated history (13-0-3). Four thoughts on the game from SBI,

The US U-17 women’s team, knocked out of World Cup qualification by Mexico on penalty kicks on Thursday, defeated Jamaica 8-0 in Saturday’s third place game. The US outscored its opponents in the tournament 26-1. Mexico outlasted Canada on penalty kicks to win Saturday’s final.

Members of the team caught rides back to their hotel with fans after their bus broke down outside of the Citrus Bowl following a training session on Saturday.

According to Potomac Soccer Wire, Seattle’s Clint Dempsey and Edie Johnson will be among those called up for the USMNT friendlies in Europe against Scotland and Austria. According to SI, Landon Donovan will not be called up. Jurgen Klinsmann is expect to announce the US roster later today.

At ESPN, Jeff Carlisle reports that Tab Ramos has signed a contract “that will not only see him continue has head coach of the US under-20 men’s national team, but also serve as the USSF’s youth technical director.”

Elsewhere

Apparently, Sepp Blatter is open to the idea of having 2022 World Cup matches hosted across the Middle East among the Gulf States and Iran. He also says discussions are underway for the 2022 tournament to take place in November-December.

The New York Times and SI with a glimpse into Qatar’s justice system.

Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith caused controversy in Brazil when video of him wiping his posterior with a Flamengo shirt at a drum clinic in Belo Horizonte went viral. Presumably, Fluminense supporters found the whole thing hilarious.

2 Comments

  1. Good BBC article. It hits all the important points. The cap has to be raised, but slowly and very cautiously. Hopefully, as qaulity of play improves so will the TV ratings. As the ratings improve so the TV deals will get more lucrative and the cap can continue to go up. The cap needs to improve first. Slowly but surely.

  2. Over the weekend have been reading the history of the Sounders. The Union is a bunch of amateurs in comparison. Great book; worth a read. http://www.amazon.com/Sounders-FC-AUTHENTIC-MASTERPIECE-Franchise/dp/1491068345/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1

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