Jon Marks wrote a great piece earlier this week on Philly Union Talk exploring his thoughts on the Union’s slow start, the team’s relation to the city, and the role of fans.  This is my respectful rebuttal. The emergence of soccer into the national sporting consciousness of the United States over the last two decades has had an interesting effect on the way we as fans define and experience fandom.  Lacking, for the most part,…
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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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As listless as the Union attack has been in their first three matches of the year, their youth served up four goals against the New England reserves Monday morning in the first match of the MLS Reserve season.  The children of the Revolution managed to put two past a jury-rigged backline and backup keeper Chase Harrison. The Union came out in something approximating a 3-5-2, with Ray Gaddis & Cristhian Hernandez on the outside of…
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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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  Nothing happened. For all the attempts of journalists and bloggers alike to extract a narrative from the day’s cagey and inconsequential action, the clash produced nothing that would inspire a Union fan, or disappoint one.  The restored back line, topped off by MacMath’s continued competence, revived faith in a defense that never should have faltered in the first place.  The offense was as impotent as we’ve grown used to this season.  No surprise there,…
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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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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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Though the Rapids found themselves swimming against the current, they prevailed and dealt the Union their first ever home opener loss. For the Union faithful, the only thing more depressing than two hard losses in an as many games is the fact that this one didn’t look like a loss anywhere but on the scoreboard.  Unfortuantely, according to sources close to MLS, the scoreboard is what it comes down to in the end. Lineup Colorado found themselves assaulted by the slew of offensive-minded…
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