Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz
Philadelphia Union
The "2011 in Review" articles for the Philadelphia Union are now up on the MLS website. One
provides decent insight, the other, not so much. In the Q & A cobbled together from the last press
conference of the season, in addition to relating that Freddy Adu was at "60 percent" for much of
the end of the season due to a back injury and the need for defensive additions and competition
within the various positions on the field, Peter Nowak discusses the mindset the team needs to win
a championship:
"I told you guys at the press conferences we've had all year long that we believe in what we're
building, we believe what is the culture around the team.
Philadelphia Union
John Hackworth explains what the Union is looking for going into the 2012 season. "When you're
retooling, you have to make sure you're managing the roster and the salary cap. We're not
necessarily trying to get younger; we're trying to get better. And we're going to look at every
avenue do that.
By Puck Ladies and Gents, welcome back into the Happy Hour. This week has been a series of
disappointments for Puck and company. Both Manchester teams uneventfully crashed out of the UEFA
Champions League, and Charlie Weis is leaving the Sunshine State to coach the woeful Kansas
Jayhawks. Needless to say, many alcoholic libations are [.
Philadelphia Union
Kerith Gabriel reports that the Philadelphia Union will announce a "blockbuster deal" with
Panamanian international Gabriel Gomez. Gabriel says that Gomez is the "the same box-to-box
defender/midfielder that was a beast in Panama's 2-0 win over the United States in the group stage
of this summer's Gold Cup.
Philadelphia Union
Tweet from Freddy Adu: "Happy Holidays to everyone. Love the holiday season."
In Goal.com's survey of the Eastern Conference there is this review of the the Union's 2011
season in a sentence: "Another season of incremental growth for a young squad still in need of a
couple of pieces to compete for MLS Cup.
Photo: Paul Rudderow
Philadelphia Union
Ives Galarcep reports at Fox Soccer that Freddy Adu is heading to with Spanish side Rayo
Vallecano for a two-week training stint. The report notes, "Rayo Vallecano is also a club that had
been in talks with Adu about signing him last summer before Adu settled on a return to MLS.
