Photo: Earl Gardner

Philadelphia Union

The league has released the list of players available in the first phase of the Re-entry Draft, which will take place today at 3 pm. From the Union, Corben Bone, Fred, and Brian Carroll are available for selection, with both Fred and Carroll out of contract.

Not on the list is Conor Casey, which suggests that negotiations are on-going with the Union for a new contract. You will recall that Chris Albright said as much in his teleconference with reporters on Monday:

Some of these things are still playing out. I would say that, per our statement today, there’s still ongoing discussions with guys regarding contracts, with a lot of mechanisms obviously with the League that we have to get through here — Expansion Draft, Re-Entry Draft — in the next few weeks. But there are ongoing discussions with guys, with Conor and other guys as to possibilities going forward.

At CSN Philly, Dave Zeitlin has a thought provoking article in which he suggests all the coaching changes the Union has had in its short history means that players that were valued by one coach may not be valued by the next.

Andre Blake is up for CONCACAF’s Goalkeeper of the Year award — along with Tim Howard and Nick Rimando, among others (click on the link to cast your vote).

At Brotherly Game, a look at Union Academy players in College Cup play, and the recently announced partnership between the Union and Dogfish Head Brewing Company.

Union Academy and Reading United alum Darius Madison and Virginia face UMBC today at 5:30 pm (ESPNU, Watch ESPN). Soccer America has more on the game.

The Union are co-hosting a free futsal clinic at United Sports in Downingtown on Saturday.

Local

Two local players have been invited to the MLS Player Combine that will take place Jan. 8-13 in Fort Lauderdale. Germantown Friends School and Yardley-Makefield Soccer product Manolo Sanchez, now a midfielder at Clemson, and goalkeeper Tyler Miller, a graduate of Bishop Eustace currently at Northwestern.

According to Globoesporte.com (crappy Google translation here) Philadelphia is among the cities being considered as hosts for the 2016 Copa Centeniel. More at MLSsoccer.com.

Pele will be a special guest at January’s NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia.

The Inquirer’s 2014 All-South Jersey boys’ soccer team has been announced.

MLS

You know that phase one of the Re-entry Draft takes place today. Here are some player moves and such from Thursday:

• Montreal Impact have signed 35-year-old midfielder Patrice Bernier to a new contract.
• Columbus Crew have signed Icelandic midfielder midfielder Kristinn Steindorsson from Halmstads BK in Sweden.
• New York Red Bulls have signed Homegrown player Sean Davis. Davis is currently a senior at Duke.
• NYCFC have signed goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was out of contract after playing four years with the Carolina RailHawks of the NASL.
• San Jose Earthquakes have acquired Mark Sherrod from Orlando City, who selected him from Houston in Wednesday’s Expansion Draft.
• Dan Kennedy has agreed to a contract with FC Dallas, who selected the goalkeeper in the Chivas USA Dispersal Draft.
• Vancouver has re-signed attacking midfielder Nicolás Mezquida.
• Harry Redknapp has denied Queens Park Rangers are trying to sign Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane.
• LA Galaxy declined the options on four players, including former Union men Chandler Hoffman and Brian Perk, as well as Rafael Garcia and James Riley.
• San Jose also declined the options on four players, Billy Schuler, Billy Knutsen, Andreas Gorlitz and Tommy Muller, with Jon Busch and Atiba Harris out of contract.

DC United’s Fabian Espindola will miss the first six games of the 2015 season after the league’s disciplinary committee added four games to the automatic two-game suspension he had already received for “violent conduct” in the Eastern Conference Semifinal second leg on November 8 against New York Red Bulls. An announcement on the league website says the additional punishment came “for contact with the Assistant Referee.”

Joe Bendik, Toronto FC’s Players Union rep, tells the Toronto Sun what the two biggest issues are in the CBA negotiations: “The two main topics are more money and free agency. That’s mainly what we spent our time talking about.”

New Houston Dynamo coach Owen Coyle says of MLS, “This league is going to be one of the biggest leagues in the world in years to come… I want to be a part of that.”

DC officials have reached an agreement that will see the city provide $139 million in funding to purchase and prepare land for DC United’s new stadium at Buzzards Point. More from Washington Business Journal, CBS DC, DCist, and Washington City Paper,

Brazilian Ronaldo has joined the Fort Lauderdale Strikers ownership group. Ronaldo said, “I will be very involved with the management of the team and have already started to make introductions that will certainly help us to turn the Strikers into a global powerhouse.”

Empire of Soccer has an update on New York Cosmos’ hopes for a new stadium.

US

SI reports that the US will host Brazil in a friendly at a yet to be determined date, time, and place during the second FIFA international window next September.

CONCACAF has opened the fan vote for candidates for its end-of-the-year awards. Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard are up for CONCACAF’s Player of the Year award. Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd, Lauren Holiday, and Hope Solo are up for the Female Player of the Year award. Up for the Coach of the Year are Bruce Arena, Jurgen Klinsmann, and Jill Ellis. Mark Geiger is up for Referee of the Year. Jermaine Jones’ goal against Portugal in the World Cup, and Meghan Klingenberg’s rocket against Haiti in the CONCACAF Women’s Championships, are up for Goal of the Year.

Hope Solo’s attorney has asked that the misdemeanor domestic abuse charges she is facing be dropped because the two alleged victims have not made themselves available for depositions. Solo’s trial is scheduled to begin on Jan. 20. More from Seattle Times, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, ESPNW, New York Times,Washington Post, and USA Today.

At SBI, Caitlin Murray wonders if the USWNT is really in the Group of Death in next year’s Women’s World Cup.

Mexican football federation president Justino Compeán says his country will compete against the US and Canada for the hosting rights to the 2026 World Cup. “This country? Why not? It also deserves a third World Cup, so the competition is going to be good, and I hope that our referee is impartial. We’re going to have Canada, the United States and Mexico giving it their all [to land the World Cup],” Compeán said on Tuesday. “Obviously, from 1986 to 2026, it’s a lot of years — 40 years — and so yes, we have the right to raise our hand, and we will have the stadiums.” Mexico, which hosted the tournament in 1970 and 1986 will host the FIFA World Congress in 2016. Original CNN Mexico report here (crappy Google translation here)

History for sale! At the Washington Post, Steven Goff reports US Soccer is considering a proposal to build the National Soccer Hall of Fame in that crucible of US soccer history, Frisco, Texas. The reason? Because the Hunt family, owners of FC Dallas, will pay for it. Goff reports that after hearing of the Hunt’s interest,”The federation subsequently entered into a nine-month exclusive negotiation period with local officials.” No offense, Frisco, but that is one of the dumbest proposals for a new location for the museum I’ve heard, even dumber than Kansas City.

Elsewhere

The Press Association reports, “FIFA’s executive committee will be asked to formally vote next week on whether the Garcia report into World Cup bidding should be published.”

Reuters reports, “Swiss lawmakers on Friday passed a bill that would subject sports officials such as the head of soccer’s governing body FIFA and the International Olympic Committee to more financial scrutiny by banks in Switzerland.” It’s about time.

Goal.com on the burning question of why no one cares about the Club World Cup (unless, of course, one’s team is in the tournament).