Photo: Paul Rudderow

Philadelphia Union

Jim Curtin’s weekly press conference will take place today at 1:15 pm. Zach Pfeffer, who has just returned from the US U-20 camp in Austria, will speak to the press a 1 pm. The press conferences are starting a little later than usual today because before it the team will be scrimmaging Harrisburg City Islanders.

At CBS Philly, Kevin Kinkead reviews what makes the start to the 2015 season the worst in franchise history. It’s grim reading. Kinkead notes of Sebastien Le Toux’s struggles, “Le Toux is a streaky player, and seems to gravitate towards either end of the [goal scoring] spectrum. When he’s off, he really struggles. But when he’s on, he’s bagging goals left and right. For some reason, there doesn’t seem to be a middle ground.”

At US National Soccer Players, Tony Edwards writes under the headline, “Is Philadelphia the worst team in MLS?”:

With their goalkeeping controversies, roster management, coaches who aren’t coaching on the payroll, and underperformance relative to the rest of the Eastern Conference, it’s entirely possible Philadelphia has replaced Toronto and the Red Bulls as the most mystifying franchise in the conference, not an easy feat.

You could argue the Union are just continuing the Philadelphia professional soccer franchise arc. The Atoms flew high then were, umm, split. The Fury were briefly rock stars. The Fever started well without putting down any roots. That alone should be worrisome for the league’s leadership. What Philadelphia is squandering, however, is a built-in fan base and limited competition in a market known to vote with its wallets when a team isn’t winning. Proof of that are the Sixers and Phillies attendance figures…

The Union would probably look at a clean sheet against Toronto as a step in the right direction. However, should the goal difference get worse, serious questions raise all the way to the level of the management. It might be that Philadelphia is having a stuttering start to a campaign that rights itself. It might be that the Union need to practice patience and they are next year’s 2014 DC United.

Or you could argue that, on evidence, four of the six Eastern Conference playoff spots are already spoken for this season. Of the six other teams in the conference, against which teams are the Union favorites?

World Soccer Talk on the Union’s continuing slide:

It’s not just the results. It’s the play. Philadelphia cannot complete passes – short or long. They don’t appear to have any idea how they want to play. How did it get this bad? It’s hard to say exactly, and it’s hard to pinpoint just how much of the woe is on head coach Jim Curtin.

This is for sure – the Union isn’t overachieving. They aren’t covering themselves in glory in what is a difficult situation in which the entire fan-base is irked at management, not the players.

The Union drop one spot to No. 20 in MLSsoccer.com’s power rankings: “Turns it wasn’t all Rais Mbolhi’s fault. The Union have now won just once in their first nine games and weren’t even competitive in Ohio last weekend.”

It’s a two spot drop to last place at SBI: “While things initially looked promising, the Union are right back where they were before the benching of Rais M’bolhi. The Union lacked any sort of fight against the Crew, something hinted at by head coach Jim Curtin. Just nine games in and it appears the Union may already be packing it in, making it seem like things may get worse before they get anywhere close to getting better.”

Enough of the dreary. The Union have just launched a Spanish language Facebook page and Twitter account, @PhilaUnion_Es. Muy bonito!

In case you missed it last night, Ray Gaddis was the guest on this week’s 90th Minute Radio Show broadcast.

Brotherly Game looks at standouts and slackers in the Union season thus far.

The officials for Saturday’s home game against Toronto have been announced. Holding the whistle will be Armando Villarreal, Corey Parker and Kyle Longville will be holding the flags; and Robert Sibiga will be holding up that light board thingee.

Philadelphia Union Academy defender Rayshaun McGann was only able to go 12 minutes before being subbed out in the US U-15 team’s 3-2 loss to host country Slovenia at the Tournament Delle Nazioni. The team will face Italy in the tournament semifinals today.

Local

Ocean City Nor’easters note alums Ken Tribbett and Jason Plumhoff signing with Harrisburg City Islanders.

Here’s a brief recap of the West Chester Majors’ 3-2 extra time win over Maryland’s Aegean Hawks in Region I qualifiers last Sunday for the USASA Open Cup. West Chester faces New Jersey’s FC Motown in the semifinals on May 17. The final will be played in Horsham at the Ukrainian American Sports Center on June 21.

Emmanuel “Gogo” Kollie, who settled in Philadelphia after immigrating from Liberia at the age of 13 and a senior member of the Syracuse men’s soccer team, is the winner of this year’s 2015 Syracuse 8 Courage Award.

On the emerging concussion legal front, The Legal Intelligencer reports, “U.S. District Judge Gerald Pappert of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania dismissed the claims brought by a student at Downingtown High School East who was on the school’s varsity soccer team as a freshman.” Pappert said the student’s suit met only two of the four elements that have to be met to bring a claim but has also allowed her to amend her complaint.

In related news, The Chicago Tribune reviews studies on the possible dangers of heading the ball.

MLS

Montreal Impact host Liga MX side Club America tonight in the second, and deciding, leg of the CONCACAF Champions League final tonight (8 pm: Fox Sports 2, UniMas, futbol.univision.com). Montreal, you will recall, drew 1-1 in the first leg and so start with an all important road goal. No word yet on whether Montreal fans will embrace the time honored tradition on display last week at the Azteca and bring plenty of laser pointers to welcome Club America’s goalkeeper to Olympic Stadium.

Just who will be Montreal’s starting goalkeeper? Impact head coach Frank Klopas isn’t saying. (It’ll be Kristian Nicht.)

Former Union man and current Montreal defender Bakary Soumare is backing Nicht to start. Nicht seems to be taking his transfer to the team on Monday from NASL side Indy Eleven, and the question of whether he’ll start in tonight’s game, with good humor.

At SI, Brian Straus on how experience with past cup runs involving Montreal players and staff is benefitting the team. A passage on the “typical CONCACAF shenanigans; projectiles thrown from hostile away crowds and questionable officiating” experienced during the Impact’s current campaign continues,

“They threw ice cubes, beer, old trainers,” Reo-Coker said. “We complained to the referee that [fans] were throwing stuff and his response was, ‘This is South American football. Get used to it.’”

Stay classy, CONCACAF refs!

On Tuesday, CONCACAF announced fines and a provisional stadium ban had been levied against Costa Rican side Alajuelense for incidents that took place in the semifinal match against Montreal on April 7. In addition to a fine for objects being thrown at Montreal players during the game, another fine was issued for the racist abuse directed at Montreal’s Dominic Oduro. The CONCACAF announcement notes this is the first time the confederation “has levied an economic sanction for a discrimination incident during the Champions League.” Regarding the provisional ban, if Alajuelense qualify “for any future edition of the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League, the club will not be allowed to play its next home game at the stadium.”

Oh yeah, NYRB host Colorado tonight (7:30 pm: MLS Live, Direct Kick).

The Times reports,

It is almost two decades since Jermain Defoe represented Senrab, the renowned grassroots club in east London who have produced numerous top-flight players, but those appearances for the Tower Hamlets side are now at the heart of a remarkable financial tussle.

Under little-known Fifa regulations, Senrab believe that they are entitled to a cut of each of Defoe’s moves from Tottenham Hotspur to Toronto and back to the Barclays Premier League with Sunderland, potentially amounting to tens of thousands of pounds.

Could NYCFC find a home in Manhattan at Columbia University’s Baker Athletic Complex, one that it would share with the university’s American football team?

Miami New Times on how building a stadium next to Marlins Park remains the most likely option for David Beckham’s MLS franchise.

Could the New York Cosmos find a home in Brooklyn?

US

The schedule for this summer’s International Champions Cup tournament has been announced, with games taking place around the US between July 11 and July 29 before concluding in Florence and London. I think I’ll be paying attention to the Gold Cup, thanks.

Elsewhere

The Press Association reports, “FIFpro members have given their backing to the idea of allowing a fourth substitute to be used during matches. The global players’ union conducted a poll across continents with 84% of its members supporting the idea.”