Philadelphia Union
Is 2017 a make-or-break season for Jim Curtin? Even he seems to think so. Ives Galarcep with a nice profile piece on the Union boss, including this from Curtin:
“We all do look around now and we see with the group that we have that it’s not good enough just to get in the playoffs. The bar has been raised.”
The appearance of Derrick Jones and Anthony Fontana at the Suncoast Invitational prove that Bethlehem Steel is already paying dividends for the Union.
Brotherly Game imagines what a great season for the Union, in which everything goes right, looks like. May it be so.
The positional preview over at the Union website continues with a glance at holding midfielders.
Sure, both halves’ lineups were a mishmash of vets, newcomers, and young guns, but here are three takeaways from the Union’s 1-0 victory over Tampa Bay.
A few members of the U stuck around after training last night to run a practice for Tampa Bay youth team Chargers Soccer Club.
ICYMI: Peters Andrews for PSP with a solid (and slightly cheeky) rundown of what Haris Medunjanin brings to the table.
MLS
What we can expect from expansion sides Atlanta and Minnesota this year. Conclusion: 2010 it is not.
Toronto FC sign former Barca academy product Victor Vasquez from Cruz Azul.
Minnesota United round out their roster with Swiss right back Jerome Thiessen.
A preview of Wednesday’s all-MLS CCL clash between Red Bull and Vancouver. The game should also be a good opportunity for Union fans to catch a peak at the team’s opening weekend opponent at full strength.
And here’s a preview of the entire CCL tournament.
Getting into MLS fantasy this year? Check out the season’s fantasy breakout stars for your roster.
Future Union nemesis Ian Harkes is close to breaking into D.C. United’s starting 11 and shedding his father’s shadow.
In a nice gesture for a club legend, the Sounders will host a testimonial match for Zach Scott.
San Diego’s expansion bid reveals plans for a new (privately financed) stadium site.
Philadelphia Union Academy
The U16’s gave up a winning goal in the 90th minute to lose a heartbreaker 3-2 to D.C. United in the final round of the Generation adidas Cup qualifier.
Local
Norristown native Mike Piazza adjusts to the owner’s suite at Italian third-division side A.C. Reggiana.
Harrisburg City Islanders forward (and Harrisburg native) Garret Pettis retires after five seasons with the club.
Around the globe
U.S. and Hamburg striker Bobby Wood is day-to-day with a thigh injury. It appears to be a minor knock with Wood potentially back in action next week against Bayern Munich – and in plenty of time before the national team’s World Cup qualifiers in March.
One-upping their American counterparts, Canada’s U20 squad was eliminated from the CONCACAF Championship with a 5-0 loss to Mexico.
Former USMNTer David Wagner’s managerial skills continue to earn accolades in the Championship and beyond.
U.S. National Beach Soccer Team drubs Virgin Islands 8-1 in the CONCACAF Championship opener.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been trying to get way more into Liga MX this Clausura. Here’s an incisive summary of all the Jornada 7 action from our friends south of the border.
Extra time
In a blow to soccer nihilists everywhere, Sutton United was unable to replicate the magic of Lincoln City, falling to Arsenal 2-0 in the fifth round of the FA Cup. The loss did not appear to effect rotund backup keeper Wayne Shaw, seen here eating a pie on the bench mid-match.
It would have been something if Sutton United had won considering the winner drew Lincoln City in the quarters. That would have guaranteed a non league team in the semis. Instead, Arsenal gets two level 5 teams in a row.
Watched until Arsenal scored goal #2. Sutton had some close chances. They certainly weren’t played off the artificial pitch. It was fun to watch that match in a stadium that would underwhelm some high school football teams in the U.S.
I also watched. It’s cool to see the lower tier teams play the big guys, especially at those tiny stadiums.
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Speaking of BIG GUYS – The “Roley-Poley Goalie” Wayne Shaw could be in a bit of trouble for that pie – and now he has resigned – http://www.espnfc.com/sutton-united/story/3065404/sutton-reserve-keeper-wayne-shaw-faces-investigations-over-pie-eating
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GO LINCOLN CITY!!
Shaw resigned. What a crock. Who cares if the guy cashes in on some stupid betting stunt? English football stadiums are filled with methods to bet on games and half the sponsors in the PL are betting houses. So now the FA wants to get ethical about it? I hope Shaw got a good check out of it.
I love San Diego’s stadium plan: work cooperatively with SDSU and have the stadium privately financed adjacent to campus? That’s a solid plan, even before you include Landon’s involvement.
Game tomorrow night against the Impact will be streamed on the Union’s Youtube channel for those wondering.
Great news, thank you!’
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A chorus of Battle Hymn of the Republic in your honor.
The article by Ives is excellent and I appreciate Jim Curtin’s honesty and candor. While circumspect, he has my support and I am pulling for him.
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Play well first. Win. My goalposts have not changed. Good luck sir.
Lincoln City did pull off the unthinkable against Burnley. Great summary of the game here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNJXRg6SSyk
Hope they now can do the same against Arsenal (or at least get a tie).
I believe they host the game, so at the very least the club will make some money. Would be amazing to beat Arsenal, then again, we all know Arsenal is more than capable of blowing a game like this.
No; will be at Arsenal. A tie would bring it back to Lincoln. Yesterday around 5pm on SiriusXM they interviewed one of the Lincoln players. Was a really cool interview.
FA cup format changed. Will go to extra time, then penalties from the quarterfinals on now. No second legs.