Daily news roundups

US faces Sweden in WWC tonight, Union bits, FIFA news, more

Photo: Paul Rudderow

USA vs. Sweden

The US faces Sweden, led by former USWNT coach Pia Sundhage, tonight at 8 pm (Fox, NBC Universo, Fox Soccer 2Go, NBC Sports En Vivo Extra, SiriusXM FC).

Sundhage has backed away from critical comments made about some of her former players on the US team, including Delran’s Carli Lloyd. “The reason I’m sitting here is because of the U.S. team. They made me look good; three finals. And Carli Lloyd scored the winning goal in the Olympics both times actually.” More at Philly.com, ESPNW, Goal.com, ProSoccerTalk, and USA Today.

At ESPNW, Jeff Carlisle on how the US attack is still a concern.

The Washington Post on the path taken by Jill Ellis to be head coach of the US team.

Previews at US Soccer, Fox Sports, CBS Sports, ESPNWASN, Soccer America, Goal.com, Washington PostUSA Today, Wall Street Journal, New York Daily News, and the Guardian.

Yahoo Sports considers if the US has a home-field advantage playing in Canada.

US senator Richard Blumenthal has sent a letter to US Soccer president Sunil Gulati on the federation’s “failure to take adequate action to investigate and act in response to the charges” against Hope Solo, also calling on the federation to “reconsider Solo’s role as an active member of Team USA.”

TMZ reports that Solo had a restraining order placed on her in 1998 when she was a senior in high school requiring her to stay at least 300 feet away from a fellow student she harassed for more than a year and eventually assaulted. The victim said, “She punched me in the cheek. Then she said, ‘I f**kin hate you, you fat ass whore!’ and punched me two more times. Once in the eye and once in the mouth.”

At SI, Grant Wahl on how the reason FIFA organized the Women’s World Cup schedule so that it is possible No. 1 ranked Germany could meet No. 3 ranked France in the quarterfinals comes down to, as a FIFA spokesperson described, “for ticketing and promotion reasons.”

The possibility of injuries resulting from playing on artificial surfaces have been widely discussed. A report at PRI on the use of artificial turf at the Women’s World Cup notes another concern. Toronto Sun reporter Laura Armstrong tells PRI, “Players are concerned about the heat that’s coming off of the field because the pitch, the turf is made of rubber and plastic and it sort of roasts in the sun and it’s certainly not the case with natural grass.” The PRI report says, “[T]he heat is taking a toll. The Canadians, the Chinese and Norwegians have complained that the heat causes fatigue to set in quicker and is slowing down the game.”

You tell ’em, Alexi!

Philadelphia Union

At Philadelphia Inquirer, Marc Narducci notes the Union’s weekend off could see teams “get a chance to move past or stay ahead of the Union in the standings.”

Union goalkeeper Brian Sylvestre is Cup tied for Tuesday’s US Open Cup match against Rochester Rhinos, which means John McCarthy will be in goal against his former club. McCarthy said, “It definitely has more meaning, going against a club I came from and one that helped me immensely.”

By the way, Tuesday’s Open Cup game is taking place the same time as the USWNT’s game against Nigeria, their final group game at the Women’s World Cup. If the US loses to Sweden tonight, do you stay home to watch the Nigeria game, or do you go to PPL Park to see the Union? Even if the US wins and so clinches advancement tonight, do you still stay home to watch the Nigeria game?

We’ve got video and photos from Wednesday night’s premier of Sons of Ben: The Movie.

Jim Curtin said of the film, “This will now become mandatory watching for players who come to our team. They need to know that it’s so much more than just the 11 guys on the field.”

More on the premiere at The 700 Level and MLSsoccer.com.

Local

Harrisburg City Islanders defender Dante Leverock is with the Bermuda national team tonight as they face Guatemala in a World Cup qualifier.

Meanwhile, Harrisburg is on the road to face St. Louis FC on Saturday (8:30 pm, YouTube).

In PDL play, Reading United hosts Baltimore Bohemians tonight at 7 pm, and Ocean City Nor’easters are on the road to face Westchester Flames on Saturday at 7:30 pm. Lehigh Valley United Sonic have the weekend off before traveling to face Baltimore Bohemians on Wednesday.

Local connections abound at The Daily Mail in a look at the boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, and wives of players at the Women’s World Cup with Canada’s Kaylyn Kyle and former Union man Gabriel Farfan, Lauren Holiday and former 76er Jrue Holiday (both pictured wearing Flyers hats), and Julie Johnston and Zach Ertz the Eagles. Missing from the list is Morgan Brian and the Union’s Eric Bird.

At Philly.com, Jonathan Tannenwald on local connections he’s encountered in Winnipeg while covering the Women’s World Cup.

MLS

Speaking during a panel discussion of Minneapolis sports team owners on Wednesday, Minnesota United owner Bill McGuire said he isn’t aware of any hard deadlines from the league in terms of securing funding for a new stadium. A report at MinnPost also included this interesting line on another comment from McGuire: “He said there could be another franchise announcement for another city this week.” Well, now.

Is Yura Movsisyan about to rejoin Real Salt Lake?

Samuel Eto’o to MLS?

Boston.com has an update on a possible new stadium for New England Revolution in South Boston.

Carmelo Anthony of the NBA’s New York Knicks has announced he’s bought a NASL franchise that will begin play in Puerto Rico in 2016. More at NASL, ESPN (report, Q&A), and the AP.

US

At the Daily News, John Smallwood on how the victories over the Netherlands and Germany show  the USMNT is taking steps in the right direction.

On Bobby Wood.

Elsewhere

FIFA announced on Thursday that the executive committee will meet on July 20 to decide the date for the extraordinary elective Congress that will vote on Sepp Blatter’s replacement.

From the AP: “A judge has ordered federal prosecutors to unseal the plea agreement between former FIFA executive committee member Chuck Blazer and the U.S. government.”

David Conn reports at the Guardian, “The Swiss criminal investigation into suspected irregularities and money-laundering over Fifa’s award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar is examining the money paid for the friendly Argentina played against Brazil in Qatar three weeks before the vote.”

The AP reports, “Paraguay’s Senate voted Thursday to repeal a law giving immunity to the headquarters of South America’s soccer confederation, the latest fallout from a sweeping U.S. investigation into an alleged bribery scheme in FIFA.”

The Press Association reports, “Interpol suspended its 10-year, €20m partnership with FIFA on Friday while football’s world governing body is implicated in bribery allegations.”

The AP reports, “The Vatican has suspended an agreement with the South American football confederation because of the corruption allegations against local officials.”

Jack Warner has posted another video, this time in response to the one broadcast on a local Trinidad and Tobago TV station by John Oliver calling on the well known crook to release all the information he has related to the FIFA corruption scandal. Warner says he needs no advice from “any comedian fool.” More at ESPNFox SportsSI,  Vice Sports.

The Trinidad and Tobago attorney general says steps have been taken to make it more difficult for Jack Warner to leave the country because he is considered a flight risk while he awaits extradition proceedings to face corruption charges. On Thursday, Warner turned over his passport to Trinidad and Tobago police.

ESPN reports, “The Qatari government and the Qatar Football Association are suing former German FA (DFB) president Theo Zwanziger for libel.” Zwanziger, who had earlier described Qatar as “a cancer on world football,” said, “Should there be a lawsuit, I will face it calmly.”

The Washington Post on why FIFA needs more women in leadership positions.

Check out the latest Footy on the Telly for listings of live soccer — including the Women’s World Cup, the U-20 World Cup, Copa America, and Euro qualifiers —  on TV, online, and on satellite radio.

25 Comments

  1. Gunny Highway…..meet the Swede!

  2. Samuel Eto to MLS.
    .
    Hope he remembers to pack the Geritol. Phew. No thanks.
    .
    Probably score 18 gols too…for a princely sum.

    • pragmatist says:

      I love Eto. Well, the 2004 (roughly) version of him. He’s become a mercenary since then.
      That said, he can still light up this league. I’m sure he’ll ask for Kaka money, so we’ll watch him ply his trade somewhere else.

    • Back when the Union were looking for a striker I asked where was our Samuel E’to. Make it happen front office.

  3. If NE puts a stadium in Southy…..thats pretty cool. May have to deal with some real hooligans getting in there!

    • Alls I know, that’d be the balls. If they put it near a Dunks, Brigham’s and a packie, that’d be sick nasty.

    • Getting to a stadium in South Boston (Southie) would be easy, lots of good public transportation. The paid details all around the stadium by Boston’s finest would keep the riff raff in their place.

      • thats quite a unique rif raf that the traveling supporters would be exposed too……..got to love it!

  4. Andy Muenz says:

    At Philadelphia Inquirer, Marc Narducci notes the Union’s weekend off could see teams “get a chance to move past or stay ahead of the Union in the standings.” – Umm….is there any chance that teams ahead of the Union in the standings won’t stay ahead of them?

  5. Andy Muenz says:

    Next Tuesday is a no brainer. The Union game is not being televised and the USWNT is. That’s what God invented the DVR for (and why I have a dumb phone to limit the chances of finding out via social media). Go to the Union game and then watch the women when you get home. Hope the Union game doesn’t go into overtime or PK’s, otherwise it will be tough to get up for work on Wednesday.

  6. Dear FBI and DOJ,

    I know that Jack Warner is a despicable and corrupt individual, but please don’t lock him away in prison for what he’s done. Just sentence him to house arrest for the rest of his life and make part of his punishment that he has to keep posting ridiculous videos for us to watch. It’s a valuable service that we can’t live without in this tough and hard world. Thank you.

    • That it was delivered against the backdrop of some very dramatic musical soundtrack makes it even more spectacular. Keep Jack on air!

  7. Why does an international policing organization have a 10 year, 20 million euro partnership with FIFA? I’m not necessarily suggesting something nefarious is going on, I just literally don’t get it. Instead of ads on the FIFA website do they run “wanted dead or alive” postings?

    • To start, the camorra practically ran Italian soccer for the longest time, and now with the amount of crooked business from Asia purchasing teams it’s necessary. I know here in the US we haven’t had anything like that in a long time but for the rest of the world it’s like Henry Hill with college basketball every single day.

      • So you are saying FIFA pays Interpol 2 million Euros a year in order to get their crime fighting expertise to police the game? I originally assumed it was Interpol paying FIFA 2 mil/year for 10 years for..something. Your way makes some sense at least. Actually, I probably should have just read the provided link and everything would have been explained, which I will now do..

        Edit: Yep, should have just read the link. Duh.

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