Brotherly Game: All Posts by Alex Klein

Brotherly Game Daily Links: Curtin Praises Aaronson’s Versatility

2020-10-01T13:18:52-04:00

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Union injury report, Jordan Morris transfer rumors, and UEFA Champions League draw pots have been set

Philadelphia Union News

Injury Report: Union at Toronto FC
Ahead of the club’s weekend road match against Toronto FC on Saturday evening, Philadelphia Union Head Coach Jim Curtin provided an update on the injury status of the squad.

The Union are good now, but for how long?
Sure, the Union are unquestionably one of the best teams in MLS right now. But there’s every reason to expect significant changes coming in the offseason. Where there’s smoke there’s fire, so even if Salzburg doesn’t come through Brenden Aaronson is gone next season.

Philadelphia Union’s Jim Curtin praises Brenden Aaronson’s versatility: I know some coaches were watching
Without suspended captain Alejandro Bedoya, the Philadelphia Union made a change to their midfield in which Brenden Aaronson dropped deeper to more of a box-to-box roll to allow Anthony Fontana to play as an attacking midfielder.

MLS News

Handicapping how the 2020 MLS Supporters’ Shield race could unfold
With most teams down to their final nine matches, the Portland Timbers (6th place) are separated from table-topping Columbus Crew SC by just six points. Not only is the lead crowd tight, but everyone is kicking into high gear; each of those top six teams have posted at least three wins in their last five games.

Sources: Preston showed interest in Seattle Sounders’ Jordan Morris, but no deal will happen
Seattle view Morris as one of the best players in the league and would only consider a transfer fee reflecting that. Preston finished ninth in the Championship last season.

U.S. Soccer News

Americans Abroad who could move before the transfer deadline
Matt Miazga and Cameron Carter-Vickers are two young defenders who have not been given a consistent chance with their first teams in England and are two of several players with uncertain futures.

Rest of the World News

Champions League group-stage draw pots finalized
The draw will take place at the House of European Football, UEFA’s headquarters, on the shore of Lake Geneva starting from 4 p.m. BST, 11 a.m. ET. UEFA will also announce the award winners for the 2019-20 season in a ceremony that has been scaled back due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Brotherly Game Daily Links: 2021 Gold Cup Draw

2020-09-30T08:47:26-04:00

Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images

Union have chance to be best in country, USMNT transfer news and more in today’s links

Philadelphia Union News

Zakuani: Union can be best team in the country
Former Seattle Sounder Steve Zakuani reviewed all 26 MLS teams recently and came away impressed with the Philadelphia Union.

MLS News

Power Rankings: Seattle Sounders claim top spot, New England Revolution enter top 10
Union are back up to number two in the MLS Power Rankings.

Firing Ben Olsen Alone Won’t Solve D.C. United’s Problems
On Saturday, Washington Post soccer reporter Steven Goff confirmed what D.C. United Twitter has been bellowing for weeks now, that manager Ben Olsen is on a “scalding-hot seat,” according to a source close to the team.

U.S. Soccer News

USMNT learns Gold Cup draw
Before the draw, the 4 winners of the League A groups in Concacaf Nations League were pre-seeded into groups: Mexico in Group A, the USMNT in Group B, Costa Rica in Group C, and Honduras in Group D.

Sources: La Liga and Eredivisie clubs make loan offers for DeAndre Yedlin
An undisclosed La Liga club and undisclosed Eredivisie club have made loan proposals for Yedlin this week, sources have confirmed to SBI on Tuesday, though Newcastle is believed to still be holding out for a transfer for the 27-year-old defender rather than a loan.

U.S. and Ajax defender Sergino Dest in Barcelona ahead of move
ESPN reported on Sunday that Barca and Ajax had agreed on a fee for Dest, paving the way for the Catalan club to open talks with the right-back and his representatives over personal terms.

Rest of the World News

FIFA Plans to Order Release of Players Over Clubs’ Objections
After weeks of indecision and discussion, FIFA is planning to order soccer clubs to release players who have been called up for World Cup qualification games next week, a move that is likely to lead to a furious backlash from teams, leagues and player unions fearful of the risks of international travel during the coronavirus pandemic.

Brotherly Game Daily Links: Is Anthony Fontana too good not to start?

2020-09-29T10:27:56-04:00

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

MLS Team of the Week, two MLS trades and more in today’s links

Philadelphia Union News

Source Says Miami’s Gonzalo Higuain Got Preferential Treatment to Play in Philadelphia on Sunday Night
The source says Miami put Higuain on a charter flight in and out of the United States, to expedite the travel and avoid crowds and COVID-19, which apparently was good enough for MLS to allow him to play in Philly. The source says Higuain obtained his P1 in Mexico and claims that MLS was “tweaking things on the fly to accommodate Miami and a star player.”

Przybylko named to MLS Team of the Week for third time
After helping the squad to a clean sheet and a point on the road in Cincinnati, Przybylko collected two assists in the club’s 3-0 win over Inter Miami CF on Sunday night.

Is Anthony Fontana too good to be left out of Philadelphia Union starting XI?
Yes.

MLS News

Armchair Analyst: RBNY find their range, LAFC flame out & more from Week 14
Week 14 is now in the books. Ten or fewer games left for everybody. This is the stretch run.

MLS Team of the Week: In Week 14, parity is the name of the game
Some 13 clubs placed players on the 18-man roster from the weekend’s 12 matches, with five different teams receiving two selections.

Román Torres rejoins Sounders after trade
The move will cost them a conditional first-round draft pick. According to The Athletic, the pick would revert to a 2022 second-rounder if it ends up being among the top 19 in 2021.

Veteran MLS goalkeeper Evan Bush stays in Canada with trade to Whitecaps
Montreal will receive Vancouver’s third-round pick in the 2021 Major League Soccer SuperDraft in exchange.

Brotherly Game Daily Links: Union beat Miami in rainy Chester

2020-09-28T11:50:40-04:00

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Union win, MLS Weekend review and more in today’s links

Philadelphia Union News

Philadelphia Union tops Inter Miami FC for second time this season
The Philadelphia Union beat Inter Miami FC 3-0 with timely goals, an Andre Blake point-blank save, and a Gonzalo Higuaín penalty miss in his MLS debut to win their third game out of three at home.

Recap and Highlights: Richie Laryea stars as Toronto FC beat Columbus
The Union’s next game will be against Toronto FC, let’s see how their last game went.

MLS News

MLS Rewind: Toronto FC downs Crew, Union blank Inter Miami, and more
The race for first place in the Eastern Conference grew much tighter after Sunday’s action, with Toronto FC halting the first-place Columbus Crew’s hot streak and making it a close three-team face for the top spot.

NYCFC smashes four past FC Cincinnati in rout
Some nights, it’s just not your night. Saturday night was one of those nights for FC Cincinnati, who fell 4-0 to New York City FC at Red Bull Arena.

Dynamo fight back to tie Nashville SC
The Houston Dynamo didn’t fully rebound from a midweek drubbing in Chicago, but Tab Ramos’ side did earn a point on the road in Nashville.

Reports: Red Bulls pay €2 million fee to sign manager Gerhard Struber from Barnsley
Red Bull founder Mateschitz reported to be part of negotiations to bring Struber to New York.

Brotherly Game Daily Links: Curtin wary of Miami

2020-09-26T11:19:39-04:00

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Cincinnati player tests positive for Covid, one reason to watch every MLS this weekend and more in today’s links

Philadelphia Union News

Takeaways: Homegrowns, Miami and who’ll play
With the Philadelphia Union hosting Inter Miami CF this upcoming weekend, Head Coach Jim Curtin spoke with media about the matchup with a much different looking Miami team than they faced in Orlando.

An FC Cincinnati player tests positive for COVID-19 after playing against the Union
Two days after hosting the Union, FC Cincinnati announced Friday that one of its players has tested positive for COVID-19. The player hasn’t been named and likely won’t be, but a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Inquirer that the player played in Wednesday’s game.

Jim Curtin: Inter Miami are building something special, have been “very unlucky”
Philadelphia, unbeaten in their last four games (3-0-1), have already encountered Diego Alonso’s group once this year, a 2-1 group-stage win at the MLS is Back Tournament. Curtin called that a one-play game, where a second-half goal from Kacper Przybylko decided the July 14 match.

MLS News

One reason to watch every game in Week 14 of the 2020 MLS regular season
Andrew Wiebe will attempt to sway you, convince you to give your precious time to 13 two-hour blocks of soccer. Some cases will be more convincing than others.

Héber to miss remainder of 2020 season with torn ACL
Despite the Brazilian forward struggling in front of net this season, Héber’s presence is sure to be missed. Not only does he bring a lot to the team on the pitch, he also brings a lot to that locker room.

Brotherly Game Daily Links: Union Homegrowns are best friends

2020-09-25T08:47:47-04:00

Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports

Grades for all MLS teams, UEFA Super Cup, and more in today’s links

Philadelphia Union News

Philadelphia Union’s Homegrown Talent Like Brothers On And Off Field
The homegrown players are young, budding stars like Brenden Aaronson of Medford, New Jersey; Mark McKenzie of Bear, Delaware; Anthony Fontana of Newark, Delaware; and Matt Real of Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania.

‘We’re sitting on a talent goldmine’ - How the Union are unearthing America’s next Pulisic, Reyna and Aaronson
Now at the forefront of talent development in the U.S., the club can trace its rise back to a school that specialized in alpine skiing.

MLS News

Armchair Analyst: Grading all 26 MLS teams at the 2020 season midway point
Yes, we are now through the mid-way point of this most irregular of 2020 regular seasons.

Are we seeing a new transfer trend of young players moving from England to MLS?
What can the last five years of additions from England tell us about whether anything is changing at all? While the recruiting profile from England has skewed younger in the last year or two, it is hard to call it an established trend.

Struber, Simão emerge as earliest links to Red Bulls coaching position
Diverse records of well-traveled Austrian and Portuguese managers provide hints to what type of coach head of sport Kevin Thelwell is looking for.

Rest of the World News

Bayern complete quadruple with Super Cup win over Sevilla
Bayern Munich beat Sevilla 2-1 after extra time on Thursday to lift the UEFA Super Cup and complete a quadruple under coach Hansi Flick, in the first European game played with some fans in the stands since the sport returned amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brotherly Game Daily Links: Union battle to dreary draw Cincinnati

2020-09-24T09:34:48-04:00

Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

Union draw, MLS Wednesday night review and more in today’s links

Philadelphia Union News

Match Recap: Scoreless in Ohio (again)
The Philadelphia Union tied FC Cincinnati 0-0 in a game that was more known for its hard fouls and shots off target than the exciting attacking play seen in the Union’s previous three games.

Report: Verbal agreement reached over transfer of Brenden Aaronson to RB Salzburg
Report says Aaronson will remain with the Philadelphia Union through the end of the season.

MLS News

MLS Wednesday Rewind: Timbers top Sounders, Red Bulls trounce Inter Miami, and more
The Columbus Crew continued to set the pace atop Major League Soccer, the Portland Timbers halted arch-rival Seattle’s hot streak, LAFC restored some confidence while the San Jose Earthquakes continued to find new depths to sink to as their nightmare season grew a bit worse on Wednesday night.

Ranking 2020 Landon Donovan MLS MVP contenders by tier
Pozuelo is tied for the most direct goal actions (goals + assists) in the league with 12. He’s consistently goal-dangerous both inside and outside the box. He leads the league in assists (8). He leads the league in primary shot assists/90 (3.8) and is fifth in secondary shots created (1.2).

Top 10 MLS matches to watch during final regular season phase
From another edition of the LA Derby to a big Cascadia Cup clash to a battle between two contenders in the Eastern Conference, there is no shortage of doozies in what is left of this wild year.

Brotherly Game Daily Links: Union travel to Cincinnati

2020-09-23T13:40:19-04:00

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Philly/Cincy preview, MLS releases the rest of the 2020 season schedule, and more in today’s links

Philadelphia Union News

New England again (and again) and remaining regular season opponents announced
The final nine games of the Philadelphia Union regular season schedule were released on Tuesday.

FC Cincinnati’s Haris Medunjanin puts friendships aside for Philadelphia Union reunion: We can talk after Cincy take 3 points
Medunjanin called Jim Curtin an “amazing guy, amazing coach,” and said it will be nice to see his friends on the team, including Kacper Przybyłko, Jamiro Monteiro, Alejandro Bedoya and Brenden Aaronson, who he called “my son over there.”

Opponent Scout: Union head to the Queen City
After just two days of rest and preparation, Philadelphia Union are headed to Cincinnati for another midweek matchup on Wednesday. Kickoff from Nippert Stadium is at 7:30.

Crozer Health Injury Report: Union at FC Cincinnati
Ahead of the club’s midweek road match at FC Cincinnati on Wednesday, Philadelphia Union Head Coach Jim Curtin provided an update on the injury status of the squad.

MLS News

MLS Announces Remaining Regular Season Schedule
Major League Soccer today announced the schedule and broadcast details for the remainder of the 2020 MLS Regular Season. The regular season culminates with MLS Decision Day 2020 presented by AT&T on Sunday, Nov. 8 on ABC, FS1, TSN, and TVA Sports.

Power Rankings: Antics or not, FC Dallas climb after massive two-win week
Despite their continued good form, the Union drop to number three in the MLS Power Rankings.

OFFICIAL: Atlanta United signs Marcelino Moreno from Lanús
Financial details of the deal we not officially disclosed, but reports out of Argentina have the Five Stripes paying around a $7 million transfer fee for the versatile midfielder.

U.S. Soccer News

USMNT October friendlies cancelled due to Covid-19
The announcement did note that the team is hopeful to still play the friendlies scheduled for November in Europe. USMNT General Manager Brian McBride noted, “while we won’t have the team together in this upcoming window, we are making considerable progress for November.”

Brotherly Game Daily Links: Pryzbylko named to MLS Team of the Week

2020-09-22T09:21:48-04:00

Morgan Tencza

MLS Team of the Week, Suarez joining Atletico Madrid and more in today’s links

Philadelphia Union News

Przybylko named to MLS Team of the Week once again
After lifting a headed shot high over the bar Sunday night, the Union’s leading goalscorer tapped home a Matt Real cross for the Union’s first headed goal of the 2020 season. That goal gave the Union the lead going into halftime, and Przybylko quickly added another off a Brenden Aaronson pass two minutes after play restarted.

Haris Medunjanin goal rescues FC Cincinnati in 1-0 win against New York Red Bulls
The Union return home this Wednesday against FC Cincinnati, let’s see how their last game went.

Philadelphia Union’s Mark McKenzie shows evolution in win over Montreal Impact
The defender picked up assists on the Union’s third and fourth goals, a performance that showed his importance to the Union. Head coach Jim Curtin was raving about McKenzie’s showing, including his assist credit shared with Brenden Aaronson for the third goal scored by Kacper Przybylko.

MLS News

MLS Team of the Week: Franco Jara, Santiago Mosquera lead Week 12 honorees
Franco Jara made his first Team of the Week in Week 12 after scoring his first career MLS brace for FC Dallas. The rest of the selection is a group overflowing with MLS experience.

Armchair Analyst: Special weekend for Homegrown exports & more from Week 12
Week 12 of the 2020 MLS regular season is a wrap, and there’s plenty of storylines to chew on coming off all the action.

Rest of the World News

Atletico Madrid near deal to sign Barcelona’s Luis Suarez - sources
The talks between the two La Liga sides comes as Alvaro Morata prepares a return to Juventus from Atletico on a loan with an option to buy. The Spanish playmaker arrived in Turin, where he played from 2014-16, on Tuesday ahead of an official announcement.

Brotherly Game Daily Links: Union return to action against Montreal

2020-09-20T10:05:04-04:00

Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

Union/Impact preview, DC adds a new attacker, and Gareth Bale is back at Spurs

Philadelphia Union News

Opponent Scout: Union are Jersey bound to face Montreal
Despite missing many key pieces to their lineup, the Union proved yet again that they have a deep squad picking up three points in a dramatic win against New England. Anthony Fontana had the best match of his professional career by scoring a brace after subbing on about halfway through the second half.

After dramatic game-winner, has Philadelphia Union prospect Anthony Fontana taken the next step?
Curtin went on to explain Fontana is routinely winning the club’s fitness tests every year and always on the field doing extra work after training. He’s been putting more emphasis on weight room sessions as well as watching film.

MLS News

MLS Saturday Rewind: Crew, Orlando City and FC Dallas keep rolling, Atlanta, Fire and Earthquakes keep sliding
The Crew topped Nashville SC to halt the expansion side’s four-match unbeaten run while boosting their own unbeaten streak to five in a row.

Sounders vs. LAFC, recap: Back on top
The Seattle Sounders moved back into first place of the Western Conference, beating Los Angeles FC for the second time in about three weeks on Friday. The Sounders got two penalties from Nicolas Lodeiro and a golazo from Raúl Ruidíaz to finish off a 3-0 win.

D.C. United acquires attacker Yordy Reyna from Vancouver Whitecaps
Reyna, who has 27 caps for Peru, will be looking to link up with international teammate Edison Flores once the latter returns from injury. A versatile attacking player, Reyna can play as a striker, as a second forward, on either wing, or as a no. 10.

Rest of the World News

Tottenham seal sensational Gareth Bale return
Bale has two years left to run on his £600,000-a-week contract with Madrid and sources have told ESPN that Spurs will cover around £250,000-a-week as part of the deal. They have reportedly not paid a loan fee and sources told ESPN the deal does not include an option or obligation to buy Bale next summer.