Opinion

Some things are clear.  Some are not.   0-3-1 speaks for itself. How close the Union are to getting this season Rolling On is unclear; the results starting with Columbus at home will begin to resolve that.  But the fact that there even exists a doubt about supporting the Union, Peter Nowak, or any of the players amazes me.  The excitement over the return of former players was unnecessary in light of the tough moment…
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The Blue and Gold faced no one whatsoever this weekend, in a clash that was widely hailed as being no worse for the team than the last several games.  The bye week saw the 0-3-1 Union continue their struggle to find winning form, as head coach Peter Nowak resumed his characteristic tinkering with the lineup and formations. In a typical display of dogged perseverance rendered moot by reticence in the final third, the Union managed…
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When the Union acquired Porfirio Lopez from China-via-Costa Rica, the immediate assumption was that it was a great idea. The left back position was the only real question mark in what was shaping up to be an impressive if ultimately controversial lineup.  With two fantastic true centerbacks in Califf and Valdes, and a revelation in Sheanon Williams, a serious bulwark on the left was exactly what the Blue and Gold needed to add to one…
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Okay, people.  I’ve had enough.  If one more fan compares Zac MacMath to Chris Seitz in any way other than to point out the fact that they were both relatively inexperienced goalkeepers offered starting jobs with the Union, I will be forced to start punching kittens. Must we be subjected to the same lazy, oversimplified conclusion that’s been reached over and over, each and every time the ball gets past him?  Can’t we do better?  Yes, MacMath played for the…
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Soccer fans all know the moments when even live the world moves in slow motion.  In our memories the crowd is muted, a ball hangs in space, a body dives, a sound half way between a swish and a rip as the net stretches, strains, the ball drops to the grass. The sound comes back full, the roar filling your ears, the players move at normal speed again, but something, always, is irrevocably altered. There…
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There’s a moment in most sports films where the plucky underdogs, having overcome the odds and hung in with their dominant,  vaguely oppressive opponents, come up with a miracle play to win the big game, the music plays and everyone goes home happy.  Americans love this story.  Saturday we got to live the flip side. All credit to the Canadians, who banked some of their top talent against El Salvador in order to roll out…
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Addicts will tell you that no one can start on the path to redemption until they hit bottom.  In the latest installment of the embattled Union’s descent into the depths of the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Fire put a fine point on the realization that’s now dawning across the Delaware Valley- that the salad days are gone.  We probably have more heartache to endure before things get better.  Let’s not fret about it too much….
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I have never understood the phenomenon of naming sports teams after catastrophic events. The San Jose Earthquakes, the Carolina Hurricanes, and the New England Patriot Acts remind locals of sad, tragic events. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 killed hundreds of people and obliterated over 3 square miles of the city. Isn’t a bit insensitive to wag that type of imagery in the face of a city that was almost destroyed? Anyways, the Philadelphia Union…
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The day is upon us, the torch is in sight, and four games are all that stand between the US U-23s & the London Olympics.  We’ve gone over the roster, looked at the previous Olympic team, and all that remains is to kick back, grab some PBR (the beer that keeps on giving) and watch the games, starting tonight with Cuba. Junior Yanks vs. Los Cubanos Pequenos  Junior Yanks  versus Los Cubanos Pequenos LP Field,…
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No, this is not the start of a new teen mystery series.  But if the Hardy Boys found themselves in Chester, they’d have a doozy on their newly pubescent hands.  In fact, this case is so inexplicable they’d probably throw their hands up and spend the last half of the book trying to slip a roofie into Nancy Drew’s milkshake.  Or whatever kids did back then. In case you didn’t hear, here’s the short version:  It…
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