SoccerBlogs

By JOEY SAMUEL

A year ago, the Philadelphia Union were competing for the top spot in the Eastern Conference in their second season of existence. Now, they find themselves fighting just to remain in the hunt for a playoff spot.

On Sunday, the Union will face the team that holds the fifth and final playoff spot for the second week in a row when they take on D.

Logan Pause out 4-6 weeks

Chicago Fire Team Writer Jeff Crandall just broke some damaging news regarding a lengthy stay on the sidelines for Logan Pause. Logan is nursing two broken ribs and pneumothorax after a collision with Bakary Soumare in the Philly game. Jeff states the injury occured in the 25th minute, and Logan toughed it out until the 44th minute when Patrick Nyarko replaced him.

I left PPL Park tonight having scored just as many goals as the Philadelphia Union had scored against the visiting Chicago Fire (and even against Montreal last week), none. Don't get me wrong the Union did get a goal in the 34th-minute off a nice, arcing cross from Freddy Adu to Chandler Hoffman, but it deflected off Chicago defender Jalil Anibaba, past keeper Sean Johnson and into the back of the net for an own goal.

Philadelphia Union starting XI: MacMath; Williams, Soumare, Okugo, Gaddis; Carroll (c), M. Farfan, G. Farfan; Daniel, Hoffman, Adu

Philadelphia Union bench: Harrison, Lahoud, Hoppenot, Pajoy, Martinez, Albright, Pfeffer

Chicago Fire Soccer Club starting XI: Johnson; Anibaba, Friedrich, Berry, Segares; Fernandez, Pause ©, Pardo, Pappa; Rolfe, MacDonald

Chicago Fire Soccer Club bench: Tornaghi, Gargan, Paladini, Videira, Alex, Nyarko, Oduro

Photo: Earl Gardner

Philadelphia Union have cut ties with scouting chief Diego Gutierrez and youth director Alecko Eskandarian.

A team spokesperson confirmed Sunday that Gutierrez and Eskandarian are no longer with the team but declined to give further details. Biographies of both men have been removed from the� team web site.

Bakary Soumare is officially back in MLS as a member of the Philadelphia Union.

The Vancouver Whitecaps and Philadelphia Union announced their trade Tuesday in which the Whitecaps acquired allocation money and the Union's first-round pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft in exchange for the top spot in the MLS allocation order and a 2013 SuperDraft second-round pick.

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Tim Ream is officially a member of Bolton after his transfer from the New York Red Bulls was finalized on Thursday.

The transfer, believed to be valued near $3 million, is the highest ever paid for an MLS defender, surpassing the $2 million paid by French club Boulogne for former Chicago Fire defender Bakary Soumare.

By FRANCO PANIZO

The Chicago Fire reserves entered Tuesday's match against Sporting Kansas City having scored five goals in two games, but that offensive output was not replicated as the teams tied, 1-1.

With former Fire defender Bakary Soumare in attendance, Chicago jumped out to an early lead courtesy of a goal from Cristian Nazarit.

Crew previews. Bakary Soumare out for the rest of the season. Krystian Witkowski free of concussion symptoms, cleared to play. Sheanon on going forward. Smallwood on Adu. More news.

After being sidelined for three weeks, David Beckham has recovered from an ankle injury and could make his return to action for the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday when they take on the Colorado Rapids.

Beckham resumed training this week and is on the verge of returning to action after missing the team's past two MLS victories against the Colorado Rapids and Toronto FC.

The Philadelphia Union have announced that they have agreed to a mutual contract termination with forward Jorge Perlaza. Perlaza joined the Union this season in a trade which sent MLS Superdraft first overall pick Danny Mwanga to Portland.� This move should come as a surprise to no one. Perlaza had not played or been available as a sub for the last ten Union games.

It's almost that time of the summer again, when silly season kicks off again for MLS teams. The MLS window reopens on Wednesday the 27th of June and stays open for a month. Rumors and news has already started to come out Andriy Shevchenko has been linked with a move to DC United specifically within MLS, and the Philadelphia Union have made a move to get Bakary Soumare who is returning to MLS after a stint in Germany.

Hackworth says Union need maximum home points if they are to keep playoff hopes alive. RSL preview roundup. Freddy's consistency problem. Soumare believes in team's potential. Gabriel says Union will need to spend in the offseason. Harrisburg in USL PRO playoffs on Saturday.

Recaps and reaction to Union's loss in Montreal. On the headbutt. Soumare goes full 90 in reserve team defeat. Canada coach says USWNT uses "highly illegal" tactics ahead of today's Olympic quarterfinal. Young Crew midfielder dies. More news.

photo by� Daniel Gajdamowicz

Apologies for all the parentheses, elipses, and commas. Most of the teleconference sounded like it was coming through a tin can from a submarine at the bottom of the ocean.

On the firings of Diego Gutierrez and Alecko Eskandarian

"They are separate situations.

Less than a month after cutting ties with former head coach Peter Nowak, the Philadelphia Union have parted ways with director of scouting Diego Gutierrez and youth technical director Alecko Eskandarian.

Gutierrez and the Union agreed to part ways on Friday after what sources told SBI were philosophical differences between Gutierrez and interim head coach John Hackworth.

Just a bit of information has crossed the wire now that the Philadelphia Union have officially signed defender Bakary Soumare.

Here is the nitty-gritty details on the deal they struck with Vancouver.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC have acquired Philadelphia Union's first-round selection in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft, allocation money, as well as the Union's 12th position in the league's allocation ranking, in exchange for Vancouver's second-round pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft and the 'Caps first position in the MLS allocation ranking.

Was thinking about the probable 2010 awards nominees, and this came to mind. Here's a list of MLS Defender of the Year nominees, and where their teams ranked in terms of goals allowed:

1996 Fraser LA 3
1996 Doyle SJ 4 win 1996 Kooiman TB 5





1997 Dooley CLB 1
1997 Gough KC 4
1997 Pope DC 5 win




1998 Fraser LA 1
1998 Kubik CHI 2 win 1998 Pope DC 3





1999 Fraser LA 1 win 1999 Kubik CHI 3
1999 Agoos DC 6





2000 Vermes KC 1 win 2000 Fraser LA 2
2000 Addo TB 4





2001 Agoos SJ 1 win 2001 Llamosa MIA 4
2001 Mastroeni MIA 4





2002 Lalas LA 1
2002 Barrett SJ 2
2002 Bocanegra CHI 3 win




2003 Nelsen DC 3
2003 Pope NY 4
2003 Bocanegra CHI 5 win




2004 Conrad KC 1
2004 Fraser CLB 2 win 2004 Pope NY 10





2005 Califf SJ 1
2005 Conrad KC 5 win 2005 Marshall, T.

Here's a quick run down on the activities of some of the most recent former Fire.

Everyone's favorite professor (especially a certain soccer scribe on the east coast) Juan Carlos Osorio and Once Caldes defeated winless Nacional 1-0 in Columbia yesterday. The lone goal was scored by midfielder Jhon Valencia, who I'm told is a pretty good player and free kick specialist.

Three big things to talk about now. We have an update on the head coach situation, an update on Segares and a draft preview.

First, tomorrow at 11 CT., the Fire will officially announce the new head coach of the Fire. Although the Fire have not said it yet, but Nick Firchau via the Southtown Star has reported it is former Mexican International Carlos de los Cobos.

Their record and recent form may not suggest it, but the soccer gods must be smiling upon the Revolution.

Two months ago, the Revolution inherited the to spot in the Allocation Process after Vancouver traded first dibs to Philadelphia, which used it to select Bakary Soumare. And during those two months, the Revolution held the trump card tight, as names like Maurice� Edu,� Alejandro� Bedoya, Carlos� Bocanegra and Luis Robles were floated from Framingham to Farmington.

The Fire announced their pre-season schedule today. Players are due to report to Toyota Park on Thursday before starting training next week at the Bridgeview Sports Dome. Among the players reporting will be new additions Cory Gibbs, Daniel Paladini, Josip Mikulic, Jalil Anibaba, Jason Herrick, Jon Conway, Davis Paul, Yannick Salmon, Amani Walker, Sam Arthur, and Open Try-Out winner Pari Pantazopoulos.