Bradley Carnell is the man taking over, and he spoke to the media about his tactical philosophies on Thursday, from the team’s current training base in Spain.

Transcribed:

Crossing Broad: Kind of a two-part question here – in your first press conference you were talking about this 60/30/10 philosophy in terms of goal scoring and style of play. One, if you can elaborate on that for us, and two, we know your Red Bull background, we know Ernst’s Red Bull background, we know how the Union played over the years with Brenden Aaronson and other guys, if you can explain what this will look like compared to other Union and Red Bull pressing teams. And if you can differentiate on why not all of that is the same.

Carnell: Yeah, I think each coach is different within the philosophy, right? So (Julian) Nagelsmann plays differently to Marco Rose, and Marco Rose plays differently to Ralf Rangnick, who plays differently to Jesse Marsch, so there’s differences within each of those trainers or coaches but the philosophy remains the same. In transition, that’s where we want the majority of business to be done. You can do the analysis or thesis over all of the World Cups or the leagues all over the world, and 60% of all goals are scored in that (transition) phase. The 30% is the set pieces, so 30% of all goals being scored from set pieces. And in possession, quite surprising, you’d think a lot of people value that the most, but only 10% of the goals are scored within that (category). So we put our emphasis and training methods within that 60% game model and work on all of the pieces accordingly. That’s not to say I don’t want to have the ball, or that I don’t like the ball. I enjoyed the ball myself as a player. But for me it’s about the quality on the ball as opposed to the time on the ball, so if we can have whatever percentage possession, if that time is quality on the ball and we’re inflicting pain on the opponent, and getting success, then I’d rather do that, for sure. 

CB: People throw out this term “high press” rather generically. Not every press is a high press. You can win the ball back anywhere on the field. How do you look at that and explain it to fans and media? 

Carnell: Yeah listen there’s three thirds on a field and we assign pressing lines up high, and pressing line two, and these topics we’ve been introducing to the players over the last couple of days now. We have different areas. Obviously if you just run high, like a pack of wolves, they’re going to overplay you. There are certain instances and certain criteria and certain areas of the field where we try and get the opponent locked in, then we can attack and we can sprint at them with pace and numbers. Our orientation is always the ball, so we can work collectively against the ball and create these numerical advantages in and around the ball when we’re hunting it down. In transition, that keeps us in closer proximity to have passing angles, passing stations forward vertical and getting movement in behind and exploiting the space of the opponent when they’re building up expansively, there’s gaps to exploit in the vertical areas.

All good stuff there, and explanations that Union fans should relate to. The one that jumps out to me the most is when Carnell talks about running high “like a pack of wolves.” I think there used to be this general misconception that all pressing equates to a bunch of athletes running around wildly, like chickens with their heads cut off. In reality, there are rules and cues, and the Union came closest to being a “high pressing” team in 2019 and 2020, when Aaronson was able to run for days at the number 10 position. You’d maybe force the center back to pass the ball to a midfielder who was facing his own goal, then BAM, there’s your signal to swarm, jar the ball loose, and attack with a numerical advantage.

First Union breakdown video of the season.

On pressing cues and why Leon Flach should get a ton of credit on the game-winning goal: pic.twitter.com/HfF5A7NsPQ

— Kevin Kinkead (@Kevin_Kinkead) February 27, 2023

Carnell also mentions verticality, which is more of what you saw from the U during that incredible 2022 season. Take Jose Martinez, for instance, who would tackle some fool and win the ball back in the middle of the park. How many times did you see him look up and someone was immediately running in behind? Those are direct transitional moments generated from good defensive play, they just start in a different third of the field.

The sentence about possession also sticks. You can have the ball all game long, but you need to do something with the ball. That’s why 70% possession means nothing if you spend most of the time knocking it around between your d mid and center halves. In that sense, aesthetically-pleasing Spanish Tiki-Taka is the antithesis of blunt German transition, and the Union will look much more like the latter in the Carnell era.

The post Bradley Carnell Elaborates on Tactical Philosophy Ahead of First Union Season appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Unfortunately, he reads too many negative troll comments and decides to pivot, ala Garth Brooks doing the Chris Gaines alter ego. We’re then introduced to a much darker Mr. Cupcake Man, which more or less bombs and results in Mark becoming a one-hit wonder.

The story is ridiculous in a good way, and one of my top three episodes of season 1, which is streaming now on Hulu. It also got me thinking about one-hit wonders in Philadelphia sports, so we did some crowd sourcing with readers to see if we could put together a comprehensive list. The criteria was basically boiled down to two things. One, the athlete was here for a few seasons, but only had one amazing year that was never replicated. Or, two, the player was only here for one single season, played well, and was never heard from again. In that sense, this can either be a positive one-hit wonder, or a negative one-hit wonder, depending on the situation. We organized this by team since the list was so long, and came close to 50 total players. If there’s anything totally egregious that we forgot, email me and I’ll add it to the list.

Eagles

• Patrick Robinson – The pick six will go down as one of the all-time great plays in Philadelphia Eagles history.
• Jay Ajayi – The mid-season trade that put the Birds over the top during the Super Bowl year.
• LeGarrette Blount – There are a number of guys from the 2017 team that could go on this list, but Blount, Ajayi, and Robinson are easily the top three.
• Travis Fulgham – Who could forget Fulghamania? He played one game for Denver in 2021 and that was his last NFL action.
• Terrell Owens – TO was here for two seasons, but only one was meaningful. We all know what happened afterward.
• Chris Jones  – Not the defensive tackle who wrecks shop for the Kansas City Chiefs, but the guy who caught 70 passes for more than 850 yards and five touchdowns back in 1996.
• Leonard Weaver – Went to the 2009 Pro Bowl and was becoming a fan favorite, then got hurt and only played one game the following year.
• Donte Stallworth – 725 yards and 5 scores for the 2006 team. Only Reggie Brown was better that year.
• Jeff Garcia – He’s it baby! That six-game run from 2006 was special.
• James Bradberry – The fact that he’s on this list is sad. Hopefully we don’t have to add Zach Baun to it.
• Kevin Curtis – Played here for three seasons, but that 2007 was a total outlier and he never came close to replicating it.
• Shawn Barber – This guy was a menace on the 2002 team. 93 tackles, three fumble recoveries, two picks, two forced fumbles.
• Walter Thurmond – A journeyman up until 2015, when he started all 16 games for the Birds. He then retired.
• Jason Babin – Largely a clown, there was a time when he went to the Pro Bowl with an 18-sack Eagles season.
• Bobby Hoying – We will always have that brief run of games from 1997 to fondly look back on.
• D’Andre Swift – 1,000 yards and a Pro Bowl during his only Philly season.
• Doug Pederson – Doug P? Yeah. His best NFL season, which admittedly was not great, was in 1999.
• Michael Bennett – Had himself a monster 2018.

Phillies

• Dom Brown – Let’s be honest, if this was a top-10 list instead of a larger thing, Dom Brown would be #1.
• Aaron Rowand – Proof that you don’t have to be a superstar to be respected here. Just put your body on the line making a hustle play.
• Hunter Pence – The guy hit .324 in that first half-season with the Phils.
• Benito Santiago – Feels like he played for every team in Major League Baseball, but in 1996 he knocked in 85 runs and hit 30 home runs.
• Pedro Martinez – Could have won another ring here if a few things went differently for the 2009 squad.
• Tadahito Iguchi – .803 OPS over 45 games in 2007. He might be more of a “cup of coffee” guy, but close enough.
• Scott Kingery – 2019 looked like a break out year for him, but unfortunately it was not.
• Matt Stairs – Only with the Phils for what amounted to one full year over two seasons, but boy did he leave an impact.
• Glenn Wilson – His only All Star season was here in 1985.
• Corey Dickerson – Only played 34 games, but posted a really nice .293/.307/.579 slash line.
• Kenny Lofton – People always forget about Kenny since he was 38 years old and near the end of his career, but he played well here in 2005.
• Geoff Jenkins – We’ll count him. Walked in here during his final MLB year, won a ring, and retired.
• Roger Connor – Gotta make sure we get someone from the 1800s on the list. According to Twitter user Matt Albertson, Connor posted a “6.3 WAR in 1892. Hall of Famer who spent most of his time with the Giants.”

Sixers

• Dana Barros – Barros was a good player who enjoyed a long career, but he was never better than 1994-1995, when he shot 46.4% from three and averaged a career-high 20.6 points per game.
• Michael Carter-Williams – A Rookie of the Year who became a Process casualty. A snapshot of the Sam Hinkie era.
• Jimmy Butler – Just know that his name is Jimmy, it is not James.
• Willie Burton – Another guy who had his best single season in Philadelphia. 15.3 PPG on the Dana Barros team that also included Clarence Weatherspoon, Shawn Bradley, and Sharone Wright.
• Jahlil Okafor – I’d walk over to Ukee Washington’s desk in 2015 and we’d watch Jah’s post moves. Alas, that was the pinnacle, we just didn’t know it at the time.
• (why are there not more Sixers on this list? surely we’re forgetting some obvious ones – EDIT: of course I missed Nic Batum)

Flyers

• Peter Forsberg – Only played one full season before he was traded, but what a season it was. 75 points in 60 games. He finished 12 points behind Simon Gagne for the team lead despite playing 12 fewer games.
• Ville Leino – Leino was a mid-season trade when the Flyers went to the Stanley Cup Finals about 15 years ago. He went on a playoff heater, then had a 53-point season the following year before becoming an unrestricted free agent. He played 93 regular season Flyers games and 30 in the postseason, but we collectively decided he fits the billing here.
• Jaromir Jagr – 54 points in 73 games. It’s no coincidence that some Flyers had their best seasons ever when Jagr was on the squad. He made everyone around him better.
• Greg Paslawski – “Mud” put up 33 points in his lone Flyers season and was never heard from again.
• Sean Walker – The most recent example, he was a rebuilding casualty and flipped for a 1st round pick.
• Matt Niskanen – Isn’t it kind of sad how quickly they fell after after he left?

Union

• Borek Dockal – The Czech international only spent one season in Chester, on loan from a Chinese club, but before he departed back to Europe, he scored five goals and chipped in 18 assists, which was #1 in Major League Soccer that season.
• Michael Orozco Fiscal – Back then, he was only Michael Orozco and hadn’t yet changed his name. He was a constant starter on the 2010 expansion team and a full U.S. international who had a nice career played mostly in Mexico.
• Gabriel Gomez – The best signing for the ill-fated 2012 Union team, he was a quality box-to-box player and veteran Panama international.
• Jeff Parke – One of the few veterans on the 2013 team, his presence in central defense put a young team right on the playoff doorstep.
• Oguchi Onyewu – Gooch finished his career with the Union and was a bright spot on an otherwise underwhelming 2017 team.
• Marco Fabian – Scored the first playoff winner in Union history despite playing a smaller role than we all expected.
• Veljko Paunovic – Fans didn’t like this midseason acquisition at first, but the “Old Serby Bastard” scored three goals and stepped into the starting lineup for the first Union playoff team ever.

“Cupcake man, I’m a cupcake man, look at me baby I’m a cupcake man. I’m a hot dog man, I’m a hot dog man, look at me baby I’m a hot dog man.”

The post In Honor of Mark Hoagies and Mr. Cupcake Man, Here’s the Ultimate List of One-Hit Wonders in Philadelphia Sports appeared first on Crossing Broad.

December marked the 15th anniversary of Crossing Broad, which began in the winter of 2009 with a post titled “Happy Halladays!” in which Kyle Scott wrote about the prize addition of Doc while lamenting the departure of Cliff Lee at the same time. It feels like a hundred years ago. Back then, Trent Cole was the Eagles’ sack leader, Joel Embiid was living in Cameroon, Blair Betts was a Flyer, and the Philadelphia Union had yet to play a game.

35,712 posts later, we’ve hit a milestone of sorts, reaching the same age as a high school freshman. But the site has more maturity than a 9th grader, depending on whom you ask. Long gone are the days of Morning Carts and the comments section, but we’ve grown site traffic and social media to levels that were once a pipe dream. The site has been acquired twice in five-figure transactions and the local colleges even ask us to come speak to the students, to impart our infinite wisdom among P.O.D.’s youth of the nation.

This all warrants something special to celebrate the anniversary, so what I am going to do is unload all of the merch I’ve accumulated over the years. All of it. This is everything I have from the various media games, gifts, and playoff promotions, basically everything that they give us but we feel slimy keeping for ourselves. I’ve unloaded some stuff for IASIP events, but kept about 90% of it and I am going to put it into a pot for a charity giveaway. What I have:

1. a limited-edition can of Jason Kelce “Legend Edition” Campbell’s Chunky Soup. The expiration date is February of 2025 so you’ll have about a month to eat it, or you can just dump it and keep the can and put it on your mantle.
2. Kyle Schwarber “Philly Standard” Yards merchandise – two t-shirts, size large, a patch, sticker, keychain, pin, and two free beer tickets.
3. a Major League Soccer X Apple TV scarf
4. an XL Adidas “Aeroready” jersey with MLS and Apple TV on the sleeve
5. a Philadelphia Union Bimbo-branded clear bag
6. Philadelphia Union training shorts, size L
7. a ONE Championship mixed martial arts longsleeve shirt, size L
8. a Philadelphia Union small pennant, water bottle, and Koozie
9. an Adidas x Philadelphia Union jacket, size L
10. an Adidas x Philadelphia Union training top, size L
11. MLS notebook
12. Premier Lacrosse League hat
13. Philadelphia Waterdogs: hat, t shirt, and crewneck, size M
14. a 9.14 Pictures Slayer-themed t shirt, size L
15. a Goal Zero phone power bank
16. a large 76ers patch, 6.5 inches by 6.5 inches
17. more random stickers, notebooks, koozies
18. two special-edition 76ers X Red Bull boxes with Red Bull glass and notebook, art by Glossblack

The stockpile is more than 25 items amounting to maybe $500 in retail value if I had to guess. But a lot of these things are limited edition or no edition, like they weren’t even available for purchase at all, so there’s an opportunity to snag some unique stuff here to add to your collection, or give out to friends and family.

Let’s keep it simple. All you have to do is click on this link and make a $10 donation (or more) to Manayunk’s Starfinder foundation, which runs soccer programs for underserved youth in the Philadelphia region. Screenshot the receipt, email it to me at k.kinkead@sportradar.com, and then I’ll put you in a drawing to win the entire pile of merch. We’ll give it about two weeks for people to jump in, then we’ll pull a name and declare the winner.

Sound good? Good. And thanks for supporting the website over the years. Thanks for all of the emails and DMs. Without readers, we’d all be learning how to code.

The post Crossing Broad’s 15th Anniversary Charity Giveaway appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Welcome to Philly, Coach Carnell!

Philadelphia Union name Bradley Carnell as the fourth head coach in club history.

https://t.co/gUOpjUUBN8#DOOP pic.twitter.com/bDRKtIrtDh

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) January 2, 2025

Carnell coached St. Louis during their expansion season. They came out on fire playing a German high-press style, found immediate success, and then crashed down to Earth, hard. Carnell was fired a few months into his second year and he now replaces Jim Curtin in Philly.

This feels like a lateral move on paper. Carnell comes from the Red Bull system, where he was an assistant and later interim head coach in New York. Philadelphia sporting director Ernst Tanner also comes from the Red Bull system, so the obvious thought is that the Union will go back to playing the frenetic pressing style that you saw here in 2019 and 2020, which St. Louis and New York and many other teams have played over the years.

It’s funny, because Bob Bradley, when coaching LAFC, once famously called the Union “a Red Bull team.” It was a bit of an oversimplification, but he wasn’t wrong.

The general tenets of Union play back then were frenetic counter pressing, cluster defending, and direct transition. It evolved over the years to look less German, and they added some wrinkles to their style, but teams that swarm, force mistakes, and try to move forward quickly now get the general label of being “Red Bull” teams, so until we see what this team actually looks like on the field, we’ll run with the “Red Bull Philadelphia” bit.

Jokes aside, here’s what I think is most important:

This is a style you can play while being cheap. You need fitness to press and run 400 miles in a game. Who has fitness and can run 400 miles in a game? Young kids. And where do young kids come from? The Union academy. How much do young kids cost? Not much.

Considering the Union’s lack of first-team spending and aversion to high transfer fees, this is the philosophy that makes sense here. You bring in a pragmatic German Red Bull guy, you play the Red Bull style with a Red Bull coach, and you do it with kids coming through your academy. If you can’t or won’t spend on designated players who don’t want to be in Chester anyway, you go with this approach instead.

What’s somewhat ironic is that New York did a lot of this with unremarkable players in recent years, then VOILA! – they pay Emil Forsberg $5 million and go on a run to MLS Cup. Isn’t it funny how that works out? If Carnell is the guy, I don’t hate it, because I’ve resigned myself to the fact that this is the limited framework of a Jay Sugarman ownership. The Red Bull style is worn out and a little bit boring in 2024, but it makes a lot of sense for this club. Some of the Union’s best moments during their brilliant, five-year run were Brenden Aaronson and Leon Flach forward-defending and transitional masterpieces, and for a city that loves blue collar intensity and blah blah fuckin’ blah, it’ll be re-accepted. It’s not the most beautiful style of soccer ever played, but it’s effective.

Of course, I could be completely wrong. Maybe they come out playing 4-1-3-2 with a Regista and surprise us all, but I highly doubt it. But on a more serious and less cynical note, welcome Coach Carnell and best of luck. This franchise is turning a needed corner and change is always intriguing. You have to move it forward at some point and accept that the greatest run in Union history is over.

The post Philadelphia Red Bulls Replace Jim Curtin with Bradley Carnell appeared first on Crossing Broad.

 

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A post shared by Jack Elliott (@jackells95)

“I’m disappointed to announce my time in Philadelphia has come to a close. Philadelphia has become home to me, but the time has come where I have to stay true to myself and know my own worth.”

During his season-ending media call, Sporting Director Ernst Tanner said Elliott “turned down an offer that was really respective, looking for more money and that’s what we cannot do, in terms of roster flexibility.” Elliott had a guaranteed compensation of $893,750 in 2024 and a base salary of $800,000, for some context. He’s 29-years-old and while the Union’s CB play took a big step back this season, if you polled fans and media they’d probably say that Jakob Glesnes had the bigger drop off than Elliott or Damion Lowe, the latter of whom was transferred to Saudi Arabia. Throw in the spring injury issues with Andre Blake and the Union’s D was all over the place for the early part of the season.

The Union are being linked to a young Argentina defender named Ian Glavinovich, who is 23 and reportedly coming here on loan with a purchase option. Not a done deal. But the team really needed some fresh legs in central defense. Glesnes, the former MLS Defender of the Year, turns 31 in March and Elliott and Lowe are obviously gone, so they’ll need to add another CB in addition to Glavinovich, assuming that move pans out. Then we’ll see how much Chicago paid Elliott, and get an idea, based on 2025 form, of whether the Union made the right move or wrong move in letting him walk.

Good luck to Jack though. Represented the team well, played some great games, scored two damn goals in MLS Cup. A CB brace in a title game. You can’t ask for much more from a late-round draft pick who wound up playing more than 225 games for the U.

The post “Disappointed” Jack Elliott Shades the Union Front Office on his Way to Chicago appeared first on Crossing Broad.

The home of the New York Red Bulls is turning the page to a new era.

Welcome to Sports Illustrated Stadium. pic.twitter.com/WMNBgw0OeT

— Sports Illustrated Stadium (@Sl_Stadium) December 11, 2024

Is this the same Sports Illustrated that went through multiple layoff rounds and then got caught using fake writers to publish A.I.-generated content? The same Sports Illustrated that was going to stop printing in 2023? Actually, it is not, sort of. Today I learned there is a Sports Illustrated, then something else called “Sports Illustrated Tickets.”

Explained here by Jacob Feldman and Eben Novy-Williams at Sportico:

It was Sports Illustrated Tickets, which is independent from the famed media publication and pays Authentic for the rights to use the 70-year-old publication’s name, that signed the stadium rights deal with MLS club owner Red Bull. While Sports Illustrated Tickets and Sports Illustrated are separate businesses, the latter company does promote the other’s marketplace on its website.

…

Sports Illustrated Tickets has been operated by CEO David Lane since its launch in 2021. The platform has partnered with Venmo, joined Ticketmaster and Seatgeek as the only official licensed channels of the NFL Ticket Network, and brought on Drew Brees as an investor, acting as one of the more stable SI-related licensees for Authentic since it acquired Sports Illustrated in 2019.

“For Sports Illustrated, there’s the media side, and today there’s the live event side,” Lane said. “We’re a real opportunity to grow the brand and reintroduce it to a whole new generation of fans.”

The deal is 13 years, more than $100 million. Cool stadium, just a shitty area. The press box is down low, behind the benches, and you can hear the thump of the ball and the sweet sounds of cuss words on the pitch, amplified by the stadium’s emptiness. It’s on this very ground that no one shows up to watch the North Jersey Energy Drinks, who are now owned by the Philadelphia Union. We all hate Red Bull, We all Hate Red Bull.

The post Mostly-Empty Red Bull Arena Will Now Be Mostly-Empty “Sports Illustrated Stadium” appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Sources: The Colorado Rapids have acquired *all* of the Philadelphia Union’s SuperDraft picks for the next three seasons in exchange $350k GAM (+ performance based add ons).

Eight picks over three years, including three first round picks. pic.twitter.com/5ypH1Bbqm1

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) December 9, 2024

They’ve done this before, trading and/or passing on picks. They don’t value the draft these days because they have so many kids in the academy that they believe have better first team prospects.

Counterpoint: You can’t find diamonds in the rough if you don’t go looking for them.

Keep in mind, Andre Blake, Jack Elliott, and Ray Gaddis were draft picks. Blake will be in the Ring of Honor some day and Elliott was a starter on the 2022 MLS Cup team. He platooned on the 2020 Shield-winning team and so did Gaddis, amounting to about 2,000 total minutes for the pair. Blake was the #1 overall pick and Elliott and Gaddis were pulled out of the later rounds.

The trend these days is to deprioritize the draft and focus on in-house academy development. It’s not just the Union who share this philosophy. But it doesn’t mean the college pipeline has dried up. Between 2019 and 2023, Tajon Buchanan, Alistair Johnston, and Moise Bombito were all drafted out of college, and they now play for Inter Milan, Celtic, and Nice, respectively. Throw in guys like Patrick Schulte and Roman Celentano and Dejuan Jones and you’re talking about everyday MLS starters. There’s talent coming out of college, but you’re getting these guys when they’re older, and some player-personnel executives just don’t think it’s worth the time and effort to go look for them when there’s a glut of talent already in the pipeline.

The post The Union Traded All of Their Draft Picks for the Next Three Years appeared first on Crossing Broad.

• Option Exercised: Isaiah LeFlore, Mikael Uhre (automatically exercised)
• Options Declined: Jamir Berdecio, Brandon Craig, Jack Elliott, Matthew Real, Joaquin Torres
• Players out of contract: Sam Adeniran, Alejandro Bedoya, Leon Flach
• In on-going negotiations: Alejandro Bedoya, Brandan Craig, Jack Elliott

It’s a typical late-year Union press release. They move on from some fringe players, negotiate with vets, and exercise a few options.

Some random thoughts following media availability with sporting director Ernst Tanner:

Leon Flach

Tanner said the team wanted to re-sign Flach, who had family needs overseas and that’s why he’s moving on.

Flach started 33 of 34 games for the 2022 team that scored 72 goals, conceded 26, and went to MLS Cup. He scored the game winner against FC Cincinnati to send the Union to the Eastern Conference final.

Leon is one of the biggest “what if” players in Philadelphia Union history. What if he developed a semblance of an attacking game? He was absolutely brilliant on the other end, probably the best defensive transition player to ever wear the uniform. The things he could do to win back the ball and protect the flank and put out fires were matched only by prime Alejandro Bedoya and maybe 2016 Warren Creavalle. Flach was tailor-made for that box-to-box #8 position on the left side of the diamond, and his ability to run for days and press and move really opened things up for Kai Wagner while giving Jose Martinez an extra bit of cushion at the same time.

He was so frustrating offensively, because he’d win the ball in these brilliant retreat movements, run it forward with directness, and then lose it. He really never developed much in the attacking third, outside of that inside channel run that you started to see a bit later on. Interesting enough, Tanner noted in the end-of-season press conference that development of young players is not restricted to homegrowns, and did say when I asked him that Flach is one of the players that thought could be applied to. Unfortunately, Flach dealt with injury issues after 2022, and the emergence of Jack McGlynn and other personnel shuffling saw him either coming off the bench or playing the #6 position, which was not his best spot. He leaves Philly at age 23 in a move that was a bit surprising to me, but the family issues are what they are. You always have to account for personal situations.

Leon Flach in a nut shell here. Brilliant defensive win and then gives the ball back: pic.twitter.com/FxErQukLbI

— Kevin Kinkead (@Kevin_Kinkead) July 4, 2022

Alejandro Bedoya

This one surprised me because I thought with Curtin gone that Tanner would surely move on from Bedoya. I was told straight up that Bedoya’s status was a point of contention between the former head coach and sporting director, but apparently it is not. I asked Tanner on Wednesday if it was counterintuitive to bring back Bedoya based on this line from the end-of-season presser:

“we had a little bit of dispute with our team in particular with all the players as I’m always hearing the young ones are not ready to play.. I tell you I don’t know if they are ready to play because we didn’t try it.”

Tanner said that they value Bedoya as a veteran and that the young players need veterans to learn from. He also noted that Bedoya has a secondary role as Player Development and Front Office Specialist, which presumably factors in to how they view his on-roster role.

Sam Adeniran

Did he even play here? Seven matches, zero goals. An Andrew Wooten-esque cup of Union coffee.

Mikael Uhre

There was some transfer scuttlebutt about Uhre, which has seemed to subside. He had some nice moments this year after looking sluggish at times in 2023. I still think he’s best used when they can play him in space and get him running on to the ball, ala Sebastien Le Toux. He’ got a very Le Touxsian skill set, reminiscent of when Peter Nowak used him as a solo striker in a 4-5-1 back in 2011. If the new Union manager gets away from the diamond, that might be an option, but it leaves out Tai Baribo, who needs to be second on the team sheet after Andre Blake. I’m just not sure how you best use Uhre and Baribo together.

Jack Elliott

Tanner noted that a contract extension was offered to Elliott, who turned it down in pursuit of more money. We’ll see where it goes from here.

Elliott was better than Jakob Glesnes in 2024, which isn’t saying too much because Glesnes really had a rough year. Jack’s been a stalwart on this team for a long time. He turns 30 in August and still has a couple more years in him, but they absolutely need a stud CB1 to join this team and start a new three-CB rotation. Glesnes and Elliott have played a lot of games in recent years, spelled by Damion Lowe at times, but also thrown into these three-man backlines as well. My hope is that the new manager sticks with a flat backline and that these guys shake off a poor season. An aberration, we hope.

The post Some Thoughts on the Union’s 2025 Roster Decisions, the First Moves of the Post-Jim Curtin Era appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Besides that – nothing. No “thank you” post, nothing on the website, nary a mention of the guy who led this team into relevance over a decade-plus.

On Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, the Union posted:

• spring training in Clearwater
• Penn Medicine Healthcare Hero of the Match
• national team and youth callups
• unclaimed 50/50 jackpots
• the press conference link
• a Veteran’s Day post
• MLS NextPro Cup highlights, lineup, QT Marlon LeBlanc
• go vote on election day
• some individual stats from the season

And on the website, the stories are:

• U-19 USA callups
• Cavan Sullivan U-17 callup
• MLS Next Pro Cup postgame stuff
• a charity initiative with Malamut Law
• season ticket stuff, premium seating
• Union academy, etc

Not to sound naive, since we know that Curtin, Tanner, and Sugarman did not split on amicable terms. You don’t get sunshine and rainbows on the way out the door when partings are not mutual, which describes this situation accurately. I was told the relationship was nonexistent at the end, which matches everything the active reporters of 2024 shared in their findings. But if the Union knew what was good for them, and had a sense of reading the room, they would have done something. Just an easy “thank you” post with a graphic listing his achievements over the years. Shit, you could put Curtin in the Ring of Honor right now, because he’s a shoe-in for the tribute. You’re talking about a guy who won this franchise its first trophy and was twice awarded MLS Coach of the Year. He managed 420 games and won 176 of them. His 2022 team finished with 67 points, scored 72 goals, conceded just 26, and was screwed out of a second Supporters’ Shield due to abhorrent tiebreaker rules. He got a Moneyball club to two Champions League semifinals, MLS Cup, three US Open Cup finals, and two Leagues Cup semifinals.

The big-game shortcomings are what they are, and worthy of discussion, but the successes alone are enough to put the guy’s name up there next to Sebastien Le Toux.

Beyond the on-field results, you’re talking about someone who was a brilliant ambassador for the franchise and for the sport in Philadelphia. Jim Curtin did every interview and every podcast, talked to every random person who approached him in Sea Isle City, and regularly gave the media useful and transparent quotes to the extent of his capability. He’s a gregarious individual by nature, but the openness was also by design, because he understood that anyone associated with the Philadelphia Union had the ancillary responsibility of growing the game in a challenging market that hasn’t traditionally welcomed soccer. That goes for everyone from the head coach, to the media, to the ticket sellers and hot dog vendors. It was a collective responsibility, and a challenging one. Don’t believe me? Read the social media replies to this story, where surely someone will proclaim that “no one cares” or that soccer is for fairy boys.

But inroads were made in this parochial market when four-for-four fans learned that Curtin was a local everyman and regular dude, plus a fan of their favorite football, baseball, basketball, and hockey teams. You make a connection that might not exist without the combination of local roots and amicable nature. I don’t know how many times he went on 97.5 the Fanatic or 94 WIP and they asked him about Villanova or the fucking Eagles, but he went along with it, and it helped build a relationship, because he was one of us. You saw the borne fruits of that decade-long outreach when, after his firing, criticism was coming from people in the Philly sports ecosystem that we would consider Union casuals and/or soccer apathetic. There were maybe a half-dozen folks that I saw who were applauding the firing, and not necessarily because Jim was a bad coach, but because they sensed he was becoming Andy Reid, a guy who had reached his ceiling, and therefore necessitating a beneficial change of scenery for everyone. Things maybe were a little stale for these fans, Jim’s substitution patterns and predictability in squad selection being the more common complaints.

It’s curious in that sense, because you wonder if Jim’s friendliness and personality shielded him from criticism, or at least muted it. Everyone got to know the guy, and when you get to know someone in sport, you’re less likely to call for their firing, or demand that they get their ass on the low block and stop camping at the three point line (Joel Embiid). You pull punches, whether you do it actively or subconsciously, and maybe that covered up some of the blemishes, like playing Chris Donovan over Tai Baribo or continuing to trot out an Alejandro Bedoya who was well past his prime. Some people say that Jim didn’t find success until Ernst Tanner showed up, but that’s not entirely true. He took average squads to three USOC finals, got the 2016 and 2018 teams into the playoffs, and the 2020 squad that won the Shield included academy products developed before Tanner’s arrival, a handful of college draft picks, and some Chris Albright and Earnie Stewart selections. He reached the ceiling with Tanner’s players, yes, but the Union were also a joke when Curtin took over halfway through 2014. It was a team five years into existence with little money, a nascent academy, and no practice fields or training facility. Prime Alex Ferguson wasn’t coaching that 2015 squad to double digit wins.

Reminder: when Jim Curtin became head coach, Nick Sakiewicz was still the Union’s CEO, Earnie Stewart had yet to walk through the door, and the payroll included one guy making more than $500,000. There were 18 players on the 30-man roster earning less than $100,000. Five figures! They made less than we did! This is a totally different franchise and totally different league in 2024, so comparing Curtin’s early years to his recent years is an exercise in telling people that apples are oranges and vice versa.

Maybe Ernst Tanner pulls some new coach out of the Red Bull system and gets this team rolling again. Or maybe they run a bunch of kids out there and realize that only Ajax can be Ajax. Philly sports fans have short memories, and if this team wins in 2025, people won’t be talking about Jim Curtin and the brusque way his tenure ended. It was a “curt” ending, not Curt Onalfo or Curt Schilling, but curt in the sense that it was rudely brief. You wouldn’t expect sentimentality from Tanner, 1) since he’s an emotionless German* and 2) because he and Curtin weren’t getting along near the end, so that’s why it’s going to fall on Sugarman and/or Tim McDermott to prepare an honor at some point in the future, maybe a couple of years from now, or, Inshallah, under new ownership. Time heals all wounds, or at least provides enough of a window to be less annoyed by them. As of this moment, the story is incomplete, and the severance too hasty to justify a proper parting. At some point we’ll get a nice reunion where Jim can be aptly received in front of a big crowd and watch his name be added the Ring of Honor. He deserves that.

*this isn’t even a criticism. being an emotionless German certainly has its benefits, namely the innate pragmatism

The post A Column on Jim Curtin, Who Didn’t Get a “Thank You” Post, but Deserves to Go into the Union’s Ring of Honor appeared first on Crossing Broad.

1. Ernst gave it away right off the bat when he said in his opening that “over the course of let’s say, last year, we felt that we aren’t really aligned in what we are doing here.” The relationship between Tanner and Curtin was not in a good place. Tanner wanted to see more time for the young players and more development in that area. Curtin was loyal to veteran players like Alejandro Bedoya. After some time, the view on how to operate dissolved and the two weren’t on the same page.
2. Tanner said straight up that he would have fired Curtin earlier in the year if this was Europe. He mentioned the losing streak as a reason for that. I’m not sure it would have been justified considering all of the international absences and injuries, and the fact that you’d be dissing a veteran and respected coach by dumping him halfway through the year.
3. Tanner seemed miffed at the idea that the squad was lacking depth, and gave away another clue when he said “we had a little bit of dispute with our team in particular with all the players as I’m always hearing the young ones are not ready to play.. I tell you I don’t know if they are ready to play because we didn’t try it.” There’s some truth to this, but Curtin is the same guy who kept playing Chris Donovan when Tai Baribo was right there. I don’t know how many first team minutes were justified for Cavan Sullivan, Jeremy Rafanello, and Markus Anderson, but we’re talking about the same Curtin who gave more than 2,000 minutes to Quinn Sullivan, Jack McGlynn, and Nate Harriel, and previously played guys like Auston Trusty, Brenden Aaronson, Mark McKenzie, and Anthony Fontana. What’s the right number of kids that need to get playing time? 3? 4? 5? 11? 12? Fans don’t give a flying fuck about any of this. You put the best players out there, whether they’re 14 years old or 40.
4. Sugarman – “Our core beliefs are not going to change, but we have to adapt as the league adapts.” What adaptation is he talking about? It’s great that they are spending/have spent $75 million dollars (his words) to build out this top-down academy model, with the new facilities and the school and all of that, but we all know this team doesn’t spend on big DPs or transfer fees, and successful, trophy-winning MLS teams are indeed doing that in 2024.
5. Sugarman contradicted Tanner when he said this squad lacked depth. They both seemed to be in a general sense of denial in thinking that they could just run it back for the second-straight year and rip off what, 15 wins? And challenge for a trophy? This roster was bang average and it was naive to think the core wouldn’t regress.
6. Not sure about you, but if I hear the word “development” one more time, my eyes are gonna roll out the back of my head. You look around the world at the greatest development academies in soccer and those corresponding 1st teams are always complemented by players who came from elsewhere. I always use the example of 1999 Manchester United, which produced David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, the Neville brothers, and Ryan Giggs. But they also went out and signed guys like Dennis Irwin, Jaap Stam, Andy Cole, and Roy Keane. Case in point, when the Union went to MLS Cup in 2022, only one homegrown player was in the starting XI, and that’s because Bedoya was injured, or else it would have been 0. That team featured several Ernst Moneyball signings, yes (Flach, Carranza, Wagner), but the academy contributed little that season after producing two players were a big reason for the 2020 Shield triumph.
7. I didn’t hate Sugarman’s response to the “do you care more about development or winning?” question. They are committed to the academy, fine, but as stated above, “development” cannot be a core roster building strategy. The way the MLS system works, with the soft cap and various quirky rules, do you think we’re ever gonna see an Ajax or Benfica in North America? Develop, win, feed big clubs at the same time? I really don’t know. I see them becoming Salzburg, but without the trophies.
8. Sugarman pointing to the playoffs and saying “it’s hard to win” was myopic. Columbus and Miami got bounced in the first round, sure, but they also won the Leagues Cup and Supporters Shield. The former spent money on Cucho Hernandez and Diego Rossi and the latter went out and signed four former Barcelona superstars. The Union, meantime, went out and pulled Anderson from the Spanish third division.
9. Ernst is very German, so I appreciate his bluntness. When he talks about “development” not being restricted to homegrown players, he is correct, but that’s such an open-ended thought. Of course you coach players to improve, regardless of where they came from. But which of those players were you expecting more from? Leon Flach? Olivier Mbaizo? Andres Perea? Joaquin Torres? Maybe these players already hit a relatively-low ceiling, or were just average to begin with. And even then, who gets credit for Julian Carranza and Kai Wagner? Jim Curtin? Ernst Tanner? The coaching staff at large? What kind of development did someone like Jakob Glesnes require when he came over here?
10. I would have preferred hearing much less of Jay and much more of Ernst. Jay is a nice man, and honest, but he’s been saying the same thing for a decade now. Ernst at least gives you something. We need more blunt Germans in Philadelphia sports.

The post Jim Curtin Fired: Ten Takeaways from a Mostly Underwhelming Union Press Conference appeared first on Crossing Broad.

The post Union “Part Ways” with Jim Curtin After More Than 10 Seasons appeared first on Crossing Broad.

The first rendering looks cool. Wouldn’t mind sitting right next to the field with a beer fridge in front of me. Those are $5,800 per seat with a four-seat minimum, which I’d definitely do. I’m gonna pass, however on sitting directly underneath The River End. If you’re going to be that close to the supporters’ section, you may as well be in the section itself. Those tickets are $5,000 per season with a two-seat minimum. And the “terrace suites” aren’t bad, looks like a more affordable version of a luxury box. You can bring your entire youth soccer team down there, “MontBuxBerks F.C. United,” and keep everyone in the box, feed the kids, let them go up to watch the game. Hopefully the Union also sign some premium players for 2025.

The post Union Just Need Some Premium Players to go Along With New Premium Seating appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Kai Wagner on the mentality in the room pic.twitter.com/VfjgFlXc8n

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) October 20, 2024

There’s truth to a lot of what Wagner is talking about. It starts with ownership and the front office for not bolstering a squad that was clearly on the downslope of an amazing multi-year run. They added Tai Baribo, but he sat on the bench for too long before they discovered that the guy should be a everyday starter. They sold Jose Martinez and his replacement, Danley Jean-Jacques joined more than halfway through the campaign. They added 14 year old Cavan Sullivan, which served as more of a public relations move than anything meaningful on the field, at least in 2024. The Sam Adeniran trade and Markus Anderson signing amounted to nothing. The homegrowns did reasonably well, Quinn Sullivan and Jack McGlynn leading that group, but this particular class is a level below the Brenden Aaronson and Mark McKenzie group. Andre Blake was injured in the spring, the aging center halves took a step backward, and they dug themselves a hole that they couldn’t climb out of through the summer and into the fall. Outside of a short run to the Leagues Cup semifinal, they looked like a team that just didn’t have enough juice.

With 37 points, the Union finished this season 12th place in the East. The 1.09 points per game number is tied for third-worst in franchise history. They actually had a +7 goal differential, which is the product of one-goal losses, but unfortunately +GD doesn’t get you into the playoffs. They finished with eight home losses in a stadium that used to be a fortress.

Philadelphia Union over the last eight seasons:

• 2024: 12th place, 37 points, 1.09 PPG, 9 wins, 15 losses, 10 draws, +7 goal differential
• 2023: 4th place, 55 points, 1.62 PPG, 15 wins, 9 losses, 10 draws, +16 goal differential
• 2022: 1st place, 67 points, 1.97 PPG, 19 wins, 5 losses, 10 draws, +46 goal differential (lost Supporters’ Shield on tiebreaker)
• 2021: 2nd place, 54 points, 1.59 PPG, 22 wins, 5 losses, 7 draws, +13 goal differential
• 2020: 1st place, 47 points, 2.04 PPG, 14 wins, 4 losses, 5 draws, +24 goal differential (won Shield)
• 2019: 3rd place, 55 points, 1.62 PPG, 16 wins, 11 losses, 7 draws, +8 goal differential
• 2018: 6th place, 50 points, 1.47 PPG, 15 wins, 14 losses, 5 draws, -1 goal differential
• 2017: 8th place, 42 points, 1.24 PPG, 11 wins, 14 losses, 9 draws, +3 goal differential

Huge offseason coming up. Obviously. We’ll find out if ownership and the front office are serious about being competitors, or if they were happy with that incredible moneyball run and just content to see their investment grow.

The post Philadelphia Union Playoff Streak Ends at 6 Years After Mediocre, 15-Loss Season appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Thing is, they’ve gone out and totally smoked their last two opponents, hammering NYC FC 5-1 at Yankee Stadium before blanking D.C. 4-0 on national television Sunday night.

By virtue of those clobberings, they are now above the playoff line. And if the postseason began today, they would be the 9th seed, playing a one-game Wild Card for the right to travel to Miami to square off against Lionel Messi and company in the opening round. It’s not ideal, but it would continue a six-year playoff streak that began in 2018 and featured an MLS Cup run that should have resulted in a trophy.

The difficulty is that the Union still have to play three teams currently in the playoff bracket and one that has not yet been eliminated. Atlanta is on 33 points and right behind the U ahead of this next game. Then the seasons wraps against Columbus, Cincinnati, and Orlando, who currently occupy the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th seed in the East.

If the Union do enough against those teams to get in, then they’re carrying momentum into the postseason. They need to make up 5 points on NYC or Charlotte to avoid the Wild Card game, and Miami, but if they play the way they played in these last two, it’s not out of the realm of possibility.

For what it’s worth, no team seeded lower than 5th has gone to MLS Cup in the last 10 years. That was the 2018 Portland Timbers. It’s uber-rare that any team beyond the top four in each Conference even make it to the semifinals. So no, the prospects don’t look great for the Union, even if they do make it in.

But even then, does it mean anything? We can say the playoff streak is alive. Maybe that’s twisted into some turd-polishing narrative for 2024, which the “sell the team” portion of the fan base would argue is a bad thing. The Union are on 1.2 points per game now and haven’t finished with a number that low since 2015, when they lost 17 games and finished -13 in goal differential.

It’s just one of those things where you feel it. You feel yourself being sucked back in. They pick themselves back up and do enough to get you interested again, only to flatline and continue the vicious cycle. Is this the same thing? Or are we feeling a miracle playoff run, ala the 2010 Philadelphia Flyers?

The post Don’t Look Now, but the Union Have Smoked Two Opponents in a Row to Get Above the Playoff Line appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Thank you, Damion

Philadelphia Union have reached a transfer agreement with @ALAKHDOUD for defender Damion Lowe.

https://t.co/Sa66kf8OYY#DOOP | #ForeverPhilly pic.twitter.com/CmgCfuTP1C

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) August 27, 2024

First thoughts?

Lowe was a good player on an expiring contract, and the Union are going nowhere this season, so sell, sell, sell and get something in return. Tom Bogert says it’s a $200,000 return for the U.

For now, it leaves them with only two proven center backs on the roster in Jakob Glesnes and Jack Elliott, but they can move a fullback inside temporarily or elevate one of the guys from the second team if they see fit.

But good for Damion, who will surely get “the bag” in Saudi Arabia. He was making $343,000 guaranteed over here, but will make more over there. No one watches the games and no one cares, but the Saudis pay well and he’ll probably be set for a life after playing a couple of seasons in a no-pressure environment. He does have experience playing in that region, with a couple of years in Egypt predating his return to the United States, though he’s a full Jamaica international and good enough to play in a better league. He spent a few seasons in Norway and can start in a league like Belgium, Netherlands, whatever.

The thing with the Saudi league is they went on this spending spree a few years ago and started paying a bazillion gajillion dollars to lure players from Europe. They got Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Sadio Mane, Riyad Mahrez, all these dudes. But it’s just a flavor of the week cash grab type of thing, like China several years before. So the troll accounts on social media call it the “Camel League” and the tweets are hilarious. Go type “Camel League” into the Twitter search bar for a wonderful bit of Ronaldo vs. Messi banter.

Damion Lowe’s new home ground: pic.twitter.com/rFWYyNqrSf

— Kevin Kinkead (@Kevin_Kinkead) August 28, 2024

The post Union Transfer Damion Lowe to the Camel League appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Thus ends the seven-game unbeaten streak. They’ll play the third place game on Sunday evening at home, with a chance to qualify for the Champion’s Cup as consolation.

The circumstances for this one are a little different, and they weren’t favored to win following a surprise run of form, but nonetheless this result has to go on the list of big game disappointments in Union franchise history:

• 2014 U.S. Open Cup final: 3-1 extra time loss (home)
• 2015 U.S. Open Cup final: 1-1 draw, lost 7-6 on penalty kicks (home)
• 2018 U.S. Open Cup final: 3-0 loss (road)
• 2021 Champions League semifinal: 4-0 loss on aggregate (two legs)
• 2022 MLS Cup: 3-3 draw, lost 3-0 on penalties (road)
• 2023 Champions League semifinal: 4-1 loss on aggregate (two legs)
• 2023 Leagues Cup semifinal: 4-1 loss (home)
• 2024 Leagues Cup semifinal: 3-1 loss (road)

If you break it out, that’s one extra time loss, two draws in which they lost on penalties, two aggregate losses, and two straight-up regulation losses. I don’t count the 2021 Eastern Conference final because they got screwed by COVID, and I don’t count the “MLS is Back” semifinal because who gives a shit about that. Some people have made the case for Peter Nowak playing a brand new formation in the franchise’s first ever playoff game, so that might qualify for the disappointment list. Overall you see a pattern here of the Union reaching the top of the ladder and then the ladder falls over.

While sports betting was not yet legal for some of these games, I am 99% sure they were an underdog in every single one, save for maybe the LAFC 1st leg of the 2023 Champions League semifinal. That was a disappointing 1-1 home draw that led to a 3-0 road defeat in the return leg. Longtime Union fan Barry on Twitter noted that they were a better team than Houston back in 2018, but with that USOC final being played in Texas, it makes me think the oddsmakers may have favored the Dynamo for that reason alone. Or, at best, maybe that game could have been listed as a pick ’em. But I don’t think anyone expected them to beat Seattle in 2014, KC in 2015, Club America in 2021, LAFC in 2022 or 2023, or Miami/Columbus in 2023 and 2024.

So doesn’t this prove the point that we’ve beaten to death in recent years? The Union get there, but don’t have the talent to finish the job. They are a great team, but not a trophy-winning team. If you watched Wednesday night’s loss, you saw Diego Rossi and Cucho Hernandez score all three goals for Columbus. Rossi makes $3.3 million guaranteed and Cucho makes $2.8 million, two numbers higher than the Union’s highest-paid player. But what’s more is that the Crew paid about $16 million in transfer fees to get both players, while the Union’s record transfer fee is $2.8 million. They have never paid more than $3 million in a transfer fee.

The rest of the Columbus team is Union-esque in that it features some solid American players (Nagbe, Schulte) mixed in with great foreign pulls who overachieve for a great coach (Camacho, Farsi, Moreira). They aren’t loaded with superstars front to back. But they do have a pair of DPs who provide so much for them, and make shit happen in the big games. The Union don’t have that, and ownership has signaled that they never will, because going out and paying for difference makers is apparently not part of the plan.

Talking Wednesday night in a vacuum, it’s hard to kill these guys for a game they weren’t expected to win. I don’t know what they could have done differently or better. Maybe Jesus Bueno starts over Leon Flach or Alejandro Bedoya. Maybe Jack McGlynn learns to track a run in the defensive third or maybe instead of sitting back, they high-press the shit out of a team that likes to dick around on the ball and play out of the back. Regardless, the fact of the matter is that they reached this point once again, and once again fell short. I’m not sure if you can be disappointed with a game in which you had zero expectations, but alas, the feeling persists.

As a sidenote, Danley made his Union debut. His first action was to try a sombrero in his own third and headbutt a teammate. It’s the perfect way to introduce yourself. Down 3-1 on the road in a cup semifinal and trying crazy-ass shit right off the bat. Welcome, Danley! 

Danley Jean Jacques begins his Union tenure with a sombrero at the edge of his own 18, in which he then headbutts Jakob Glesnes pic.twitter.com/PQhrn7uIhQ

— Kevin Kinkead (@Kevin_Kinkead) August 22, 2024

The post Updating the “Big Game Disappointment” List After Union Lose Another Semifinal appeared first on Crossing Broad.

If Blake was a baseball player, his WAR would be right up there with Aaron Judge, and if we’re talking basketball, his VORP would be Jokic-esque. That’s how much of a difference he makes when he’s on the field. They likely are out of the tournament if Oliver Semmle or Andrew Rick had to play, and not because those guys are shit, but because Blake is that good. That’s the very definition of “wins above replacement.”

But there’s a bit of cheeky irony in all of this, for several reasons:

1) The Union were so bad in league play earlier this year that they dropped all the way to last place in the Eastern Conference, resulting in fan protests and a town hall meeting that took place last week. Funny enough, that meeting coincided with a seven-game unbeaten streak that included two rounds of penalties against Mexican teams.

2) The team sold Julian Carranza to Feyenoord and Jose Martinez to Corinthians, so if they’re gonna win this tournament, they’re gonna do it without two of their best players from this incredible, multi-year run. Carranza has been gone for weeks, but Brujo’s last game was Saturday night, and he came off the bench to bang home a penalty in a symbolic final Union moment.

3) Some fans hate the Leagues Cup and are boycotting it. That includes a portion of the Sons of Ben, who haven’t gone to any of the games, and a number of season ticket holders who opted out of the tournament. Their stance is that Leagues Cup is a cash grab tournament, played exclusively on American soil, and they don’t like Major League Soccer’s dismissive stance on the United States Open Cup, which is the historic FA Cup-styled competition that includes lower division teams from across the country.

Alas, here we find the Union. Much maligned and facing scrutiny, having sold two of their best players while fans and media justifiably gripe, yet once again advancing to a tournament semifinal with a trophy and Champions League berth on the line. They reached this same point last year and got absolutely fucking trounced by Lionel Messi and Miami in the most frustrating Union game I’ve ever watched (and there have been many). Now they go to Columbus midweek to try to take out the defending MLS Cup champs for a shot at LAFC or Colorado in the final.

On one side of the spectrum, you might hear people say something like, “well the fan protests look silly now; they just needed a healthy Andre Blake and the end of summer international duties.” That’s true, the absences killed them in the spring, but I think it proves the point that myself and other people have been hammering over and over for two years now, and that’s the idea that this remains a very good team and was deserving of reinforcements and additional spending. That core of Blake, Kai Wagner, Jakob Glesnes, Jack Elliott, Daniel Gazdag, (an aging) Alejandro Bedoya, Leon Flach, Nate Harriel, and Mikael Uhre remains mostly intact. They’ve lost Carranza, Brujo, and some peripheral pieces. So the original and mostly consistent argument wasn’t really about blowing up a washed team, it was criticism for running it back twice without making the necessary moves to help the core get over the hump.

And you might say, “well they signed Tai Baribo, and Danley Jean-Jacques is here, and they got Sam Adeniran.” Yeah sure, but Baribo inexplicably sat behind Chris Donovan on the bench and DJJ just arrived two minutes ago. Adeniran is a bench piece. It was all reactionary. They didn’t introduce these reinforcements until the bottoming out that coincided with selling Carranza and moving Brujo to Brazil. We weren’t looking to replace the entire squad, we were looking for additions to win that second trophy and bolster a team that:

• lost the 2023 Leagues Cup semifinal 4-1
• lost the 2023 Champions League semifinal 4-1 on aggregate
• lost the 2022 MLS Cup in the dying moments
• lost the 2021 Champions League semifinal 4-0 on aggregate

That was always the concept. This was a team that was really close; they just couldn’t clear the final hurdle and would thump their head on the ceiling once they got there. We’ve seen it time and time again, twice in the CCL and most painfully in MLS Cup, when LAFC brought Gareth fucking Bale off the bench to hand Philadelphia one of its three championship losses that season.

Now the situation presents itself again, curiously, since we had all assumed this team wasn’t going anywhere following the 6-0 Champions League exit and poor start to league play. If you’re Union ownership, you’re thinking what? That this team is good enough and the strategy continues to work? You don’t need to make a splash signing because the core is still good enough to go on a semifinal run like this? To me, it just strengthens the prior argument. This was still a very good team and there needed to be more urgency in the last two to three transfer windows.

Regardless, they can beat Columbus in Ohio. Why not? The Crew are nasty, don’t get me wrong, but they thrashed Cincinnati on the road last week and they’re in good form. If Blake keeps playing at this level, he’ll keep them in the game. And if they get smoked again, we add it to the semifinal loss list with an asterisk, because they really were not supposed to be here.

The post Union Making the Leagues Cup Semifinal Under the Most Ironic of Circumstances Proves the Point We’ve Been Trying to Make appeared first on Crossing Broad.

USA! USA! USA!

Now he’s back to investing:

Kevin Durant, about to become a new minority stakeholder at Paris Saint-Germain!

Decision made as @Romain_Molina reported. pic.twitter.com/1BcNd1q0iN

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 12, 2024

Right, so we’ve already surmised that Kevin Durant may not be aware that he owns 5% of the Philadelphia Union, with an option to purchase 5% more. Now he’s buying a stake in one of the world’s biggest teams, so the Union may as well be pond scum on the bottom of his galoshes. All we wanted was for K.D. to do the bare minimum in recruiting. Get on a Zoom call with Antoine Griezmann or whatever 2nd division Estonian defender the Union are currently scouting. Say some nice things about the U and help us bring in some talent. But no. We get nothing. He instead goes and purchases a stake in another team, adds some more diversity to his portfolio, and continues not giving a flying fuck about the boys in blue.

K.D. has two options here: either sell your stake or get moving on a swap deal. We send Tai Baribo and Jack McGlynn to France. In return, we’ll take Marquinhos and Lucas Hernandez. Who says no? We’ll even throw in a bag of Thomas English Muffins.

The post If Kevin Durant Didn’t Care About the Union Before, He Definitely Won’t Now appeared first on Crossing Broad.

We stand with Damion Lowe!!

Say no to racism!!

Damion Lowe Racially abused by supporters, very interesting that his club haven’t addressed it or even backed the player publicly by condemning the act..

Is this is the norm in MLS?#jamaica #reggaeboyz #football #mls pic.twitter.com/Zo4UMsDU5y

— MG Sports Media (@MilitaryGooner) August 6, 2024

Two of those are in Spanish, the first one Google translating to “You really don’t give a damn about what you like, bastard,” and the other saying “black idiot you are a fucking pig.” The third is in English with a hard R N-word, so no translation required there.

The Union, MLS, and Leagues Cup all posted or retweeted condemnation of the abuse, saying this:

pic.twitter.com/XWAhmhbx4G

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) August 6, 2024

One of the guys above made his account private and the other two appear to no longer exist. There are a lot of people out there saying “Mexican fans being Mexican fans,” which is, however plausible, impossible to confirm or deny based on a couple of IG screengrabs. But people will fill in the blanks in the absence of concrete information.

The post Union Condemn Racial Abuse of Damion Lowe After Cruz Azul Game appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Sources:

Midfielder Danley Jean Jacques is joining the Philadelphia Union from FC Metz in Ligue 2, France.

Last season, he featured in 33 matches in Ligue 1, playing a total of 2,685 minutes.

The Haitian international has appeared a total of seven times for his country at the… pic.twitter.com/G44NgPhfni

— José Roberto Nuñez (@JoserNunez91) August 4, 2024

Looks to be close to the finish line. Nothing official yet.

A brief bit of research shows that this guy is a central midfielder, somewhat of a 6/8 hybrid. Transfermarkt says Metz played three main formations this past season, leaning mostly towards an attacking 4-3-3 but also playing a 4-5-1 and a 4-2-3-1 earlier in the year. He was a more advanced central midfielder in those triangular shapes, not a #10 necessarily, but when Metz played three in the middle it seems like they mostly had him playing forward with another guy, more often than operating as a single-pivot 6. That makes me wonder if the Union see this guy as a box-to-box #8 in their diamond system.

While in France, he played a season in the second division and a season in the first division. 2,300+ minutes in both campaigns.  Metz finished 8-5-21 this past year and had the most losses in the Ligue 1, but they finished with 29 points and were only relegated after losing a two-leg playoff series with St. Etienne. They’re one of those teams that straddles the line between D1 and D2.

Beyond that, I don’t know fuck all about this guy. He’s a Haitian international, and has played in the Gold Cup, and it’s always important for MLS to identify the best players in CONCACAF and bring them in. Knowing what we know about the Union, Danley Jean Jacques will either fail to make the 18 every single game or he’ll become a 3x All Star and another slam dunk moneyball signing. Knowing Ernst Tanner’s hit rate on these types of moves, I might give the Union sporting director my DraftKings casino promo code and have him play it for me.

BTW, Danley Jean Jacques also likes to get stuck in, it would appear:

welcome to Philadelphia!https://t.co/G3Aj9c9vlo

— Kevin Kinkead (@Kevin_Kinkead) August 5, 2024

EDIT – the first version of this story had a photo of the wrong guy… I think. Our photo service labeled him as DJJ, but the number he was wearing in the photo doesn’t match his Haiti number, so I just swapped it out

The post Union Reportedly Signing Some Guy Who Will Either Become a 3x All Star or Never Play appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Andy Jasner, the son of longtime @PhillyDailyNews sportswriter Phil Jasner & a terrific man & writer in his own right, died suddenly yesterday. He leaves behind a wife & three lovely daughters. He was a friend & a gem of a human being. Please, keep his family in your thoughts.

— Mike Sielski (@MikeSielski) August 2, 2024

Andy was a talented freelancer and a jack-of-all-trades type who was a regular at various sporting events in Philadelphia. I’m pretty sure he wrote about every team at some point, but he was frequently at Sixers games, covering the same team as his late father, Phil Jasner. I got to know him during the early days of the Philadelphia Union, when he wrote for the team website and joined us on road trips to Harrisburg and Maryland and North Jersey, chronicling the not-halcyon days of Peter Nowak and John Hackworth. He was part of a talented press corps that included people like Kerith Gabriel, Jonathan Tannenwald, Chris Vito, Marc Narducci, and Matt De George.

Jasner was a Syracuse graduate back in 1991. He wrote a 2010 book about the Baltimore Ravens and also penned a tribute to Phil in 2017 titled “On the Case” – His Best Writing on the Sixers, the Dream Team, and Beyond.

Andy really looked up to his dad and did a wonderful job preserving and sharing his work over the years. He was a family man, very proud of his three daughters, one of whom is off to Vanderbilt. He didn’t post a lot on social media, and didn’t get tangled up in the typical argumentative back and forth that other scribes partake in. He was more of a “show up and do the job” type of person, definitely old school in that regard, which you’d expect from someone who grew up with Phil Jasner as a father. But in terms of personality, he was an affable guy, easy to talk to, good sense of humor, and didn’t take himself too seriously. He had a lot of respect for the profession, but wasn’t stuffy about it, if that makes sense. Andy was one of the bigger hoops fans in Philadelphia with a wealth of knowledge on the sport. 

It’s really sad. He leaves three girls behind. I’ll post the obituary when it goes up, and a better photo if I can find one.

The only Union picture I have on my hard drive is a wide shot of the backs of our heads in the Red Bull press box. Not the best photo of all time, but apropos I think because it’s candid and captures Andy in his element, doing what he liked best:

Update:

Here’s Andy’s obituary and service schedule. This was a really nice mention from T Mac during one of the Phils games this past weekend:

Great tribute to Andy Jasner by @TMacPhils on the TV broadcast pic.twitter.com/VMETn2hg33

— Nick Piccone (@_piccone) August 4, 2024

Update 2: The synagogue ran out of chairs at the funeral. It was standing room only. A proper snapshot, I think.

The post RIP Andy Jasner appeared first on Crossing Broad.

As part of the new uniform unveil, the team also announced its first-ever official home jersey patch partner, Philadelphia-based Independence Blue Cross. Through the multi-year deal, Independence Blue Cross, a leading health insurer in Southeastern Pennsylvania, becomes the Official Health Insurance Partner of the Philadelphia Flyers.

…

The partnership will place an Independence Blue Cross logo on the right chest of all Flyers home sweaters as well as the third alternate jersey and will be showcased through team platforms and television broadcasts.

The Union sleeve came next.

In addition to the BIMBO front-of-shirt logo, they added the IBX to the right shoulder in February of this year:

Photo: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

IBX started as a Union sponsor in 2011, then a recent renewal included the sleeve branding, which at least matches the uniform motif. The Flyers’ patch is blue and stands out against the traditional palette, but on the Union kits they matched the font color to BIMBO.

Now it’s the Phillies. There’s no image yet of what the patch will look like, but hopefully it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb. You look at the Braves’ Quikrete patch, for instance, and the bright yellow pops. There’s a little bit of yellow in the Tomahawk logo, but it does look a little out of place otherwise. The Mets’ original patch looked clunky, that square, red and white “New York Presbyterian” logo with the odd dimensions. They pivoted off that and now have a blue rectangle that actually uses NY colors.

The thing about IBX is that they’ve sponsored everything in Philly sports over the years. They’re an Eagles and Sixers sponsor and have longstanding relationships with the Flyers, Phillies, and Union that predate the jersey patches and branding. They’ve been the presenting partner of training camp and various basketball activations, for example.

It does make you sort of laugh and/or cry though, because now IBX is on three of the five team jerseys. How much is too much? Do we need to put fucking IBX on everything? In the Sports Business Journal story from Terry Lefton, this paragraph jumps out:

“It’s an opportunity to further amplify our brand,” said IBX President and CEO Greg Deavens. “Philadelphia is an incredibly competitive health-care market. We have 15 or 16 different (competitive) players. … Having these long-standing, very strong partnerships is a critical ingredient to our overall success.”

Some people roll their eyes when they hear words like “brand” and “competitive” associated with healthcare. A critical service intertwined with the corporate sponsorship game, which is part and parcel for classic American capitalism. If we don’t like it, I guess we can move to England or Canada, or vote for Bernie Sanders.

Nevertheless, this is a slippery slope and there’s no coming back from it. We all realize that, right? You give an inch and it’s never returned. Now the Eagles are the only team in the city without some kind of sponsor logo on the jersey. How long until we do the left shoulder, the other sleeve, and maybe slap something on the side of the Flyers helmet? Our athletes are going to be walking billboards at some point, ala Ricky Bobby or any Mexican soccer team. Cash rules everything around us, CREAM, and it’s not going to stop anytime soon.

By the way, at the Crossing Broad sportsbook, IBX is the betting favorite to replace Wells Fargo as the naming rights sponsor for the building that hosts the Flyers, Sixers, Wings, and Roger Waters for the 40th straight year. “The IBX Center,” it will be called, though we can do the “IBS Center” joke when the first Sixers injury report includes three bouts of gastroenteritis.

The post IBX Won’t Stop Until Their Logo is on Every Philadelphia Uniform appeared first on Crossing Broad.

What were you doing at 14? Cavan Sullivan was playing in the MLS #doop pic.twitter.com/twnxXAAjpo

— Crossing Broad (@CrossingBroad) July 25, 2024

What a cameo. We had local content guys, a former Bachelorette contestant, and a professional soccer player in one video. What more can you ask for?

I know people probably have some questions about the one woman who said, “Losing my friends.” Good news, I asked her after her take. Apparently they were mean, but she said she was also mean. Little inside baseball for ya. Glad we cleared that up.

Also, this has terrific meme potential:

A little behind the scenes: Cavan was filming a commercial for Raising Cane’s and doing some activation with fans on Temple’s campus. The kid is amazing not just on the field. I don’t know if he’s going to be any good, but I was really impressed by how mature he seemed at a young age and how he approached the entire shoot. For 2+ hours he had a million people feeding him lines, an entire camera crew in his face doing take after take, and fans outside in the hot sun wanting to get ahold of him and he handled it all like it was nothing. Not to mention there were like a hundred police officers there. It was like Taylor Swift was coming. If you gave me millions of dollars at 14 I would’ve ended up in a ditch. This kid is about to go win EPL titles with the best club team in the world and he couldn’t even drive himself to the store. It’s pretty easy to find a way to root for him.

Ahead of his years. After Cavan Sullivan is asked about being the youngest @raisingcanes employee ever he ponders if it could be another income stream post retirement pic.twitter.com/BxvRTJofdk

— Chuck Booth (@ChuckBoothSport) July 25, 2024

Thanks again to Raising Cane’s for inviting us out!

The post What Were You Doing at Age 14? Probably Not Playing Pro Sports Like Cavan Sullivan appeared first on Crossing Broad.

That took place after some in-stadium fan protests that resulted in a meeting between Sons of Ben leadership and front office members.

The SOBs shared notes from the meeting here:

Here are the survey results, as well as how areas of concern were answered, that we used to make the decision to suspend any formal protest.

For summary of the points discussed as well as all survey data and meeting attendance
please see: https://t.co/8UZX8Xni6v pic.twitter.com/iJBlJiwMLY

— Sons of Ben (@SonsofBen) July 20, 2024

If you click through, there’s a document with written notes from the meeting. This is the part that jumped out to me (slightly reformatted to fit this page) –

Even the smaller market teams are spending more and more money on star players. Will the Union ever be able to keep up with the trend?

-We were told we’re never gonna be an LA/NY/Miami of the league, there’s no global appeal to live in Philly – The appeal abroad to live in New York/LA/Miami will help high ranking world class players take a lower salary than they deserve

-The teams such Toronto and Chicago were cited as teams that have swung big and missed. If this were to happen to the Union it would have repercussions past that players time here

-The current signings and roster make up of RSL and Columbus were mentioned to the front office as examples of a smaller market team with an established player signing by the SoB representatives – At this time, it doesn’t appear that style of player targeting fits within their roster building plans

-They are firm on their stance they are not willing to sacrifice sticking to their established roster building model unless it is a permanent change to their roster building model

-They are not interested in making one time exceptions to this business model

Yeah alright, listen, I don’t think anybody expects Philly to be Los Angeles, or New York, or Miami. That goes for the “four major sports” as well. Free agents wanna go to the Lakers and Heat and Dodgers. Philadelphia isn’t cosmopolitan, it’s not sunny and 70 degrees every day, and then on the Union front you’re practicing and playing in Chester. Southern California, it is not.

But hopefully something got lost in translation here, because while the Chicago Fire swung big and missed, Toronto F.C. did not. Toronto went to three title games in three years, lost the first one on penalty kicks, won the second 2-0, and then lost the third in regulation. The year they won, 2017, they were #1 in payroll with Sebastian Giovinco, Jozy Altidore, and Michael Bradley, who were three of the top seven earners in the league. The Union, meantime, had one player making more than a million dollars.

RE: the Crew and RSL, good on the Sons of Ben for bringing that up. Salt Lake City and Columbus aren’t exactly destinations, but Columbus is spending about $5.2 million on Cucho Hernandez and Diego Rossi while RSL has $1.9 million Cristian Arango. The Union do have Mikael Uhre near the $2 million mark, but just sold Julian Carranza and the rest of the core is sort of clumped together in the high six figures. The U really aren’t that far behind, they just don’t pay large transfer fees and don’t pursue top-end players. For instance, if you go down the list of MLS players by base salary, highest to lowest, you have to go to #38 to find Uhre. There are 37 other players in the league who make more than him.

That’s what Union fans are asking for. They’re not asking for Messi, because the Union aren’t going to attract someone like him, or pay him $20 million guaranteed. But they could have continued the best stretch in team history with a Cucho or Rossi type of move, or something $4+ million ala Christian Benteke or Hector Herrera. Don’t tell me that D.C. or Houston has more allure than Philadelphia. That’s the type of winning move this Union team should be making, not shoveling money at players, but willing to splash a bit in that Tier 1B level, which would also require Kevin Durant to get off his lazy ass and recruit someone. Moneyball got them this far, so the model is not ineffective, they just let it sort of peter out. They brought back some of their own players, signed some guy from the Spanish third division, and made an in-season, in-league trade. Now they’re probably scouring the Myanmar Premier League for the next diamond in the rough. That’s the running joke.

Meantime, let’s extend the winning streak. Doop doop, motherfuckers.

The post After Meeting with Sons of Ben, Sounds Like Union Front Office Will Continue to Play Moneyball appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Cavan Sullivan has entered the match in the 85’ and has officially become the youngest player to make his regular-season debut among the top North American professional sports leagues at 14 years, 293 days old.#DOOP pic.twitter.com/gNx0RqKCsW

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) July 18, 2024

It’s a nice story. A nice moment for the Union Academy and the family and everybody who played a role in Cavan’s development. He’ll play with the Union for a couple of seasons before joining Oil Money Football Club aka Manchester City. There’s also the possibility he leaves at 16 to play for one of City’s non-England clubs, like Girona or Troyes. He can’t play in England until he turns 18.

Anyway, the bigger story on Action News is that the Union won a game for the first time since May 18th, hammering the short-handed New England Revolution 5-1 at Subaru Park. The winless streak started when they built the new beer hall outside the stadium and lasted for 60 days, a time span in which the Union fell all the way to the bottom of the Eastern Conference with 21 points and a 4-10-9 record. This W moved the U up to 14th, joining a jumble of seven teams separated by just three points. There’s a lot of soccer left to be played and if they figure it out they can get back into playoff position.

One of the things that may get them there is the play of Tai Baribo, who scored a hat trick on Wednesday night. Baribo signed with the team last summer but was buried on the bench and played just 29 minutes in his first 24 games. With Julian Carranza transferred to Feyenoord, Baribo has now started six straight games and scored six goals, putting himself in a three-way tie with Carranza and Mikael Uhre despite playing half the minutes. And sure, the hat trick skews the number, but the bottom line is that the guy is good. Wednesday night, he put himself in the right spot to head home a second ball on a set piece, made a simple near-post trailing run to finish a counterattack, and then made a really nice back-shoulder movement to get on the end of a Kai Wagner cross for his third:

HAVE A NIGHT TAI Baribo answers and earns a hat trick!

Watch with #MLSSeasonPass on @appletv: https://t.co/Cz5f7pW5sS #DOOP | #PHIvNE 4-1 pic.twitter.com/lhqcogYVRX

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) July 18, 2024

So the guy can play. It begs the question why he didn’t for the first two-dozen games. It’s been reported that he didn’t practice well. Okay, fine. A lot of guys don’t practice well. See: Iverson, Allen. You need to work to earn your spot, especially when you’re coming to a new team in a new league on a new continent. Nothing is given.

But everybody with two eyeballs and a functioning brain can see that Baribo is better than Chris Donovan. Same Donovan who started the Leagues Cup semifinal opposite Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba. And me pointing out the Miami thing is more of a snapshot of Union shortcoming over the last two years, not to unfairly shit on Donovan, who is 23 years old and good enough for some bench minutes here and there. That being said, Baribo came here as a full Israeli international who scored a goal almost every other game in Austria. Stink, he does not. So I don’t envy the decision a coach and a front office has to make when they know they’ve got a decent player who might not be at the attitude or effort level of other guys in training. Where does the line separate stubbornness and justification? It’s hard to say, since we’re not in Chester every day, watching these guys practice. We’re not in the locker room. You just have to trust that the coach and the staff are making the right personnel decisions, a benefit of the doubt that’s been earned over several years of success, but might be waning ever so slightly.

Regardless, the U are on a one-game winning streak. Let’s keep it going.

The post Cavan Sullivan is a Nice Story, But Let’s Talk About Tai Baribo and the Union Actually Winning a Game appeared first on Crossing Broad.

On @LoganPaul‘s ImPaulsive show, Kevin Durant confirms that he does indeed know that he owns a share of an MLS team, although he does not mention the Philadelphia Union by name.

Oh, and he’s really into pickleball, @Kevin_Kinkead.#doop #MLS #pickleball

: Impaulsive Show pic.twitter.com/LjAw7iqq8T

— José Roberto Nuñez (@JoserNunez91) July 9, 2024

“I’m invested in like pickleball, um, uh, women’s soccer league, MLS too… both of those leagues, fuckin volleyball league, I’m trying to stay in the sports arena man.” 

Are we sure that KD knows what sports teams he’s bought into? He owns a 5% stake in the Philadelphia Union with the opportunity to purchase another 5%. He’s a minority owner of Gotham FC in the NWSL, or “women’s soccer league” as he describes it. He’s put money into various leagues, startups, and tech products through the investment group Thirty Five Ventures (35V), which he started with his agent, Rich Kleiman.

That begs the question of whether or not KD actually cares about any of these teams beyond being investment vehicles or portfolio diversifiers. The most passionate thing we’ve seen on the record is him arguing with a Union fan on Twitter, then deleting his parts. But does the guy do anything behind the scenes? Does he help with recruiting? Does he talk to Union brass? If you’re a Union front office member reading this, text me. Tell me what KD’s level of involvement is and I’ll leak it for you. I’m willing to play ball if there’s actually ball to be played. Otherwise Kevin Durant is Peter Gibbons from Office Space. 

“What would you say you do here?”

People will undoubtedly point out that KD owns a small stake in the team. Okay, fine. But you do know how many of these European soccer players love the NBA and love American sports and know exactly who Kevin Durant is? A lot of them come over here because they’re infatuated with the culture of sport in this country. See: Gazdag, Daniel, who is always at Sixers games. If Kevin Durant gets on the phone with Antoine Griezmann and says “hey man, I’m part owner of the Philadelphia team, how’d you like to play here?“, that’s better than any recruiting pitch that anybody else in the organization can make, other than offering Griezmann $10 million a year that they don’t have.

It’s just corny to have these people in ownership who see the team as an investment vehicle and nothing more. Jeffrey Lurie? Great owner. Emotional intelligence and all of that. John Middleton? Spending boatloads of money to put a great team on the field and get his fucking trophy back. And Josh Harris gets criticism, but this dude flew to Los Angeles to recruit Paul George and brought Dr. J with him. If 74-year-old Julius Erving is willing to go cross-country for a third star, then it’s not too much to ask K.D. to get on a fucking Zoom call with whomever the Union are currently scouting from the Bulgarian third division.

(For the sake of context, I went back and listened to this five-minute portion of the podcast, which takes place at the end of the episode. They talk about NFTs and Bitcoin for two seconds, then they talk about pickleball for 10-20 seconds and the show basically ends. What you see in the clip is everything relevant.)

The post Would it Kill Part-Owner Kevin Durant to Act Like He Gives One Iota of a Shit About the Union? appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Bear with us.

One thing that popped up on the feed was a reminder from the Delco Times’ Matt De George that it’s the 10-year anniversary of a dust storm blowing through Chester and causing a ridiculous weather delay:

got it. first haboob delay in Philly sports history: pic.twitter.com/b2Q9XcGoBY

— Kevin Kinkead (@Kevin_Kinkead) July 9, 2024

This was the 2014 U.S. Open Cup, and the Union went up 1-0 before all of this crazy debris started flying through the air, over the stadium walls, and into the seats and on the field. The parking lots weren’t paved, so I presume there was gravel and dirt mixed together and the wind just sort of lifted it up. The wind was so bad that it ripped some of the signs from their moorings and left a layer of grime on the seats as everybody fled for cover.

From there it turned into a torrential downpour that caused a one-hour delay and they finished the game at something like 10:30 p.m. in front of maybe a thousand people.

I used the word haboob in the video and headline. According to AZ.com:

People often use the term haboob to describe the huge, dramatic walls of dust that sometimes blow into Phoenix. Dust and sand storms are common in the Middle East, where the Arabic word “haboob” comes from. In Arizona, the word has come to mean a powerful dust storm with a rolling wall of dust.

Well, I’d say this was pretty haboob-ish. Haboob-like. It wasn’t exactly Riyadh or Scottsdale out there, but people were running for the exits with their faces covered and attempting to flee what looked like the precursor to Javier Bardem riding a sandworm. Surely there’s a geologist who reads Crossing Broad. Gimme a shout and let me know if this qualifies as a haboob. Or let me know if you’re aware of any other dust storm delays in Philly sports history. kevin.k@xlmedia.com

The post It’s the 10-Year Anniversary of the First and Probably Only Haboob Delay in Philly Sports appeared first on Crossing Broad.

It also raises a good question – with kelly green returning in 2023, are the Iverson blacks the most-requested throwback uniform in Philly? Do people even like the design and color, or is it a nostalgia thing? I took those ideas and wrapped them into a short listicle for a slow week in July.

Here’s one look we should bring back for each of the five majors:

Eagles

something that utilizes the white helmet

concept photo from MicCheckTapTapTap on Eagles Reddit

The Birds made fans happy with the 2023 Kelly Green redux, bringing back the classic look of the 80s and 90s with white and silver throughout.

One of the uniforms that’s been forgotten in time is the white helmet look of the early 1970s, likely because the team was dreck at that point and turned in 14 losing seasons between 1962 and 1977. They wore all-whites with a green eagle wing on the helmet, and a green jersey + white helmet + white pants look. There are various interesting mockups of white helmets across Eagles Reddit and social media, some using a kelly wing and others a silver wing. The Eagles in 2023 opted to go with a 2nd helmet that includes all three colors, using kelly as the base, silver for the wing, and then a white trim. It’s similar to the 2010 throwback that Mike Vick and Shady McCoy wore, only without the white trim on the wing while replacing the silver pants with white.

Phillies

bring back the burgundy!

Photo: MLB.com

People didn’t like these uniforms, which were originally worn in the 1970s. They brought them back in 2019 as part of a retro night.

Bill Giles was quoted in an article back then, explaining the jersey and pants:

Losing 10-5 to the Montreal Expos didn’t help. The immediate overall reaction of the media, fans, and players alike was negative, with many describing the despised uniforms as pajama-like. As such, the idea was “Outta here!” as Harry Kalas would say.

“They just didn’t match up to our expectations. They also didn’t fit well,” Giles recently said, laughing.

Flyers

late 90s blacks

Photo: Lou Capozzola-USA TODAY Sports

The Flyers uniforms haven’t changed much over the years. They’ve always rolled with various combinations of orange, white, and black and really only change the trim of the shoulder and sleeve to provide various groupings of those three base colors. They haven’t done any kind of wacky, off-brand designs outside of the Winter Classic and Stadium Series, which were still based largely off the same palette.

One uniform to bring back is the original black that debuted in the 1990s. The orange was limited to trim and the white focused on the shoulders. It was one of the uniforms worn by Eric Lindros, John LeClair, Mikael Renberg, Bundy, and all of those great players of 25 years ago.

Sixers

Iverson blacks

RVR Photos / USA TODAY Sports

There’s no other choice here, unless you like those Shawn Bradley red/blue star uniforms of the mid 90s. It’s true that the Iverson black jerseys were off brand at the time, and went away from the typical color palette of years past, but the fan base really likes that kit for the nostalgia, if nothing else. It’s the uniform the Sixers wore the last time they went to the Finals, and it reminds them of A.I. leading the team to a shock Game 1 win in Los Angeles.

Beyond that, you might want to go back to a uniform that actually says “Sixers” on the front. They’ve gotten away from that in recent years and done the “Phila” and “Philadelphia” thing, outside of the Spectrum City Edition jersey of a few years back.

Union

2011 3rd shirt with blue shorts

Photo: Earl Gardner / Philly Soccer Page

The Union introduced the Bimbo sponsorship in 2011, and with it a new third kit that featured blue and khaki on the shoulders and white throughout. They wore this top with the typical gameday navy shorts and white socks in an exhibition game against England’s Everton FC, a rare combination that was only used sparingly back then. I could be wrong, but I don’t think they actually wore this kit in any MLS games that season, and preferred to match white on white with the white socks as well. Regardless, this look is rare in the Union archives, and they didn’t reintroduce the white shirt until four years later, in 2015. White was only ever used as a 2nd jersey, and oftentimes worn with white shorts, so we haven’t seen the white/navy look in more than 10 years. The closest thing I can remember is the black/white of 2015, when they wore the Bethlehem Steel throwbacks and the white shorts.

The post Bringing Back One Past Uniform for Each Philly Sports Team appeared first on Crossing Broad.

The U haven’t won a game since May, they’re having their worst season since 2017, and a large portion of the fan base is frustrated that ownership hasn’t done the necessary roster work to stay competitive in MLS, just two years after going to the championship game.

A sampling from the stands:

Big brother @PhilaUnion confiscating numerous dissenting banners in TRE. WE are your customers, not the other way around. Silencing people will only make things worse #doop pic.twitter.com/WVH0Ko6uPt

— Aaron Lerch (@LerchAaron) July 6, 2024

Union vice president of season ticket sales and fan services Mark Evans just confiscated this banner.

A decade ago, Evans led the security operation that took the Nick Sakiewicz as Grim Reaper banners out of the River End.#doop https://t.co/9Pq0mK1h44

— Jonathan Tannenwald (@thegoalkeeper) July 6, 2024

The “sell the team sign” has been removed by security now.#Doop https://t.co/oO3vOuFM4C pic.twitter.com/xkSF6lIunV

— Todd Lewis (@ItsAToddLife) July 6, 2024

.@KeystoneUltras with a “The Sugar Ain’t Sweet No More Sugarman Out” banner.

The banner has been removed by the Union.#Doop pic.twitter.com/MAKXPguiWG

— Todd Lewis (@ItsAToddLife) July 6, 2024

Major League Soccer has rules about banner size and pre-approval in the fan code of conduct. You’re not allowed to bring “signs, banners, or flags larger than 3′ x 5′” into any stadium, though it’s not like we can get out the ruler for a proper measurement here. Unless I need to get my hearing checked, in that first video I hear someone say “there is no pre-” before other voices come in and the camera pans to the guy yelling “he just grabbed my dick!”

Regardless, the optics of confiscating ownership-critical banners is always going to look bad, league rule or not. Makes it look like you’re cracking down on dissent, which isn’t necessarily synchronized throughout The River End, where the supporters groups sit. That includes the Keystone State Ultras and Sons of Ben, the former group being more demonstrative and the latter remaining silent for the first five minutes of Saturday’s game as an entry-level type of protest. The SOBs released a statement before the game, explaining that they met with former board members to talk strategy and figure out the best way to proceed. They’re also going to be meeting with ownership soon, according to a Twitter post shared after the game.

If you’re an O.G. Union fan, you might remember the last fan protest, which took place in the Summer of 2015. SOBs carried a coffin with CEO Nick Sakiewicz’s face on it, the words “we deserve better” written on the side. Sak was labeled a “serial franchise killer” and other reaper-ish imagery and language was used. At the time, SOB leadership was split on whether to take the protest further, and a line was drawn at bringing the demonstration inside the stadium, because they didn’t want the players to be negatively impacted and keep the ire directed at the front office and ownership instead.

So we’ll see what happens here. The Union were a mess back then, didn’t have a playoff win in five years, had three starting goalkeepers, no player-personnel executive, and nothing to be excited about. They were hardly a functioning franchise. This is different. They’re coming off the best run in team history and falling back to Earth. It’ll be up to the fans to figure out how they want to go about this as the Union find themselves in 14th place in the East on July 6th.

The post Union Fans Brought “Sell the Team” and “Sugarman Out” Banners to Subaru Park appeared first on Crossing Broad.

They played well enough to earn at least a point on the road against a quality team, but alas, it was not to be.

First, backup goalkeeper Oliver Semmle got chipped from midfield:

LUCA pic.twitter.com/EaCNXLEw8V

— FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) June 20, 2024

Then, after clawing back to level for the third time in the game, the U turned it over and conceded the winner in the 100th minute:

LUCHO! @fccincinnati put themselves ahead laaaate in this one! pic.twitter.com/01p3X1NQpp

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 20, 2024

The replay shows Markus Anderson sort of bumbling along with the ball in Cincinnati’s half. If he had taken it into the corner, or gotten rid of it, the Union likely see out a 3-3 draw and come home with a road point. But he coughed up possession and Lucho Acosta delivered the dagger on the other end.

Mind you, this was four days after conceding late to lose at home to a Miami team playing with nine men, none of whom were Lionel Messi or Luis Suarez. They followed up one horrendous loss with a possibly more horrendous loss.

What’s particularly aggravating is that they aren’t necessarily playing poorly. All six losses this season were by one goal (not counting the Champions League thrashing at the hands of Pachuca). They’ve only been held scoreless twice, and they aren’t getting thrashed in these games, they just can’t stop conceding. Part of that is absolutely due to the absence of Andre Blake, but there’s been regression from a backline that has been more than stout over the previous 2-3 seasons. At some point, you knew Jakob Glesnes and Jack Elliott were going to fall back to Earth. They show these flashes of the team they were in 2023 and 2022 but suffer these brutal losses that remind me of the 2014-2017 “that’s so Union” era, sequences reminiscent of playoff contention going down the tubes thanks to Rais Mbolhi kicking the ball to the other team and getting chipped. Reminiscent of Vince Nogueira hitting the post in the U.S. Open Cup Final and Andrew Wenger dribbling out of bounds. They just don’t have a large margin for error because they don’t have individuals who can grab the game and do something special. So when the cracks start to show, they REALLY show.

The silver lining was a brace from forward Tai Baribo, who has been glued to the bench since coming here in August of 2023. Julian Carranza’s departure opened the door for the Israel international, who scored twice and worked pretty hard up top. Neither goal will be up for an award, but “right place, right time” is a skill and strikers have built careers on hanging around near the back post. Finally we got to see a real shift from him, and an extended cameo from Jeremy Rafanello.

Trying to stay pragmatic with this team, but this is the worst run they’ve been on since the summer of 2018. Now if you’ll excuse me, I will be playing PA casino apps. With PA casino bonuses, of course.

The post This Union Loss May Have Been Worse than the Last One appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Leo Afonso’s last-minute winner for Inter Miami

(via @MLS)pic.twitter.com/Mygnkvn3nz

— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 16, 2024

It’s a hideous goal to concede. They’re pushing for the game-winner, throwing numbers forward, and then Jack McGlynn turns the ball over trying a speculative through-ball. At least four guys are ball watching, Miami gets out on the break, and Jakob Glesnes is cooked by a fresh-legged, 22-year-old sub who came on the field about three minutes earlier.

The Union are down a couple of key players due to international duty, but Miami was also without Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez for this game, so we’ll call it more than a wash. The loss dropped the Union below .500 (4 wins, 5 losses, 8 draws) and Jim Curtin confirmed the departure of Julian Carranza in the summer transfer window. They remain 8th out of 15 teams in the Eastern Conference, but they’re 18 points from 1st and just four points from the very bottom. They’ve allowed 25 goals through 17 league games this year (1.47 per) while allowing just 67 over 78 games in the two years prior (0.86). And they have 5 losses and 2 home draws in seven home games since the new beer hall opened, so we may have to burn Union Yards to the ground and then douse the embers with nasty IPA to right the ship.

Or maybe the ship has sailed? I think it’s been out to sea for several months already. There are various inflection points for the vessel’s figurative departure. You could point to this offseason, when the front office did nothing to improve the roster. Losing 6-0 to Pachuca in the Champions League may have been the final nail in the coffin for some fans. Others think the window closed last year, which I personally disagree with. Even during the first run-it-back year, they went to the semifinal of the Champions League and Leagues Cup and disappointed in winnable games in each competition.

Regardless, I think Union fans are pragmatic and will admit that, no matter when it actually happened, the trophy window officially closed. It slammed shut. This squad could go on a nice run of form maybe, rip off some wins, and get into the playoffs, but let’s be realistic here. Is this team any postseason threat to Miami? Cincy? Columbus? I don’t think so. They just sold their best forward, and if Jay Sugarman didn’t finance improvements to the team last offseason or this offseason, what’s to make you think he’ll do it now? One only needs to pay half attention to hear the frustration with ownership seeping into these quotes from Jim Curtin and the players. It’s been obvious for a long time now. Jay took the Moneyball strategy as far as possible, overachieved dramatically, and now his team has fallen back to Earth with a resounding thud (while the franchise value skyrocketed, mind you).

We also know we’re not getting any help from KD:

Meantime, we’ve got part-owner Kevin Durant tweeting and deleting after the Union lost to nine-man Inter Miami (without Lionel Messi) at home on Saturday night: pic.twitter.com/gGP5L52lT6

— Crossing Broad (@CrossingBroad) June 17, 2024

What’s interesting is going to be how they handle the next month or two. Do we get some sort of admission that the best run in Philadelphia Union history is over? Do they transfer anyone else in addition to Carranza? Do they explore an in-league trade for allocation money to restock on assets ahead of a rebuild? And even then, does Curtin stick around? Ernst Tanner? Who or what is going to be the first domino to fall?

I think you look at the Flyers of recent history for some lessons on how to handle, or not handle, this transition. Chuck Fletcher and others dicked around for too long, made some poor moves, and sold us on an “aggressive retool” that devolved into a full rebuild and saddled Danny Briere with bad contracts and dead cap. They could have saved a year of everyone’s lives if they admitted that the local hockey team wasn’t going anywhere, and began to execute the strategy 12 months earlier. You can make similar comparisons to the post-2012 Phillies as well, when they kind of languished in the purgatory of “maybe this team is cooked or maybe not.” Spoiler: they were cooked.

As a fanbase that appreciates decisiveness, wouldn’t it be more appealing if the Union assertively turned the page here? Let’s see the next wave of academy products and give the U2 guys some run with the senior team. Accrue assets and decline options. Send a clear message that this era is over and a new one is beginning.

My main worry is that they become the Doug Collins Sixers, i.e. a team that’s good enough for the 7th or 8th seed but isn’t going to win anything, or sign any real stars, or they become that Flyers team that alternated making and missing the playoffs for eight seasons in a row. In both cases, fans had one foot on the bandwagon and one dangling off, and ownership and the front office really need to think long and hard about regression in that area. They worked very hard to grow that supporter base and get people to care about soccer, to make inroads in a tough sports market.

A half-empty Subaru Park is nigh, but if you admit that this era is over, maybe you retain season ticket holders who aren’t interested in a purgatory slog. What’s exciting is  looking out at the horizon and wondering what comes next.

That’s not to say the Union need to embark on Sam Hinkie’s Process, but it’s pretty obvious that a rebuild is in the cards here. The best way you can respect the last five years of Union soccer, the best run in franchise history, is to admit that it’s over.

The post The Best Way to Respect the Greatest Run in Philadelphia Union History is to Admit that it’s Over appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Feyenoord are closing in on deal to sign Julian Carranza from Philadelphia Union, almost there.

Personal terms agreed for 2000 born Argentinian player who wants the move, clubs are working to finalize the final details of the agreement.

It’s really close. pic.twitter.com/tGnlwoXXWl

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 12, 2024

This was inevitable. Carranza’s contract expires in the winter and the summer transfer window is the bigger of the two, so you sell him now and make your money.

Julian has been the topic of transfer rumors for at least a year now. He’s only 24 years old and has yet to hit his prime, and with the Union now on the downside of their best multi-year run in franchise history, you sell while the value is still relatively high and try to find the next striker for the starting XI. Carranza came here in 2022 when Ernst Tanner plucked him from Miami on loan due to a backlog of forward talent down there, and now he’s going to flip him for a payday after 34 goals, 15 assists, and a run to MLS Cup.

The other thing is this –

Feyenoord is a solid team, 2nd place in the Netherlands last year and qualified for the Champions League. If he gets an opportunity to play in the UCL, then it’s a really nice move for him. If he doesn’t, no problem, because the Eredivisie is a good league, if top heavy. He’ll get to play against teams like Ajax, PSV, and AZ Alkmaar. But I honestly think he’s good enough to play in a larger league, not England or Spain or Italy necessarily, but definitely Bundesliga or Ligue 1 quality. He’s good enough for Germany or France, maybe a mid-table side like Werder Bremen, Freiburg, Toulouse, Rennes. I’m also curious to see how he plays in a different system, since he spent the entirety of his Union career in either the 4-4-2 diamond or the 3-5-2 of last season that honestly didn’t change much in terms of how the forwards played.

Either way, I think the Union need to move things along here, so this is the right move. They’re 8th place in the east with a .500 record, 4 wins, 4 losses, 8 draws. The championship window is closing and not opening, so you sell in the summer window and start rebuilding the roster with an eye toward the future. I’d honestly sell anybody who has value right now, but that’s just like, my opinion man.

The post Union “Really Close” to Selling Julian Carranza to Europe, According to Reports appeared first on Crossing Broad.

If you wanna talk about curses then talk about the Curse of Union Yards – DOOP are 0W-1D-4L at home since the opening of their new brew-hall on premises, Union Yards

— Jimmy King (@Jimmyking35) May 30, 2024

Union Yards opened on Saturday, April 27th. It’s a beer hall and tailgate area at the stadium.

In the five home games since, the Union:

• lost 2-1 to RSL
• lost 3-2 to Seattle
• lost 3-2 to Orlando
• lost 2-1 to NYC FC
• drew 0-0 with Toronto FC

They’re -6 in goal differential and have earned just one point out of 15 at home since the brew hall opened. They’re now up to four home losses on the season, which is more regular season home losses than what they had in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 combined. Subaru Park used to be a fortress, but the moat dried up and the walls need repairs.

My original thought was that the curse might stem from too much IPA on the draft list:

I see an Evil Genius IPA, Sterling Pig IPA, and Dogfish Head IPA. The rest of the 17-beer taplist includes a New Trail hazy IPA and Neshaminy Creek Pale Ale, so basically 4.5 being some sort of hoppy abomination. That’s about 25%, actually a good ratio, so we can rule out the IPA theory. They are not losing at home because of a skewed shit beer-to-good beer ratio.

The only other plausible explanation is that maybe the Union are just a bang average team this year. Andre Blake is injured. Julian Carranza now, too, and they didn’t add to the squad in the offseason. They ran it back after running it back, and so they’re exactly where we thought they might be – in the middle of the Eastern Conference table.

Regardless, we are paying attention to the “Curse of Union Yards” angle. This is a developing story.

The post The Union Haven’t Won a Home Game Since Opening New Beer Hall appeared first on Crossing Broad.

CHESTER, Pa. (May 28, 2024) –  As part of its ongoing commitment to being a leader in player development, Union Sports & Entertainment today announced a strategic partnership and investment with Lyngby Boldklub of the Danish Superliga. Union Sports & Entertainment has purchased a minority, non-controlling ownership stake in Lyngby in order to expand its technical footprint, collaborate on youth development tactics and strategies and serve as a potential additional vehicle for both Union and Lyngby player and staff advancement. Lyngby’s current ownership will continue to operate the club and make decisions independently.

“We admire Lyngby’s achievements and are confident that we can assist each other through thought-sharing and strategic collaboration,” said Jay Sugarman, Union Sports & Entertainment Chairman. “Our process was driven by a desire to enhance the core strengths of our club and to better leverage the network Ernst has established in Europe. Our discussions and interactions have confirmed to us that Lyngby is a club that shares similar values and ambitions with the Union and we look forward to a mutually successful relationship going forward.”

“Over the past few years, we in the ownership group have spoken to more than twenty potential, specific investors, but for one reason or another we have turned down the offer. Now we have succeeded with our plans: A model where Friends of Lyngby remains the owner, but where we get a co-investor in the sporting area that matches our club. We think this is the right model for Lyngby Boldklub,” says Tommy Petersen, chairman of the board of Lyngby Boldklub A/S.

Lyngby Boldklub is a prestigious Danish club, founded in 1921, that has won both Danish championships and cup titles. The club is deeply rooted in the local community and is known for its extensive work with young talents. Over the years, Lyngby Boldklub has produced numerous players and coaches who are widely recognized in the football world. Examples include Yussuf Poulsen (RB Leipzig) and Thomas Frank (Manager at Brentford).

Union Sports & Entertainment LLC is the parent company of Major League Soccer team Philadelphia Union, Philadelphia Union II, the Philadelphia Union Academy, and Philadelphia Union Youth Programs. Union Sports & Entertainment LLC also owns or controls more than 100 acres of land along the Delaware River which is home to Subaru Park, WSFS Bank Sportsplex, Union Power Plant office building, and the Independence Blue Cross Training Center. Philadelphia Union and Lyngby have previously worked together when the Union signed Lyngby academy product Sanders Ngabo.”

Well woop dee fuckin’ doo! This is so exciting for season ticket holders and diehard fans who are currently watching an eighth-place team that has won a grand total of one game since April 7th. The Union won’t invest in the first team, but they will buy a 10% stake in a foreign team that nobody has ever heard of (with an option for a further 10%).

It would be one thing if ownership had the capacity to create a Red Bull-ish multi-club network that worked to develop and transfer at various levels of the global game. We’ll send Cinnaminson homegrown Johnny Johnson to Leipzig and they’ll give us Thomas Spitlzspriegen in return. Everybody wins! That’s the arrangement you see with Manchester City via Girona, NYCFC, Palermo, Troyes, etc. City Football Group, aka Oil Money FC.

The Union don’t have oil money, so instead they buy 10% of a Danish team. That’s fine in a vacuum, and you need investment and expansion at all levels of the operation, be it the youth academy, training facilities, overseas partnerships, etc. There’s so much to invest in and grow outside of the first team. Problem is, this first team was minutes away from winning MLS Cup just two years ago, and went to the semifinals of two competitions alone in 2023, but nothing was done to improve those squads. And don’t give me Damion Lowe, Andres Perea, and Joaquin Torres. Improving the bench doesn’t change the fact that they ran it back. Now they’re running it back again with the team they just ran it back with.

So when the Union send out press releases like this one, they will always look dumb because of the optics alone. You have money for this shit, but not better players?

The post The Union, Who Did Nothing to Improve 2024 Squad, Buy 10% Stake in a Danish Team appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Yes, that is a real statistic. They only lost three home games in league play in the 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 regular seasons, combined. They did lose to Lionel Messi in the Leagues Cup, sure, and other competitions were played at Subaru Park, but domestically they just don’t lose at the Soob. It used to be a fortress but now it can’t even keep out a raccoon.

Here’s your man of the match:

Screw it, raccoon highlights. pic.twitter.com/n1weQHrmKe

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 16, 2024

PA announced Kevin Casey probably had the best angle:

Raccoon on the loose at the Soob!!!! It’s getting wild out here!! Great job by the grounds crew!! @PhilaUnion #DOOP pic.twitter.com/xntbPBEIIO

— Kevin Casey (@kcasey395) May 16, 2024

Awesome. They put the trash panda in a garbage can and then used an Adidas advertisement to transfer a second trash can on top of the first trash can. Brilliant! It was probably the most entertaining part of the entire game. People timed this out and the thing spent 161 seconds on the field, which is more playing time than Tai Baribo gets.

Can the raccoon play forward or defend a set piece? Put it in the starting XI.

The post Shifty Raccoon Had One of the Better Individual Performances at Subaru Park on Wednesday Night appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Owner Jay Sugarman spoke with Jonathan Tannenwald at the Inquirer and delivered some absolutely horrific quotes on the topic of ambition.

A couple of those:

…knowing how close the Union are to being truly elite, is he more inclined now to push the boat out, to up the ante — and, yes, to spend more money?

“I ask Ernst [Tanner, the Union’s sporting director] every week, we have weekly calls, and I say, ‘What do we need to be successful?’” Sugarman said. “He’s 100 times smarter about what it takes to be a sustainably excellent team, so I defer to him. And if he comes to me and says there’s a piece we must have, he’s going to get support.”

…

And for emphasis, he added: “There’s no resistance to our technical staff saying, ‘Here’s a piece we really need.’”

This is a total crock of shit and backwards way of doing things. No one should believe that the sporting director, for two straight seasons, decided that running it back with the same starting XI and adding some fringe pieces was good enough. I’m not exaggerating. In 2023 they added three bench players (Damion Lowe, Andres Perea, and Joaquin Torres) and this season the only offseason addition who has played a single non-goalkeeper minute for the 1st team is Markus Anderson, who has been out there for 91 total minutes.

Also, it shouldn’t be incumbent on the technical staff and head coach to go to the owner and say “we’d like this player and this player.” An ambitious owner goes to the staff and says “tell me what you need.” That’s the difference between winners like John Middleton and Jeffrey Lurie and bystanders like Jay Sugarman.

One more quote:

Then came another caveat — but this one felt different from the past.

“It can’t block the longer-term plans that Ernst has and the players coming up,” he said.

The difference was not just in Sugarman’s words, but in the truth behind them. The players coming up do have that much potential: attacking midfielders Cavan Sullivan and David Vazquez; strikers Anisse Saidi, Jamir Johnson, and Diego Rocio; and centerbacks Brandan Craig and Neil Pierre.

Only Vazquez among them is truly close to playing for the first team. But the rest could be just a year or two away, depending on their ages. Their time truly is coming, and it’s a good principle not to block them.

“We don’t just play for every weekend,” Sugarman said. “We’re looking at how we’re going to be successful long-term, and that requires young players to have a chance to play.”

I’m so fucking sick of hearing about the academy. Yes, homegrown development is great. The strategy got them Mark McKenzie, Brenden Aaronson, Nate Harriel, Jack McGlynn, etc. Everyone’s making a big deal about Cavan Sullivan, and rightfully so, but guess what? He’s 14 years old and not in a position to help this team win a trophy at this particular moment. To even suggest that you’d hold off on improving your team right now because it might “block” longer-term plans is one of the most ridiculous things you’ll ever hear.

Why?

BECAUSE THIS TEAM IS ON THE DOORSTEP RIGHT THE FUCK NOW AND CAN WIN ANOTHER TROPHY WITH ADDITIONAL FIRST TEAM INVESTMENT!

If I’m sitting in some room with these guys and they suggest not going out and getting a few more pieces because 16 year old Johnny Johnson MIGHT be ready to start in 2026, I’m asking how the hell that improves the team right now, a team that has played in finals and semifinals in just the last 2.5 seasons alone. And oh by the way, there’s no guarantee that Johnny Johnson is actually going to be able to hack it at the MLS level.

Let’s be real about home grown talent –

Even the best teams in the world, with the best academies in the world, need outside signings and foreign players. Look at those amazing Manchester United teams of 25 years ago. Did they internally produce David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, and Paul Scholes? They sure did. But that treble-winning team also had Denis Irwin, Jaap Stam, Andy Cole, Peter Schmeichel and a ton of players who had nothing do with the Man U youth setup and came from other teams. Same with Barcelona. For every Lionel Messi and Xavi and Iniesta there’s a Samuel Eto’o or Luis Suarez, Cruyff, Dani Alves, or Luis Figo.

For as much as we slurp the Union academy and tell these feel good rah rah stories, only three of the 11 starters on this current team came through the pipeline. The rest are outside additions, key contributors like Kai Wagner, Jakob Glesnes, Brujo Martinez, Julian Carranza, and Daniel Gazdag. Alejandro Bedoya didn’t come through the academy, nor did Jesus Bueno. Andre Blake and Jack Elliot were draft picks and Damion Lowe was acquired via trade. So on and so forth.

The academy thing is very nice, and it’s good to track former players as they go on to bigger clubs and/or the United States National Team, but the question every legitimate Union fan should ask is some version of “is ownership doing what it takes to build the best first team and win trophies right now?”

The answer is unequivocally “no.”

The post On the Topic of Ambition, Jay Sugarman Offers a Heaping Load of Horseshit appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Watch this goal then watch it again

What a goal from Kai Wagner! Assisted by @nateharriel #DOOP | #ATLvPHI 2-2 pic.twitter.com/SPYIfXEGqA

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) April 14, 2024

Great goal, but Atlanta fans cried about it. Wah wah!

Why? Because upon replay it looks like Nate Harriel’s foot was maybe one one-millionth of a centimeter over the line, which would constitute a foul throw. The Atlanta radio play-by-play guy tweeted five times about it, starting with this:

Should Philadelphia’s second goal have counted? You make the call: pic.twitter.com/kiu0kMNunF

— Mike Conti (@MikeConti929) April 14, 2024

It’s close, but it’s not egregious, so it’s not a big deal. The rules state that any part of that left foot has to be touching the line, and the heel might be in COMPLIANCE. If it’s not, it’s over the line by a hair.

What’s worth whining about is that the Atlanta player made one of the worst headed clearances you will ever see, steering the ball backwards and toward the 18 for a full volley from an unmarked player. He couldn’t have put it in a worse spot. Same thing on the first Union goal, when a bad back pass went directly to a Union player:

¡Mikael Uhre descuenta la diferencia y acerca a @FilaUnion en el encuentro! pic.twitter.com/32820q6MJ9

— MLS Español (@MLSes) April 14, 2024

So that’s two Union goals in which the other team gave the ball to them. Just put the ball right in their path. That’s something to complain about, instead of getting out Microsoft Paint and drawing lines to determine whether or not Nate Harriel’s foot was maybe one bazillionth of a millimeter off the line.

(As a quick aside, it looks like Harriel was initially credited with an assist for that, but it doesn’t show up in his game log or seasonal stats on the MLS site, only in the match feed. If there’s any question, the answer should be no, because he throws the ball to the near post and a horrendous defensive header goes to a teammate. That would be like giving Travis Sanheim an assist for dumping the puck ahead into the Devils’ zone, John Marino totally misplays it off his foot, and then Travis Konecny is wide open in front of the net.)

Hey @PROreferees an entire foot inside the field on a throw in is an illegal throw in. Goal should have been reviewed. You’re a joke

— FiveStripedLife (@arvankirk) April 14, 2024

The post Atlanta Fans Cry About “Foul Throw” After Union Player’s Foot was Possibly Half a Millimeter Over the Line appeared first on Crossing Broad.

The last undefeated team in MLS. #DOOP pic.twitter.com/PZSbQ9e1nY

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 7, 2024

Yes, that is correct. The Union are only Major League Soccer team in 2024 that has yet to lose a game. Of course, they got absolutely fucking pummeled by Pachuca, 6-0 in the Champions League, but they responded in league play by clawing back for a 2-2 draw in Austin, then ripping off three straight wins, capped off this past weekend by a come-from-behind victory in Nashville.

With three wins, three draws, and zero losses, they are second place in the Eastern Conference. Their PPG of 2.0 is tied for second-best among all 29 Major League Soccer teams. They have many months left to play, but the Mexican annihilation did not have any effect on the regular season. They flushed it and seamlessly transitioned back to MLS play.

It’s something to applaud, but the problem is that we’ve seen this movie before. We see it all the time. The Union are a great team, and continue to be. They just aren’t a trophy-winning team. They always hit the ceiling harder than anybody else, and after doing it against LAFC (CCL), Miami (Leagues Cup), and Cincy (playoffs) last year, they’ve already hit the wall once this year. When the going gets tough, it gets REALLY tough.

Union fans react in different ways. I’m one of those people who is so utterly disgusted with these competition exits that I go on weeks-long boycotts. I watched maybe 10 minutes of the four games the Union played after losing in Mexico, because it’s just hard to be excited for league play after you get hammered by one of the continental big boys. It just reinforces my belief that this team doesn’t have the horses to get over the hump this year, and will continue to fall short when reaching the upper echelons of North American soccer.

On the other hand, you then feel like a piece of shit, because these guys always respond by playing hard, competing, and winning. The kids – Jack McGlynn, Quinn Sullivan, and Nate Harriel – have been great and look like they’re taking the next step. Julian Carranza is balling and the defense is starting to figure it out. Being a player in the Supporters Shield race gives meaning to the season and something to look forward to.

It’s just hard to get back on the Union bandwagon, because when it bucks and turns, the resulting fall is always painful. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me for a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th time, or whatever we’re up to now, shame on me. “You can’t get fooled again,” as George Bush and Roger Daltry once said.

*This post is dedicated to hater Ben on Facebook, who will no doubt comment on the story and tell me that no one cares about the Union 

The post In Very Union-Like Fashion, they Get Pummeled 6-0 in Champions Cup, then Rip Off a Bunch of MLS Wins appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Then I paused, and thought to take it a step further. Has there ever been a year in which the Flyers, Sixers, Eagles, Phillies, and Union have all made the postseason at the same time?

I don’t think there has been, but I went back to triple check, starting with a simple post-2010 listing of each playoff appearance:

• Eagles: 2010, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
• Phillies: 2010, 2011, 2022, 2023
• Flyers: 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019
• Sixers: 2010, 2011, (big gap for the process), 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
• Union: 2011, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

The caveat here is that I listed the Flyers, Sixers, and Eagles based on the year in which their campaigns started, so while the Flyers, for instance, went to the playoffs in 2015, that was the tail-end of the 2014-2015 season. Same with the Birds, who had playoff games pushing into January. If you take this into consideration, and look at 2011 for instance, the following games or series were played on the following days:

• Packers 21, Eagles 16 / Wild Card (January 9th, 2011)
• Phillies vs. Cardinals / NLDS (October 1st to 7th, 2011)
• Flyers vs. Bruins / Eastern Conference Semifinal (April 30th to May 6th, 2011)
• Sixers vs. Heat / first round (April 16th to April 27th, 2011)
• Union vs. Dynamo / Eastern Conference Semifinal (October 30th to November 3rd, 2011)

Technically, the five teams each played a postseason game in 2011, but we’d count that Eagles squad as the 2010 team. The Flyers and Sixers also started in 2010 and carried into 2011.

What I was looking for was all five teams starting in the same year and all five of their respective campaigns going into the postseason, which can happen in a few weeks:

1. 2023 Eagles – playoffs (lost in Tampa)
2. 2023 Phillies – playoffs (lost in NLCS)
3. 2023 Union – playoffs (lost in conference semifinal)
4. 2023-2024 Flyers – ???
5. 2023-2024 Sixers – ???

What’s the difference, you ask?

Well, if the Flyers and Sixers both make the postseason, it means we will have all five teams in playoff games separated by just six months. That’s a shorter time frame than the 2011 I laid out above, in which all five squads had postseason appearances separated by a little less than 11 months. We would have achieved this feat back in 2010, had the Union not stunk in their first year, or in 2011 if Vince Young’s “Dream Team” had not gone 8-8 to miss the postseason.

Of course, I may have jinxed it.

The post If the Flyers and Sixers Both Make the Playoffs, it’s a Five-for-Five First appeared first on Crossing Broad.

The Philadelphia Union has reached an agreement on transfer terms with Manchester City to send 14-year-old academy player Cavan Sullivan to Manchester when he turns 18, say sources briefed on the deal, who added that the agreement is heavy on add-ons and includes a sell-on percentage.

In the meantime, Sullivan is finalizing an MLS homegrown contract with the Union that will keep him stateside until his move across the Atlantic. Sources say the homegrown deal is the richest in MLS history.

…

The Union agreed with City that it would send Sullivan to a City Football Group side elsewhere in Europe if his development surpasses MLS before his 18th birthday, sources say.

Cavan recently made his debut for the Union’s second team. He’s eligible to play for the first team if he signs that homegrown contract, but he’s 14 and therefore has the body of, well, a 14-year-old boy. Don’t get me wrong, the kid is oozing with talent and kill, but remains just that – a kid. So whether or not he can impact an MLS game with grown men on the field is a legitimate question.

At least with this arrangement, we’ll get to see him play for the Union before Oil Money F.C. comes in and takes him. The existence of the add-on and sell-on money makes sure the Union are properly compensated for the part they play in Sullivan’s development, and then City gets their prospect anyway. It’s a win/win for both, in my mind. There was a scenario previously where Manchester City would swoop in and steal Cavan and the Union would get peanuts in return, as Tom explains here:

By the way, this story is dedicated to the idiot on Facebook who thinks losing young talent to Europe is a good thing. It’s good for the United States national team, yes, but it’s not good for the Philadelphia Union. Some people actually care about the local team that plays in the domestic league, and want to see both improve. I’ve got zero time for Euro snobs on here. “Rah rah I’m Chelsea till I die!” Fuck outta here with that. You’re from South Jersey and your wife bought you that jersey for Christmas, three months ago. 

The post Good News: Union’s Top Prospect will Stay in Philadelphia Before Leaving for Manchester City appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Six. An absolute barrage of goals from Pachuca tonight pic.twitter.com/GZ1TJn2Lu1

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) March 13, 2024

Six goals. They lost 6-0 after holding Pachuca to a nil-nil at home and making it through the first 40 minutes of the second leg only conceding a penalty. Then the defense fell apart, the floodgates opened, and they were run off the pitch by a team with a lot more talent.

I wrote a story last month titled “Union 2024 Season Preview: Why Should We Care About a Team that Did Nothing to Improve?” They’re running it back this year with the team they just ran it back with. They did zero to improve a squad that made it to both the CCL and Leagues Cup semifinals last year, and MLS Cup in 2022.

That’s the particularly excruciating rub here, because the Union core is solid, and has been for some time now. But they exited the 2023 CCL and Leagues Cup in brutal fashion, getting trounced 3-0 in Los Angeles and then playing scared against Lionel Messi in a pitiful 4-1 home loss. I’ve written many times before that the Union exit these competitions with an especially dense thud, so while they’re good enough to be a semifinal/quarterfinal team, they completely fall off a cliff when they go up against the big-spending, tier 1 North American teams. There was Club America in 2021, LAFC and Miami last year, and now this 6-0 embarrassment against Pachuca.

The thing about this loss is that there isn’t anything to spin. Sure, the Union can focus on the league now, but to the original point, are they a Supporters Shield contender with this same group of players? Are they a Leagues Cup threat? It all goes back to the same initial concern, that they didn’t improve a single starting position in 2024. They re-signed Kai Wagner and 36 year old Alejandro Bedoya, then pulled some guy out of the Spanish third division. Andre Blake and the entire backline is off to a hideous start, Daniel Gazdag looks like he’s floating around in 2nd gear out there, Mikael Uhre is either lost or wearing concrete shoes (or both), and Tai Baribo can’t even get on the field.

We’re really at an inflection point when it comes to this franchise. The moneyball approach took them a lot further than anyone could ever imagine. They won the COVID Shield and came so damn close to lifting MLS Cup. But now the window is closed and Jay Sugarman needs to decide what’s next. Does he become John Middleton and demand his fucking trophy back? Or does he stand by while the Phillies, Eagles, and Flyers thrive and watch his team fade into the obscurity that defined the first 10 seasons?

That’s what’s curious about all of this. Sugarman is enigmatic and operates almost exclusively behind the scenes. He does not have the money that other MLS owners do, and to his credit, he’s been honest with the fan base about those limitations. But cash aside, do you have the desire? Do you want to win? Or are we satisfied with being above-average and bringing some kids through the academy while watching the franchise value soar?

That’s what makes Middleton a fantastic owner. Jeffrey Lurie, too. They want to win, and when they’re unhappy, or their teams get embarrassed, they take steps to correct that, by either spending money or cleaning house. The Union haven’t done either one of those things in a long time, and that’s the path that leads you to purgatory.

The Union are standing at the crossroads with Eric Clapton and Bone Thugs N’ Harmony.

The post After Pathetic 6-0 Defeat in Mexico, Union Ownership Needs to Speak with John Middleton, and Maybe Borrow Some of His Money appeared first on Crossing Broad.

BEDOYA!@DaveLenoTV & @SebastienLeToux on the radio call! #DOOP pic.twitter.com/8tdUArftfE

— Nick Piccone (@_piccone) March 3, 2024

Great finish from Alejandro Bedoya on the rebound. That’s not easy to do. Most guys’ eyes light up and they blast it into the 20th row. Instead, he buried it and got pelted with drinks.

But this was a CONTROVERSIAL goal because in the sequence leading up to it, the scab refs, who are currently standing in for the locked-out real refs, missed a call in which the ball went out off a Union player:

Sporting Kansas City absolutely robbed by the Scab Refs.

Ball clearly goes off Philadelphia player Uhre. #Doop player quickly throws it in and this leads to a corner kick where Philly gets the equalizer.#SportingKC fans should be LIVID. #SKCvsPHI #MLSSeasonPass pic.twitter.com/SWM0UJWct1

— Daniel (@lafcdaniel) March 3, 2024

This is a quintessential “more than one thing can be true” moment. Did the scab refs screw it up? Yeah, they did. The ball clearly goes off Mikael Uhre. You can see the body language and use your own two eyes to confirm.

The other thing that’s true is that KC had multiple opportunities to snuff out the danger, but did not:

1. Nemanja Radoja (#6) has two opportunities to win back the ball, and can’t
2. Memo Rodriguez (#8) is right there, kind of puts in a half-challenge from behind
3. Radoja then heads a low cross attempt directly into the middle of the field
4. Jacob Davis gets a foot on the ball, but it spins up into the air
5. Tim Leibold hustles back, but the ball goes out off of him for a corner
6. GK Tim Melia is unimpeded, and doesn’t get much on his punch clearance
7. Bedoya scores on the rebound

It’s hard to feel bad for KC because they had a bunch of opportunities after the bad call. They also couldn’t extend their 1-0 lead despite playing at home against a Union team that was heavily rotating the lineup after a tough mid-week Champions Cup shitshow at Subaru Park. Better luck next time!

The post Union Pelted with Drinks After Scab Refs Help Steal a Point in Kansas City appeared first on Crossing Broad.

At least that’s what the odds at FanDuel and DraftKings say. Miami is the favorite to win MLS Cup and the Supporters’ Shield. Messi is the favorite to win the Golden Boot and his teammate Luis Suarez is the second favorite to be the league’s top scorer.

There’s no doubt that Miami will be good, but it will not be the only good team in MLS, which is why there’s oodles of betting value on all the other good teams and players at your favorite PA sportsbooks and New Jersey sports betting apps.

Union manager Jim Curtin and a bunch of other MLS coaches and pundits remarked in preseason that the Eastern Conference is going to be a behemoth in 2024.

Reigning MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew, reigning Supporters’ Shield winner FC Cincinnati, the Union, who have been top three in the East each of the last four seasons, and a handful of others will make life difficult for Miami.

The Union come into the 2024 MLS season at +1200 on DK and +1600 on FD to win MLS Cup. The buzz around the team is nonexistent because they’re running it back with the same roster and their best scorer, Julian Carranza, may leave on a summer transfer.

Carranza, at least in my eyes, carries the best value on the Golden Boot. The Argentinian sits at +5000 on DK and +5500 on FD. He scored a hat-trick in CONCACAF Champions League on Tuesday and seems motivated to push for a move to a bigger club. I would personally sprinkle some money on him so that a healthy cash out option is available around June. After all, this is a guy with back-to-back 14-goal seasons.

Cucho Hernandez (Columbus), Aaron Boupendza (Cincinnati), Alan Pulido (Sporting KC), Denis Bouanga (LAFC) and Jesus Ferreira (FC Dallas) would be the other non-Messi Golden Boot guys to go after.

As for the team futures, it’s important to note that Messi will be out for at least 5-7 games in the summer because MLS isn’t breaking for the Copa America. Messi likely won’t play in Chester in June and he’ll miss games against Columbus, Cincinnati, and Nashville that could take Miami out of Supporters’ Shield contention.

That is the futures bet to target for value because Messi could turn it on in the playoffs and lead Miami to MLS Cup.

I would think one of Columbus, Cincinnati, or LAFC wins the Shield. The Union will be without Andre Blake and a few others for parts of the summer and they need a fantastic start to win the top seed in the East. The one not-so-dark horse to watch is the Seattle Sounders, who have all sorts of championship DNA and finished second in the West five of the last six years. Taking them at +2100 to win the Shield is the best value you’ll get before the season.

Okay that’s enough MLS talk, back to whatever A.J. Brown is tweeting.

The post Can the Philadelphia Union, or Any Other MLS Team, Eclipse Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in 2024? appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Philadelphia Union were down 1-0 to Saprissa at HT of their Concacaf Champions Cup match until…

55’—Julian Carranza goal
75’—Julian Carranza goal
79’—Julian Carranza goal

Hat trick hero

(via @FOXSoccer)pic.twitter.com/oDqQLDTBBo

— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 21, 2024

Final score: Union 3, Saprissa 2. The second leg of this series will be played at Subaru Park next week, and barring an incredible collapse, the Union are in great position to advance to the round of 16.

The first half really was horrendous. They looked like, well, a team playing their first game of the season. Jose Martinez was stuck in 1st gear, Damion Lowe and Kai Wagner collided in the box, and we were getting ready to lay the Benny Hill theme music over this comical own-goal:

This own goal is Andre Blake’s
pic.twitter.com/X1H9KWiQrT

— Felipe Cárdenas (@FelipeCar) February 21, 2024

Whatever Jim Curtin said at half time, it worked. They absolutely worked these guys in the second 45. Did they give up a cheap late goal? Yeah, sure, but they looked like the Union of two years ago for most of that half, getting high, defending as a team, and throttling Saprissa in transition.

Joe ran the numbers and noted that this is the 11th hat trick in Union history:

Julian Carranza recorded the 11th hat trick in Philadelphia Union history across all competitions last night against Saprissa.

Carranza is now tied with Daniel Gazdag for most hat tricks across all competitions in club history. pic.twitter.com/BTQUjZy7Le

— Joe Tansey (@JTansey90) February 21, 2024

If you want a snapshot of how the good the Union have been in recent years, compared to how mid they were in the previous ten, look at how slanted that list is. From 2010 to 2020, the Union only had three hat tricks, ever. Since turning the corner and putting a competitive team on the field, they’ve got eight hat tricks, including one each from the current front three, and two players that have multiple hatties. That was a professional win last night in a tough environment. They really dug deep in crappy weather conditions, in a hostile stadium, to rip off three goals in less than 25 minutes for a road win.

The post After Hideous Own-Goal, Julian Carranza Hat Trick Leads Union to Champions Cup Road Win appeared first on Crossing Broad.

They upgraded 0 starting positions this offseason, re-signed two of their own guys, and only added around the fringes with young players who might not even play for the first team.

In typical Union fashion, these prospects will either become shoe-in starters and MLS All Stars, or they’ll never sniff the field. Feast or famine. That’s how it typically goes with Ernst Tanner executing Jay Sugarman’s moneyball, a strategy that has gotten them very close to multiple trophies since winning the 2020 Supporters Shield.

Yet no additional hardware has found its way to the cabinet.

You go into every offseason as a fan or media member asking some version of a simple question –

What did this team do to improve? 

Answer: not much. Close to nothing, actually.

Last year, when the Union decided to run it back with the 2022 squad that scored 72 goals and went to MLS Cup, they added Damion Lowe, Joaquin Torres, and Andres Perea, and we sold ourselves on the idea of adding depth to the best team to ever wear the shirt. Nobody had any problem with this. It wasn’t dissimilar from what the Phillies are doing this season, which is trying once again for the World Series with a team that’s already damn good. Outside of starting pitching and probably the bullpen, there’s not much that needs upgrading.

In Union hindsight, it was naive to think that the half-dozen guys who had career years in 2022 would be able to replicate that in 2023, playing a bloated and ridiculous schedule that included Champions League, U.S. Open Cup, Leagues Cup, and the MLS regular season while performing internationally as well. Jim Curtin still squeezed a ton out of that squad, which finished 4th in the East with 55 points and went to the semifinals of both the CCL and Leagues Cup.

The problem is that they exited those competitions with a THUD. It’s one thing to reach the ceiling, but in this case the ceiling was made of fortified adamantium, like if you took Wolverine’s claws, melted them down, and reshaped them into an impassable soccer roof. The Union were run off the field in the second leg of the LAFC series and played scared at home against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, which was the most disappointing game this franchise has given us in many years (and there have been many stinkers).

Naturally, you’d want to try to upgrade a team that’s right on the cusp, but just needs a little bit of help. That’s what makes this most frustrating, because the Union are literally on the doorstep. They have consistently done more with less, and if ownership made that final piece of investment, and/or recognized that the time to go for it is right the fuck now, then you’d have an army of rabid fans lining up for season tickets and ready to blow the figurative roof off of Subaru Park.

Instead, we got the following offseason transactions:

Out:

• D – Anton Sorenson (option declined)
• GK – Joe Bendik (out of contract)
• MF – Andres Perea (traded to NYC)
• FWD – Nelson Pierre (loaned to Swedish 2nd division)

In:

• LB – Kai Wagner (re-signed)
• MF – Alejandro Bedoya (re-signed)
• D – Isaiah LeFlore (signed from Houston 2nd team, tore ACL in preseason)
• MF – Nick Pariano (homegrown signing)
• MF – Sanders Ngabo (signed from Denmark)
• D – Jamir Berdecio (on loan from Bolivian team)
• FWD – Markus Anderson (signed from Spanish 3rd division)
• GK – Oliver Semmle (signed from the USL)

They can continue to add, but this is what they’re starting with. It’s going to be the same starting XI – Mikael Uhre, Julian Carranza, Daniel Gazdag, Jose Martinez, Alejandro Bedoya, Jack McGlynn, Kai Wagner, Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes, the Olivier Mbaizo/Nate Harriel platoon, and Andre Blake in goal. There are some slight variations, with Leon Flach coming in and out of the diamond over the past year or so, sometimes because McGlynn was the better choice and sometimes because of injury. But the base rollout has not changed very much. They shuffled in a 3-5-2 in 2023 but their bread and butter has been the compact 4-4-2 with that same core of players.

So when the improvement is not external, we look inside for emergence. Who are the candidates for advancement and regression? Certainly McGlynn is going to be counted on to take the next step. Bedoya’s career is nearing an end, so we’ll probably see a platoon with Jesus Bueno on the right side. Harriel will only get better at right fullback (and should never play on the left) and Uhre absolutely has to be better this season. There’s more for Gazdag to provide from open play, in my opinion, and Lowe, who was the best of last year’s additions, is going to be counted on in the CB rotation.

I don’t see much to be excited about otherwise. Do Chris Donovan and Quinn Sullivan find that next gear? Is Tai Baribo settled and ready to contribute? Does Torres figure it out? This remains a top-heavy team and the depth drops off rather quickly. Mind you, the schedule is largely similar to what it was last year. They’ve got the CCC to start, then the regular season kicks right in, and next thing you know they’ll be slogging right through. One of these guys is really going to have to find that next gear and be a consistent bench contributor.

In truth, I’ve got zero juice for this team right now, which is tough to admit since I’ve been one of the Philly media’s biggest Union proponents over the years. This is a blue collar team that punches above its weight and has quality players who are also good people. They’re easy to root for. They grind and work and smother on the defensive end, blah blah, you know, “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.” And looking through a more distant lens, they’ve come so far in such a short amount of time, from irrelevant to a respectable franchise with a loyal fanbase, if still relatively small. The MLS Cup appearance and Leagues Cup semifinal got some attention from the four-for-four crowd, who otherwise didn’t give a shit over the years.

But you can’t lose momentum, and that’s what’s happening here. Things are getting stale. It’s hard enough that the league put these games behind the Apple TV double paywall, which iced out the casuals, but the front office and ownership aren’t doing enough to improve the squad and continue the multi-season run. They aren’t putting in that extra first-team investment and they aren’t forcing/marketing their way into the larger Philadelphia sports scene. It’s business as usual, with a mustiness wafting, which is disappointing to smell because this team still has a lot of great players and the potential to really throttle most of the opponents they’ll face this year.

You just ask yourself if they’ve done what’s necessary to get over the hump, and answer feels like a resounding no. Does anyone think otherwise?

The post Union 2024 Season Preview: Why Should We Care About a Team that Did Nothing to Improve? appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Welcome to Philly, Markus!

Philadelphia Union have signed attacker Markus Anderson from @RMajadahonda.

https://t.co/EI2dwO72PC#DOOP | @primepoint pic.twitter.com/hMmoRMxSWM

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) January 29, 2024

14 years writing about soccer on and off, and this is my first time hearing of “Rayo Majadahonda.” They are currently 17th in Group 1 of the “Primera Federacion,” which is the Spanish 3rd level. So not La Liga, with Barcelona and Real Madrid, and not the Segunda Division, with Eibar and Leganes, but the third division, with a bunch of teams that nobody knows anything about.

The Union press release notes that Anderson has American citizenship, so that’s why the team went after him. Apparently he’s a Brooklyn native:

“Markus, who holds US citizenship, is a very physical and quick striker,” said Philadelphia Union Sporting Director, Ernst Tanner. “After initially playing in the fifth division in Spain, he was able to quickly progress to the third division where he has been performing well at a very young age. He is another great example of how adept our scouting department is at identifying talent and we look forward to integrating him as quickly as possible with the team.”

It’s funny, because the running joke is that LAFC and Miami and all of these big teams are signing these big players, while the Union go dumpster diving for moneyball signings who then end up becoming All Stars. Kai Wagner came from the German third division and turned into the equivalent of an NFL All Pro.

Do the Union need to bring in Lionel Messi if they can find Joe Schmoe from bumblefuck FC in the bumblefuck third division, and turn him into a starter? You laugh, but that question has been asked a hundred times at the Philadelphia ownership level.

American citizenship or not, there’s little info on Markus Anderson out there. The one YouTube clip I found claims he was on Real Madrid’s radar. As is typical with Union signings, they either never sniff the field, or they become a cornerstone for many years of sustained success. There never seems to be a middle ground.

The post Union Sign Some Guy Nobody has Ever Heard of from Some Team Nobody Has Ever Heard of appeared first on Crossing Broad.

First game of the pre-season and Jose Martinez is already in mid season form pic.twitter.com/1F2nkXzAT7

— Jimmy King (@Jimmyking35) January 22, 2024

Does Cherelle Parker need to say it now? Like how else does the point need to be stated lol#DOOP | @PHLY_Union pic.twitter.com/fDkfQF8hsi

— JP. (@ParceroPhilly) January 22, 2024

“It comes down to the ambition of the club. Is the club okay with just developing young players, selling, and being satisfied with reaching those big games but not taking the final step? However, if the club’s ambitions are to really take the next step, at some point, we are… pic.twitter.com/xfVPk1J7Q4

— José Roberto Nuñez (@JoserNunez91) January 12, 2024

Clip #1: Brujo is trying to fight some guy during the first preseason game. That’s him doing what he does. Not totally sure what precipitated that kerfuffle, but the Flamengo player does a spinning elbow, like he’s Dricus du Plessis in the UFC title fight from the other night.

Clip #2: Jim Curtin never talks directly about Union owner Jay Sugarman being cheap. He talks about other teams being rich. But it achieves the same goal. It’s just a more responsible way to say that Sugarman doesn’t spend enough money. Curtin has been doing more with less for a full decade now.

Clip #3: If Curtin is being careful, then Andre Blake is not. This clip is from a few weeks ago, and he is 100% right when he talks about reaching big games, but not taking the final step. When he talks about going “with the movement of the league,” he means spending enough to keep up with the other top teams. The Union’s academy and moneyball-based approach has been really solid, and they’ve overachieved wildly with it, but if they had that little bit of extra investment, we’re talking about a powerhouse, year-in and year-out. They are right on the doorstep and ownership has to decide if it wants to remain there, or CROSS THE THRESHOLD.

The post Jose Martinez Fighting Opponents and Jim Curtin Using Shrouded Miser Language Means the Union are Officially Back appeared first on Crossing Broad.

New Contract

Philadelphia Union has signed defender Kai Wagner to a new contract.

https://t.co/OGP32CBTQU#DOOP pic.twitter.com/OrVweOJ9uP

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) January 11, 2024

J.T. at the Inquirer was on this story Wednesday.

The CliffsNotes here is that Kai’s contract was up, he had European interest, and was almost certainly gone after five years of All-Star level fullback play. He even had a going away hibachi party inside someone’s garage.

Then came the November suspension for using a racial slur against New England’s Bobby Wood. Wagner missed the rest of the postseason and we all thought that one of the best players in Philadelphia Union history would quietly exit under disappointing circumstances.

That’s why it’s super-surprising to see him back on a three-year contract with a 2027 option. But make no mistake, Wagner was the best player on the team last season and has been one of Major League Soccer’s best fullbacks going on several seasons now. Getting him back is a huge boon for a team that’s pretty stale at the current moment. And don’t listen to any of the doofuses who say that MLS is Kai’s ceiling, because the guy could go to numerous overseas leagues and walk right into those starting lineups. He’s not a Liverpool shoe-in, but he could very easily play in a second-tier European league like Portugal, Turkey, Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, etc. In the past, he’s been linked to Marseille, Red Star, Leeds, and Rangers, I think he’s more than capable of playing for any of those teams.

I do have to say I’m a little surprised that there hasn’t been more pushback against the Union for re-signing a guy who used a racial slur. The Union fan base has always been pragmatic and thoughtful, but maybe they’re also more forgiving than anyone realized. It does have to be reiterated that Kai admitted to using the slur and cooperated with Major League Soccer, which helped him immensely in the public perception department. He took the proper reconciliatory steps. But let’s be honest with ourselves here – if Kai played for the Portland Timbers he would have been pitchforked to the airport the following day. Those west coast clubs with large, liberal fan bases would have reacted with much more fervor and shown much less tolerance for a transgression that carries this level of seriousness. That’s not an indictment on anyone in particular, just an observation based on years of recent examples. Look at how Galaxy fans reacted to the Aleksandar Katai incident. The guy took 10x more flack than Kai Wagner, when he himself didn’t commit the offense. It was his wife who went on Instagram and used racial slurs to describe BLM protestors.

It’s hard to find perfectly-matching, like-for-like comparisons, but you get the point. I think Kai Wagner would have been run out of town if he played for 8-10 other teams in the league. In this case, maybe Union fans see a guy who has been doing the right things and deserves a second chance. That’s my observation.

The post After Racial Slur and European Flirtation, Kai Wagner Ends Up Re-Signing with Union appeared first on Crossing Broad.

No thanks. Plays in MLS. Never played at a top European club or at any high standard of European football

— Glasgow Rangers Nation (@GRN1872) December 29, 2023

This account is a “Rangers FC news channel. Run by fans for the fan.” The person behind the account at that particular moment doesn’t think Kai Wagner is good enough to play for their team, which is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard.

For starters, Kai was the Union’s best player in 2023. He’s a two-time MLS All Star and made the MLS Best XI in 2022 (kinda like being an NFL All Pro). He’s good enough to walk into any MLS starting lineup, and in recent years the league has transferred players directly from the U.S. and Canada to clubs like Bayern Munich, Leipzig, Newcastle, Salzburg, Udinese, and Aston Villa. So the thought that MLS players aren’t good enough for Scotland is comical when you look at the recent track record of outgoing transfers.

If you’re not familiar with the SPL, it’s the most top-heavy soccer league in the world. There are two teams at the pinnacle, Rangers and Celtic, and everyone else is the definition of mediocrity. Seriously. Celtic has won the league 53 times and Rangers 55 times. You’d have to go back to 1985 to find the last time somebody not named Rangers or Celtic won Scotland’s league.

So what happens is that Celtic and Rangers take turns winning the SPL and qualifying for the Champions League, where they proceed to get their asses totally kicked. Celtic has not gotten out of a Champions League group stage since 2013, when they finished 2nd in a group that included Barcelona, Benfica, and Spartak Moscow. In the round of 16, they lost 5-0 on aggregate to Juventus. In Rangers’ most recent Champions League group effort, they scored two goals and conceded 22, getting run off the pitch by Liverpool, Napoli, and Ajax. They haven’t advanced from the group stage since 2006.

Where Rangers have found their continental success is in the Europa League, which is basically the loser’s bracket of European football. Two seasons ago, they went all the way to the final, before losing to Frankfurt on penalties. That’s a fantastic run for a club like Rangers, which has no business being in the Champions League, but can hack it in the junior varsity competition.

Furthermore, it’s insane to think that an MLS player isn’t good enough for Rangers, considering that more than a half dozen guys have done it already. Maurice Edu, Alejandro Bedoya, DaMarcus Beasley, Carlos Bocanegra, James Sands, Matt Polster, Claudio Reyna, Jose Cifuentes, and Emerson Hyndman all played for Rangers and also in MLS. And Celtic, currently top of the Scottish table, has a starting right fullback who transferred directly to Scotland from Montreal. So if your biggest rival, eight points clear as of publication, thinks MLS talent is worthy of looking at, you should probably feel the same way.

It’s all bullshit. These guys are delusional. One of Rangers’ best players of the last 10 years was a guy they signed from fucking Finland. You’re gonna tell me the Finnish league is good enough for possible transfers, but MLS isn’t?

Other current Rangers players, and the teams they played for before coming to Scotland:

• Todd Cantwell – Bournemouth
• James Tavernier – Bristol
• Connor Goldson – Brighton
• Abdallah Sima – Angers
• Borna Barisic – Osijek
• John Lundstram – Sheffield
• Cyriel Dessers – Cremonese
• Sam Lammers – Sampdoria
• Jack Butland – Crystal Palace
• John Souttar – Hearts

So on and so forth. It’s a collection of good players who had a cup of coffee or various loan spells with Championship clubs but just weren’t good enough for the top divisions of English football, then some random signings and loan moves from all across Europe. You can’t sit here and tell me with a straight face that guys from the Croatian League and 1st/2nd division Italy and France tweeners are worth a look, but a 26-year-old, 2x MLS All Star isn’t. It doesn’t make any sense.

That’s why you can only laugh at these accounts, which hopefully are the exception in attitude, and not the norm. You’ve got people out here acting like Rangers FC is Real Madrid, when they’re actually the second-best team in a two-team league.

EDIT – One other thing: I think Andre Blake, Jose Martinez, and Jakob Glesnes walk right into Rangers’ starting lineup. 100%.

The post Delusional Take of the Week: Scottish Soccer Account Doesn’t Think Union’s Best Player is Good Enough for the Almighty Rangers F.C. appeared first on Crossing Broad.

MOSQUERA’S MOMENT

Yerson Mosquera puts Cincinnati in front at the death!#AllForCincy // Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/JrG7L7pB8m

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 26, 2023

Nothing notable from that angle, other than unacceptable set piece marking.

But on the side-angle replay, it sure looked like #32, Ian Murphy, was offside when he headed the initial ball back across the box:

Note that Julian Carranza’s arm and hand don’t matter in this sequence, because the offside rule only applies to body parts that can legally touch the ball. So in this case, you’d draw the line in the shoulder/armpit area.

But yeah, it sure looked offside on replay! And look, we’re always liable to be tricked by imperfect camera angles, but the Union fan base is pragmatic and will concede the goal if proven to be wrong. They’re also smart enough to know that their team didn’t play well enough over the course of 97 minutes to win this game.

Certainly there was more to the match than this single sequence.

The problem is that the Apple TV broadcast only gave us the two angles that I’ve shown in this story, and according to the MLS website writeup, the refs didn’t even go to VAR:

“It’s always disappointing when [the season] comes to an end, and so abruptly too with an indecisive kind of play. VAR’s there for a reason, to get things right. And I’m not sure that it worked out tonight,” head coach Jim Curtin said after the match.

Asked if he was given an explanation for the decision after the play, Curtin expressed further frustration with the situation.

The thing that bothers me the most is that this is a massive playoff game, and we’re watching behind a paywall and get a grand total of two camera angles, both of which are inconclusive. The broadcast didn’t have much information to share, because they saw the same thing we did. If this was the NFL, we’d get 1,000 different replays of a catch or non-catch, which at least would give us something conclusive. We’d get some kind of closure, whether or not the play went in our team’s favor or not.

But in this case, it’s like Caddyshack. We’ll get nothing and like it! It’s the dearth of information and explanation that really blows. The only thing offered to Union fans (and Cincy fans) was the soccer equivalent of “trust me bro,” with no VAR check and no explanation beyond what I shared from the MLS article above.

Nobody is naive to the fact that the NFL is a bazillion-dollar business, and MLS is MLS, but the question is whether or not we’re using all of the tools at our disposable. It’s a HUGE MOMENT! Just go to VAR and double-check. And do we have enough tools, or the proper tools? Because a lot of Union fans remain dissatisfied 12 hours after watching their season end on a TOUGH call. If Murphy was onside, so be it! But there’s gotta be a better way to bring closure beyond two shit replays and this nothing burger of an explanation:

From tonight’s officials via pool reporter system on why Ian Murphy was deemed to be onside when Cincinnati scored:

“Because he was judged to be even with the second-to-last defender.” @thegoalkeeper @LaurelPfahler @CarterChapley @sportsdoctormd @KentraHagatra @JTansey90

— Pat Brennan (@PBrennanENQ) November 26, 2023

Source: “because we said so.” 

It’s not good enough.

The post Union Season Ends in Caddyshack Fashion After Dubious Non-Offside Call (We’ll Get Nothing, and Like it) appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Wagner will miss tonight’s game against the Revs, then Saturday’s Game 3, if the series winds up tied 1-1. He’d be able to return for the conference final or MLS Cup, depending on the results of the New England series and whether or not the Union can beat Cincy on the road.

Kai issued a statement:

 

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A post shared by Kai Wagner (@kaiwaaagner)

So he cooperated with the investigation and copped to saying something inappropriate. What word or words did he actually use? That hasn’t been reported anywhere, though it was noted in the original Athletic writeup that “the slur Wagner allegedly directed at (Bobby) Wood was one historically directed toward Asian people.” In Wagner’s statement, he’s suggesting that someone said something about his family, which obviously cannot result in something discriminatory being used in response.

This is a shitty situation all around. Wagner is leaving the team when the playoffs are over, so unless the U take out New England and then pull off a road upset against the #1 seed, then Kai has played his last game. He is one of the top-8 or top-5 players to ever wear the shirt and has arguably been the best player on the field this season, so if his Philly tenure ends with the admission of using a racial slur and a three-game suspension, then it’s really disappointing. I guess the silver lining is that he took responsibility for it, cooperated with the investigation, and didn’t make any sort of denial. Not sure how many points that wins you, but with a lack of detailed information otherwise, fans will have to come to their own conclusions when deciding how he should be remembered for his time in Philly.

The post Union’s Kai Wagner Shares Statement After MLS Hands Down Three Game Suspension for Violating “On-Field Antidiscrimination Policy” appeared first on Crossing Broad.

So I pulled up the archive for this match and it seems VERY obvious Kai Wagner says something and it immediately upsets Bobby Wood enough to cause another shoving match https://t.co/fdFzK20g7h pic.twitter.com/Jq1YEKgmxr

— Douglas Reyes-Ceroñ (@dreyesceron) October 31, 2023

Not great!

For context, Kai is German, and the other guy, Bobby Wood, is an American with Japanese and Black ancestry. He was born in Hawai’i, moved to California, and then spent a little more than a decade in Germany, so he speaks the language.

The attached article from The Athletic, written by Tom Bogert and Pablo Maurer, notes that the slur came in German, and says the following, in part:

The complaint alleges the incident occurred in the last moments of New England’s opening-round playoff game against the Union on Sunday night. The match was a tense affair in general and in the 87th minute, Revolution forward ​​Giacomo Vrioni fouled Union defender Nathan Harriel, for which he was issued a yellow card. While the play was checked by the video assistant referee for a possible red card, broadcast footage showed several other players from both sides exchanging words, including Wagner and Wood.

…

The sources said the slur Wagner allegedly directed at Wood was one historically directed toward Asian people. 

These cases are always difficult to litigate because they essentially end up being one person’s word vs. another person’s word. Rarely is there ever any kind of hard evidence to prove the allegation definitively, and when you watch that video back, there’s only one other New England player who appears to be within earshot Wagner and Wood. The captains are called over for a discussion, but the coaches aren’t consulted, nor is anybody removed from the game. Wood stays on the field. Wagner continues to play. They just carried on as if nothing happened, and there was no notice of any kind of slur usage until the article came out on Monday.

One bit of speculation centers on Wood pointing to his eye while speaking with Damion Lowe, which John slowed down in this video clip:

This part is interesting right here… important to note, Lowe was part of a well documented incident that was similar to woods….

I need my lip readers here tough https://t.co/NpE4WRpRw4 pic.twitter.com/TuBzO8fL4s

— JP. (@ParceroPhilly) October 31, 2023

Something to consider, perhaps.

The thing about Wagner is that he’s leaving at the end of this season. He’s likely returning to Europe, so you wonder how that affects the equation. There’s a scenario where he could be suspended and not finish out the playoffs, which would end his Union tenure immediately. If not, he’ll play a couple of more games and then that’s it. There have been several recent incidents of alleged slur usage, all attributed to European MLS players, and while some have continued in the league after suspensions, others have moved on via mutual contract termination.

The post MLS Investigating Union’s Kai Wagner for Alleged Use of a Racial Slur appeared first on Crossing Broad.

It’s a bit of a head scratcher, considering that the team is the defending Eastern Conference champion and went to MLS Cup just one year ago. They enter as the #4 seed and have a wealth of big-game experience to lean on. The roster is full of grizzled vets who have been here before. Surely you’d think that would do something for fans, but in surveying supporters, you sense that this postseason campaign has less juice than a grapefruit that was put in a Cuisinart juicer and completely smushed.

The question is “why?” Why does nobody seem to care? A combination of my own thoughts and fan crowd sourcing, here’s a list of reasons:

1. The season was a total slog. It started in February and they played a franchise-record 48 games across four competitions. That doesn’t even include seven preseason games in Florida.
2. The matches were moved from PHL17 to Apple TV, so casuals who paid attention last year just don’t seem to be paying attention now.
3. The Phillies and Eagles both took over in September and October.
4. The perceived handling of the Kai Wagner and Alejandro Bedoya situations created some bad vibes.
5. We’ve already watched this team hit the ceiling twice this season, losing in the Champions League semifinal and Leagues Cup semifinal.
6. Team has been dealing with injuries and the post-Leagues Cup slate was filled with uninspired draws.
7. Offense has not been clicking recently.
8. Some tactical weariness with Jim Curtin going back and forth between the 4-4-2 and three-man backline.
9. General inability to upgrade the roster after last season’s incredible run.
10. Completely shitting the bed while playing scared against Lionel Messi at home. That really bothered a lot of people.

To expand on some of these bullets, the overall fatigue is real. These guys have been playing since February, which was eight months ago. Now you’re asking them to dive into a postseason that idiotically begins with a three-game series spread out over the course of 15 days. The Union host New England in Game 1 on Saturday, then have to wait until November 8th to play Game 2. If the series goes to three games, they come back to Philadelphia on the 12th. It’s a total joke. The league expanded the playoffs to nine teams in each conference and created a schedule that results in MLS Cup being played on December 9th. If you take into account that the first preseason game was in January, we’re talking about the possibility of a start-to-finish campaign that ran 11 total months. It’s too much. The season is too long and stuffed with games that just don’t matter.

Then you have the field of play, where recent results were just sort of meh.

Sure, they went unbeaten for eight straight, and only lost again in the season finale, but included in that run were six draws, which really killed off the ability to gain ground and secure better seeding. There’s no reason why they shouldn’t have outpaced one of Columbus or Orlando to snag the 3rd seed. Landing the #4 spot puts them on the same side of the bracket as Supporters Shield winner FC Cincinnati, which is where you don’t want to be.

It feels Negadelphia to write all of this, but it is what it is. The Union hit the ceiling twice this season, once in the Champions League and once in the Leagues Cup. And both times, they didn’t just lose,they got played off the pitch entirely, which I think had a massive impact on fan psyche. Twice Union supporters have been crushed this year, and it’s one thing to bounce back that first time, but the second time is a difficult ask. The Eagles are rolling, the Phillies just went to the NLCS, and vacation season is long over. It’s getting colder and the kids are back in school. Buzz can quickly fade when fans (and media) with finite time and attention have to focus it elsewhere.

The good thing is that everyone in Philly sports has ADHD, and our focus switches on a whim. To that point, the Union can change everything with a good showing on Saturday. Come out on the front foot and be assertive. Play the game we know you can play. Get stuck the fuck in and give the crowd something to cheer for.

The post This Philadelphia Union Postseason has Less Juice than a Desiccated Grapefruit appeared first on Crossing Broad.

 

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A post shared by Kai Wagner (@kaiwaaagner)

Wagner is leaving Philly at the end of this season. Where he’s going, we’re not sure, but it was a somewhat disappointing and maybe contentious exit. We’re not totally sure. He wanted and deserved a bigger, better contract, but for whatever reason no extension was agreed upon. He is a top five player in Philadelphia Union history.

Anyway, this looks like a going away party with his neighbors. A Hibachi party in someone’s garage. Does it get any more blue collar than that? Some athletes booze it up at the best nightclubs in Philadelphia, but Kai is eating Yakitori chicken skewers and shooting his neighbors with a water gun while the chef bangs a drum. Then you’ve got an impromptu dance party with balloon animals.

I checked out the Hibachi 2 U website and it’s pretty sick. They bring their hibachi grill and chef to your backyard. “All you need to do is set up tables and chairs, and provide plates and utensils for your party. Each person gets a side salad, hibachi vegetables, fried rice and 2 proteins of their choice.” We should have a hibachi party when the Phillies sweep the D Backs and advance to the World Series. We’ll send the chef straight into the clubhouse with a poncho and some shrimp tempura.

The post Kai Wagner Marks Philly Departure with Hibachi Party in Someone’s Garage appeared first on Crossing Broad.

It started in May, when Jim Curtin’s team went all the way to the Champions League semifinal before LAFC thrashed them 3-0 in the second leg. Then they rolled the boulder back up the hill, only to get thrashed in another semifinal, this time coming up pitifully short against Lionel Messi in a Leagues Cup home game.

They’re in the process of rolling the boulder up the hill for a third time now, losing just once in all competitions since defeat at the hands of Inter Miami. They first dispatched Monterrey’s backups to claim a spot in next year’s Champions Cup, then they clobbered DC, lost a stinker in Toronto, hammered New York, and earned a pair of draws to clinch a playoff spot with six games left to play:

Never a doubt.

The playoff clinching PK #DOOP pic.twitter.com/wBySYFvgLq

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) September 21, 2023

It might not seem like much, since clinching early is now expected for this team, but we’re talking about the same Philadelphia Union that didn’t win a single fucking playoff game until their 10th season of existence. Since getting over that hump in 2019, they’ve gone on trips to the Eastern Conference Final and MLS Cup, which they  should have won last year. No doubt, this is a grizzled team with playoff experience and there are a half-dozen remaining fixtures to improve their seeding, which currently is fourth in the east with a game in hand on all three teams currently above them.

The thing that sucks is that the Union are now the Eagles. They’re good, and they’re expected to win, so when they don’t, we get fidgety. We lament losses like Miami and LA because we know those were imposter performances. That wasn’t the same Union squad that scored twice on the road to eliminate Atlas from the CCL. That wasn’t the same Union squad that came back from a goal down in the Eastern Conference Final to beat New York. They can be, and typically are, so much better than what we saw in those 2023 semifinal games.

But the high expectations, while justified, shouldn’t overshadow achievements that are worth lauding. Making the playoffs six times in a row is impressive, and it’s not like they’re sneaking in as the last team here. They’ve been a top-three seed four seasons in a row and will likely be a top-five seed unless shit hits the fan coming down the stretch.

If we go by current playoff streaks, it’s:

• Eagles: made it 5 of the last 6 seasons
• Union: six straight appearances
• Phillies: broke a 10-year drought last season
• Flyers: three-years, no playoffs
• Sixers: six straight appearances

And yeah, it’s much harder to make the playoffs in MLB, for example, but the U have outperformed the Sixers and Flyers quite easily over this stretch while holding the same lofty expectations as the Eagles and Phils. Jim Curtin always does more with less, and has taken a blue collar group of overachievers to the postseason every year now since 2018.

Most Philly teams would have let the boulder roll down the hill and remained completely flattened, but the Union dust themselves off, regroup, and keep pushing the stupid rock up the incline. That’s commendable, because lesser squads would have folded twice already this season.

The post Clinched: Six-Straight Union Playoff Appearances is an Achievement That Can’t Be Overstated appeared first on Crossing Broad.

I meant to post this last week but forgot. 32-year-old soccer superstar Antoine Griezmann wants to come to the United States:

Griezmann on playing in Saudi:

“Me in Saudi? I have a family, 3 children, it’s an important decision. My priority remains as a player to come to MLS.” pic.twitter.com/NJia0fVHbf

— MLS Moves (@MLSMoves) September 11, 2023

“My priority remains as a player to come to MLS.” 

Well golly! What would you say if I told you that someone in Philadelphia Union ownership is a Griezmann fan? –

 

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A post shared by Relevent Sports (@internationalchampionscup)

You may think this is a shitpost, or that I’m kidding, but I’m not. Kevin Durant is a Philadelphia Union part owner. What exactly does he contribute? No clue! It’s definitely not millions and millions of dollars for player signings or transfer fees. The one thing he CAN do is use his clout and connections to sell people on the Union, which, if we’re being honest, can be very difficult. World class superstars aren’t exactly lining up to play in Chester. It’s not LA, Miami, or New York, and that’s the reality of the situation, isn’t it? David Beckham played a role in bringing Lionel Messi to South Florida, and you know the teams in the other cosmopolitan cities are going to up their games to keep up. To date, the Union have done it the hard way, pulling diamonds from the European and South American rough while playing moneyball en route to five seasons now of overachievement. The running joke is that Miami goes and gets Messi while the Union sign Johnny Doe from the bumblefuck third division, then turn him into an MLS All Star.

But what if they didn’t have to play moneyball? What if ownership said, “you know what? we’re really good already, here’s that final bit of investment.” You make 1-2 more star signings in an effort to get yourself over the hump and win that second trophy. They’ve been so damn close already. All they need, hypothetically, is one of their well-connected owners to call a guy he already knows, who wants to come play here. That’s how you #DoTheDeal.

(btw, Griezmann mentions he has three kids. I can’t think of a better place to raise a family than Delco)

The post Kevin Durant Needs to Stop Screwing Around and Bring Antoine Griezmann to Philly appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Philly Cheesesteak. Purple bread for Orlando City. ~$15 @FootyScran pic.twitter.com/XovaDxo4qu

— Lionsblog (@lionsblog1) September 17, 2023

Couple of observations here. First, there doesn’t appear to be any cheese on this cheesesteak, unless it’s buried beneath that mountain of peppers and mushrooms. Second, the purple coloring looks like my four year old spilled her Kinetic Sand in the bun (don’t buy it until they’re older, it’s too messy). Third, the bread itself is dark, like some kind of pumpernickel or the brown slices they give you at Outback Steakhouse. Nowhere in the Delaware Valley would you find a cheesesteak that looks anything like this, therefore, it is it not a “Philly” cheesesteak.

The reason for the purple is because Orlando City wears purple. Purple and white and a light gold type of color. This would be like the Flyers offering an orange-colored Passyunk Chorizo, or the Phillies putting red food coloring in your Crabfries. Nobody needs that. Nobody wants that.

FYI Suffocation wrote a song about this cheesesteak:

The post The Purple Cheesesteak is an Atrocity appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Head coach Jim Curtin got his formation and lineup selection totally wrong, choosing to play an ultra-conservative 5-4-1 while dropping Mikael Uhre to the bench and starting both Chris Donovan and Leon Flach instead. The Union sat back early, showed WAY too much respect to Messi and Miami, then conceded in less than three minutes after Damion Lowe whiffed on a routine sequence and Andre Blake was caught backpedaling and couldn’t get his feet set:

Este es Josef Martínez

El de los récords en la MLS
El que algunos dudaban "no podía sentarse en la mesa de Messi"
El top 10 histórico de goles

Un Vinotinto con la capacidad para lograr ir al Mundial

El que hoy dejó asistencia y este golazopic.twitter.com/TMrBooNWwg

— Armando Naranjo Naranjazos (@Naranjazos10) August 16, 2023

Horrendous, awful, abhorrent, disastrous goal to concede.

To make matters worse, Blake, who was incredibly disappointing on the night, then allowed Messi to score on a two-hopper from 30 yards out:

LIONEL MESSI DOES IT AGAIN

6 GAMES. 9 GOALS. HE’S SCORED IN EVERY SINGLE GAME

GOAT pic.twitter.com/ZReHrUguHd

— Barstool Football (@StoolFootball) August 16, 2023

They did everything wrong on that goal. Midfield split wide open. Center backs out of position, lack of communication, Blake once again backpedaling and not getting his feet set on a shot he saves 999 times out of a thousand. They actually out-shot the visitors 16 to 5 but allowed four goals on those five Miami efforts. The Union defenders were all over the place. Lowe had a terrible game, Jakob Glesnes was pushed too far up the field, the wingbacks may as well have been forwards, and Jose Martinez and Jesus Bueno were bypassed by line-splitting passes time and time again. It was a disgraceful farce of a performance from a team that is so much better than what they showed on Tuesday night.

The worst part is that they did it with plenty of new eyeballs on the product, turning in a result that only furthered the narrative that MLS sucks and Lionel Messi is going to carve up the league with ease. This game was rightfully hyped and the Union put up the resistance of a wet paper bag on their home field. They played scared and were not even close to being ready for the magnitude of the moment. This is a team, mind you, that has played Champions League games in Mexico. They’ve played in MLS Cup. They’ve got internationals who have played in Europe, North America, and South America. These guys are battle tested and have way too much experience to turn in that joke of a first half. They looked like a husk of the hard-working, blue collar team that Union fans have come to enjoy over these past four seasons.

Once again, they reach the big stage and fail on the big stage. And it’s not even that they lost, it’s how they lost that really kills you. If you lose 2-1 on a world class Messi banger, so be it. But they looked like the Bad News Bears out there, a totally unrecognizable squad.

You always put the results on the players, since the coach doesn’t get a single kick of the ball and isn’t even on the field, but Jim Curtin got this one very wrong. The 3-5-2 looked very shaky in recent performances, and he decided to stay with it, play a defensive shell, and concede all possession to Miami. They showed way too much respect to Messi and their passiveness was a crime considering how much of a counter-pressing and transitional engine this team can be. As bad as the players were, they were not put in a viable position to succeed on Tuesday night.

Of course, nobody has done more with less than Curtin over these nine years. He’s taken a nothing franchise, won a trophy, and consistently has a scrappy group of overachievers on the cusp of winning another one, but you do need to look at the arbitrary list of “big games” he’s coached, which looks like this:

• 2014 USOC final – loss
• 2015 USOC final – loss
• 2018 USOC final – loss
• 2021 Champions League semifinal – loss
• 2021 MLS semis – loss (COVID game)
• 2022 MLS Cup – loss
• 2023 Champions League semifinal – loss
• 2023 Leagues Cup semifinal – loss

Certainly they needed to win four semifinals to reach those four finals, so Curtin gets all the credit in the world for that. Still, that is a rough record, and you ask yourself how much blame goes to him, vs. the payers, vs. ownership. Are they a semifinal ceiling team? Does Jay Sugarman need to make that extra investment to get the Union over the top? Can multiple things be true at the same time?

To Curtin’s credit, the Union were underdogs in most of these games, and typically have had less talent on the field. They were a home dog to Seattle in 2014 and lost in penalties in 2015. They weren’t as good as Club America and LAFC in the Champions League and MLS Cup. They got wracked by COVID absences in the fugazi 2021 playoff semifinal. But several times they’ve been played off the field entirely, like the 2018 USOC final in Houston, the second leg of this year’s CCL, and Tuesday night against Messi. Those three games? Curtin absolutely deserves the criticism.

It might sound corny or hyperbolic, but I really do think this loss is one of those games that sets the franchise back, and significantly. You build all of this momentum. You reach the semifinal of a cup competition. You get people talking about you in the newspapers and on the radio. You earn some respect and rightfully generate this huge moment for the franchise and then the moment is way too big for you. You come up small, play scared, get utterly embarrassed on the field, and once again exit a tournament in the semifinals. All the work you’ve done to earn that respect and make inroads in the Philadelphia sporting community goes right into the Chester trash incinerator.

We asked the question back in April – did the Union reach their ceiling when they bombed out of the Champions League in Los Angeles? It was a valid question then and remains a valid question now. With Jim Curtin and Ernst Tanner both receiving contract extensions, the franchise needs to find a way to break through this ceiling and reach the next level, because they repeatedly reach this ceiling and bump their head on it. They’ve gotten this far playing moneyball, and deserve all of the credit in the world for overachieving, but if they don’t come up with a plan from here, that barrier is going to remain, in perpetuity.

Here’s our bitch session postgame podcast:

The post Not Hyperbole – That Was One of the Most Disgraceful Union Performances in Franchise History appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Before getting into how the Union fell on their faces, we need to go back to the lead-up to this game. After picking up a 2-1 win in their Leagues Cup quarterfinal match against Querétaro on Friday, the Union knew they’d face Inter Miami and Lionel Messi. For a team that hadn’t gotten their flowers from the Philly media and fandom at large after winning the Supporter’s Shield in 2020 and nearly walking away with MLS Cup a season ago on the road against LAFC, the Union picked up some mainstream attention over the past few days.

Sure, a significant amount of that attention was driven by the mere mention of a man who many believe to be the GOAT in Messi. However, after seemingly turning down the chance to play a huge match at the Linc for fear of losing home-field advantage, the conversation then turned to price gouging for Messi’s first game in Chester. Once the dust had settled, the question became whether or not the Union could slow what had been an unstoppable force over their past games.

Entering Tuesday night, Lionel Messi had racked up eight goals and three assists, leading Inter Miami to a 5-0-0 record. Despite adding former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, Miami still had holes in their lineup. In fact, there was an argument to be made that Philadelphia held the advantage in net and up the middle, starting with center backs Jack Elliott and Jakob Glesnes.

With that, we return to Tuesday night and the atmosphere. The lots were full of rowdy fans, multiple major tailgates, and a belief that the Union could outlast Messi’s Miami and advance to the Leagues Cup Final. Whether it was belief or sheer hope on the part of fans –some of whom spent upwards of $600 per ticket to be in attendance–was anyone’s guess.

The pregame mood in the stadium was that of excitement for those who never thought they’d see Lionel Messi play a competitive game on US soil, and anxiety for a Union team that has suffered disappointing losses in the US Open Cup, MLS Cup, and more.

Messi’s arrival for pregame warmups was with the type of wonder you’d expect from people who truly love the beautiful game:

Union fans have to hope this doesn’t happen. #messi #doop pic.twitter.com/PVLQfLgcjK

— Russ Joy (@JoyOnBroad) August 15, 2023

That, however, is where the good vibes ended.

The first half of the game was all too familiar for Union fans. Jim Curtin overthought the lineup, opting to roll with five at the back, showing far too much respect to Messi and Co.:

#StartingXI is locked in

https://t.co/cjd6H0qm2t#DOOP | #PHIvMIA | @leaguescup pic.twitter.com/yMKwqH1UjO

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) August 15, 2023

It got worse from there as Andre Blake, who’s been arguably the best goalkeeper in MLS for the past few seasons, was caught out of position on the first two goals of the game, including this worm-burner from the left foot of Messi:

What can't he do?!

Make it NINE goals in six games for Leo Messi. pic.twitter.com/HLf3zBFTmV

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 15, 2023

While Ray Hudson made some big bucks labeling that left foot as a cross between a sledgehammer and a rapier, that’s a goal that Blake simply can’t allow. Blake’s first half performance was not only out of character, but it came at the absolute worst time for a team that needed every save.

New fans who sought out this game and realized they’d need to pay for an Apple TV+ subscription likely missed the first two goals that came in quick succession. A backbreaking third goal just before half doomed the Union and sucked the life out of what started off as a raucous crowd.

While the second half of the game was more promising, the Union put together their fair share of misses that resembled that of Chris Wondolowski in the 2014 World Cup.

A late goal by Alejandro Bedoya was the perfect example of too little too late and Union crowd that had suffered agonizing defeats in big games returned to an all-to-familiar place.

It was a chance to perform for a new audience. To make a case to casual soccer fans. To show that losing track of Gareth Bale with minutes to go in MLS Cup was a fluke. Instead, from the coaches to the players, the Union did what they do best in big games: overthink and underperform.

The Sons of Ben, who are a perfect microcosm of fandom in Philadelphia –loud while ahead, discombobulated and largely silent when the going gets tough– rained down chants on Inter Miami players who spent too much time getting acquainted with the blades of grass at Subaru Park. Unfortunately, the chant was better served for Philadelphia on Tuesday night: Dig a hole, and fucking bury ’em.

The post “Dig a Hole and #?@%ing Bury ‘Em”: Union Blow Chance Against Messi, Inter Miami appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Attention: River End / Supporters Section attendees#DOOP pic.twitter.com/6S9CGPMfFU

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) August 15, 2023

This is actually the policy for every game and it’s been this way for as long as anyone can remember. You’re not allowed to wear opposing team colors in The River End, where the Sons of Ben and Keystone State Ultras sit. No Miami jerseys, no Argentina Messi jerseys, no PSG, Barcelona, Newell’s Old Boys, nothing besides Philadelphia Union colors.

The policy is perfectly fine. Most teams have something like this in place. I suppose they had to send a reminder on Twitter because some supporters cashed out and sold their tickets, or couldn’t make a Tuesday night, or just wanted to avoid the Messi shit show (I talked to a guy who got $400 and took the money because he didn’t wanna deal with Messi fanboys). In this case, if you show up to TRE wearing Messi gear, you get relocated to standing room only. I would relocate ’em to the bagster, personally.

The post Lionel Messi Fanboys will be Removed from Union Supporters Section appeared first on Crossing Broad.