Brotherly Game Daily Links: Curtin’s weekly Press Conference

Philadelphia Union News

Union’s game at LAFC could be played behind closed doors due to coronavirus, but odds are slim
Though the odds seem slim as of now that such a move will actually happen, city officials in L.A. are not shying away from the possibility.

Jim Curtin’s weekly press conference
Ahead of Philadelphia Union’s national broadcast contest at LAFC on Sunday night, Head Coach Jim Curtin held his weekly press conference with local media inside Subaru Park.

Union II embracing Gartung’s mentality for 2020
While he’s only been the club’s head coach for less than a month, it is already clear that a belief in making the most of every minute the beautiful game gives you is fundamental to Gartung’s mentality.

MLS News

Major League Soccer examining ways to shorten lengthy offseason
When the 2020 season kicked off last weekend, teams who did not qualify for the 2019 postseason had gone 146 to 147 days without a competitive match. It’s an issue that, as Garber admitted, the league has wrestled with for 25 years.

“You don’t stop” Carlos Vela, says Philadelphia Union coach Jim Curtin
“When you talk about how did you stop Carlos Vela — I think he has in his last 34 games, 35 goals — so the answer in reality is you don’t stop him,” Philly coach Jim Curtin said during his Wednesday press conference. ”You try to limit the amount of times he’s on the ball as possible.”

Ranking the MVP contender tiers to step up in Josef Martinez’s absence
Tear up your spreadsheets. Throw your hand-written predictions in the wastebasket. Do other things nobody has said since the early 2000s. A little more than an hour into the 2020 season, all the math changed. Josef Martinez’s torn right ACL turned the league upside down.

Red Bulls linked with French left back Pendant
The 23-year old Pendant, who holds Vietnamese dual citizenship, made 31 appearances in the French second division for Sochaux last season and has made 17 so far this campaign, including several stints as team captain.

Monterrey files FIFA complaint over Pizarro transfer to Beckham’s Miami
Pizarro’s acrimonious departure from Monterrey began when club director Duilio Davino stressed that he wanted to keep the 26-year-old, but that the full amount of a release clause would have to be met in order for him to leave.