Union begin US Open Cup play on May 28th. U looks to learn from mistakes against KC as they prepare for Rapids. Chandler happy in LA. USWNT begin Algarve Cup play. New Fox channel. Lesbians banned from Nigerian football, more.
Orlando City hopes for another good showing against the Union. Alejandro Moreno replaces Bob Rigby as Union color commentator. Hackworth says Le Toux is a leader. Zack Steffen gets US U-20 callup. More news.
The yearly changing of the guard for the Philadelphia Union's television color commentator has brought back a former player to take over the role from Bob Rigby.
Alejandro Moreno is the latest person to hold he title of Union color commentator, according to a press release on the team's official website.
A target striker. The necessary piece to solving a problem the Philadelphia Union have had since the beginning of 2011.
Conor Casey, acquired in the Second Stage of the 2012 MLS Re-Entry Draft, will play a role that the Union have not truly had since Alejandro Moreno left via the Expansion Draft.
In an unsurprising move to most, the Philadelphia Union selected Conor Casey with their first round choice in the Second Stage of the 2012 Major League Soccer Re-Entry Draft.
The target striker will fulfill a two year long need for the Union at his preferred role up front. Philadelphia has not had a target striker since allowing Alejandro Moreno to leave during the 2010 Expansion Draft.
The Philadelphia Union were forced to place goalkeeper Chase Harrison on the Major League Soccer Re-Entry Draft availability list for a second straight year, due to the process' rules, but he isn't the only player with ties to the team who is available.
Also listed are former captain Danny Califf, former fellow central defender Shavar Thomas and former starting striker Alejandro Moreno.
The Union now have their chance to bring back Danny Califf, if they want to. PSP previews the upcoming MLS Re-Entry Draft with a look at Califf and other intriguing players available.
Roster turnover. Throughout the Union's brief two year life in MLS, it has been one of the
unavoidable topics surrounding the team. Each season has seen a drastic overhaul of the lineup and
this year is no different. With the opening kickoff in Portland only days away, PSP takes a moment
to check in with all the former Union players to see where they've landed for the 2012 season.
A new article from Kerith Gabriel on Friday morning about a Gabriel Gomez to the Philadelphia
Union deal is headlined "Panama's Gomez signs with Union" but the copy says "According to sources,
the contract has been approved by Major League Soccer and awaits Gomez' signature before the Union
can schedule an announcement, which can come as early as next week.
Jake Pavorsky: Conor Casey. After two injury riddled, Casey is looking to get his career back on track, and I expect him to have a year similar to his 2008 campaign. The 31 year old gives the Union their first true target striker since Alejandro Moreno, and his presence in front of the net will certainly advance the team to new offensive heights.
I know a guy who, when we were growing up, wouldn't greet you with a "What's up?" or "How's it
going?" or whatever.
His first question would be, "You working on your game?" The line had started with our
basketball coach, who basically told us that your off-season was the most important time for the
development of your game, because everything that happened next season would be determined by how
much you improved before it started.
Last week the Sounders helped keep some playoff hopes alive by beating the Vancouver Whitecaps,
and in the coming weeks they have a chance to end those hopes with three consecutive games against
the two playoff hopefuls left in the West. Today's is the first of two against Chivas USA, a pretty
implausible playoff contender.
May's packed schedule is nearly up for the Seattle Sounders with their last MLS match of the
crowded schedule. For some players this will mean a rest. For others, due to injuries, they will be
pressed into more duty than one could expect. On top of a likely start at CDM for either Andy Rose
or Servando Carrasco there could also be a change in the backline.
CARSON, Calif. -- Chivas USA came into Friday night's match hungry for their first win home win
of the season, while the Chicago Fire came in looking to become the latest team to take three
points at the Home Depot Center.
It looked like neither team was going to get what the wanted as the final seconds ticked away,
but Marco Pappa lifted the Fire past Chivas USA when he belted a game-winning goal from 20 yards
away in the dying seconds of the match to give Chicago a 2-1 victory.
Still awaiting official notice of his suspension for entering the field of play in last Saturday
against Chivas USA, Peter Nowak said at Wednesday's weekly press conference, "I don't really want
to go into details before the whole situation with the verdict and we see what happens.
Photo: Courtesy of Philadelphia Union/Getty Images
Heading across the country to take on a Chivas USA who despite their poor home form have looked
much improved in 2012, the Philadelphia Union would have taken a victory any way they could get it.
That's a good thing considering that, although they recorded their second consecutive victory and
first road win of the season, they were largely outplayed by their hosts and suffered two important
ejections which could hurt them badly in the coming weeks.
It's hard to imagine the assist being nicer than a backheeled goal. But Michael Farfan set up
Freddy Adu's winner with a hypnotizing run, and the Union held on to earn their first road win of
the season over Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Philadelphia is now
unbeaten in their last three, and Chivas USA remains winless at home.
He's 19-year-old striker Jose Erick Correa, who most recently played for Boyacá Chico FC, Chivas
USA officials announced today. "He's a great young talent that will come and help us right away,
and also learn a lot from our experienced forwards like Juan Pablo Angel and Alejandro Moreno,"
said Chivas
The Portland Timbers looked well on their way to another victory at Jeld-Wen Field when they
pounced on a defensive blunder by Chivas USA and took a 16th minute lead at home on Saturday
night.
Chivas USA had other ideas, and a second-half rally not only gave the Goats another road
victory.
Saturday night's game against Real Salt Lake is one that Casey Townsend won't soon forget.
With injuries to forwards Juan Pablo Angel and Alejandro Moreno, Townsend stepped up for Chivas
USA, starting his second straight game and delievering the game-winning goal in Chivas' surprising
1-0 victory over RSL at Rio Tinto Stadium to earn SBI MLS Rookie of the Week honors.
Preseason is all about learning and both the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA felt that a great
deal was learned in their preseason scrimmage on Thursday as the Galaxy defeated Chivas, 3-2
 Starting a primarily reserve team lineup, the Galaxy jumped out to a three
goal lead in the first half goals.
*Galaxy defender A.J. DeLaGarza and the U.S. plays Panama at 5:30 p.m. today live on Galavision.
*Mexico faces Chivas USA's Alejandro Moreno and Venezuela in Houston (live 6 p.m. KMEX). More here.
*FOX Soccer announced today it will air live the FA Cup showdown between Americans Landon Donovan,
Tim Howard
Venezuela head coach Cesar Farias named his 24-man roster for the upcoming match against the
U.S. Men's National Team at 9 p.m. ET Jan. 21 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale,
Ariz. Venezuela's attacking group includes Alejandro Moreno of Chivas USA and Emilio Renteria of
the Columbus Crew:
VENEZUELA ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (2): Alan Liebeskind (Lara), Leonardo Morales (Anzoategui)
DEFENDERS (8): Joel Caceres (Lara), Gabriel Cichero (Lens), Javier Gonzalez
(Petare), Rubert Quijada (Monagas), Carlos Rivero (Anzoategui), Andres Rouga (Tachira), Carlos
Salazar (Anzoategui), Jose Manuel Velazquez (Mineros)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Angel Chourio (Real Esppor), Diomar Diaz (Petare), Agnel Flores
(Mineros), Francisco Flores (Anzoategui), Edgar Perez Greco (Lara), Alejandro Guerra (Mineros),
Diego Guerrero (Tachira), Miguel Mea Vitali (Lara)
FORWARDS (6): Richard Blanco (Petare), Darwin Machis (Mineros), Alejandro Moreno
(Chivas USA), Hermes Palomino (Cherno More), Emilio Renteria (Columbus Crew), Jose Reyes
(Anzoategui)
The Philadelphia Union felt the pain of the Expansion Draft for a second year in a row, losing
veteran left midfielder Justin Mapp to the Montreal Impact in today's draft proceedings. Mapp
became the third Union player ever selected in an Expansion Draft, along with striker Alejandro
Moreno (Portland Timbers, traded to Chivas USA) and right winger Shea Salinas (Vancouver
Whitecaps).
Ever read those posts on SI.com, Fox Soccer, or ESPN.com with the "five thoughts about ..." and
then, well, lo and behold, they offer you five random thoughts about a topic?
Yeah, I always thought they were mailing it in too, too rushed or whatever to come up with a
lede, coherent structure for the column, etc.
LA Lads: Former local Fox Sports commentator Max Bretos, former Galaxy GM Alexi Lalas and
Chivas USA's Alejandro Moreno are the in-studio team for the 7 p.m. Seattle Sounders-Real Salt Lake
match as the MLS Playoffs resume on ESPN tonight.
It appears fans are responding to the MLS playoffs this year, games that have traditionally
struggled to draw decent crowds on relatively short notice.
It's a very Pacific Northwest kind of day here in Carson with fog billowing therough the stadium
and several hundred Sounders fans in the stands outcheering the home crowd.
Seattle has started pretty much a full strength lineup: Kasey Keller-James Riley, Jeff Parke
(who has returned from concussion) Jhon kennedy Hurtado, Leo Gonzalez-Alvaro Fernandez, Brad Evans,
Osvaldo Alonso, Mauro Rosales-Mike Fucito, Fredy Montero.
Chivas USA hasn't had too much to celebrate, now comes the dreaded expansion draft. (Getty
Images)
Chivas USA had an up and down 2011. Their season looked promising at times but injuries piled up
and issues with scoring took this team over. First year manager Robin Fraser did a decent job this
year but will have the fun task of going through the roster to figure out who stays and who will be
left available for next month's expansion draft.
On Sunday, the Union played Chivas USA to a drab draw in front of a sparsely populated Home
Depot Center in Carson, California. After a slow-paced first half that yielded few chances, Justin
Mapp opened the scoring in the second half before the sensational Juan Pablo Angel drew the home
side level at the death.
Setting: Sunday, October 2 at The Home Depot Center in Carson,
Calif.; kickoff scheduled for 8:06:30 PM Eastern
Broadcast Information: The Comcast Network (JP Dellacamera,
Taylor Twellman, Bob Rigby), coverage beginning at 7:30 PM with a pre-game show / PRIME TICKET
(Christian Miles, Allen Hopkins), KWHY-TV/W Radio 690 XEWW-AM (Hipólito Gamboa, Rigo
Cervantez) in Los Angeles / MLS Direct Kick, MatchDay Live (PRIME TICKET feed)
Geoff hit on it this morning - it's only been ten days since the last time the Timbers played
Chivas, and all we had to say about them then was that they were the most boring team in MLS.
Ten days haven't changed that.
In fact, the only thing that has changed for either team in the ten days since is they've both
lost another game.
I can imagine the scene at the Home Depot Center tomorrow. Thousands of children, their hands
sticky from cotton candy and soft drinks, screaming, blowing vuvuzelas, playing with handheld
gaming devices, shooting spitballs at each other (at least, that's what I remember doing when I was
a kid, minus the vuvuzelas) -- pretty much doing anything but watching the game on the pitch.
ESPN is pulling out all the stops for its coverage of the USA's World Cup qualifiers Friday against Costa Rica and Tuesday at Mexico.
The Mexico-USA telecast will feature a one-hour pre-game show originating live from Mexico City, marking the first time ESPN is airing a one-hour pre-game preceding a World Cup qualifying match.
Why have the Philadelphia Union added a scrimmage against Florida Gulf Coast University, of all
places, to their preseason warm-up tour? With approximately 12,000 students including post-grads
and a "noteable alumni" list that consists of a professional monster trucker and Don Carman
(retired Philadelphia Phillies pitcher from the 80's), what put the FGCU Eagles on the radar?
Jon Levy The national team hasn't even suited up in 2012, but it's already been an encouraging year
for American soccer. Dempsey and Donovan (for two months, at least) are both leading the line of
attack for their respective English Premier League teams, the Women's National Teamers avoided a
would-be tragedy in their Vancouver hotel [.
