Always a consistent performer, the Union's
Maurice Edu is becoming more and more of a leader.
(AP)

As training wound down next to PPL Park Thursday morning, the first question from the small group of media gathered was obvious: Was Maurice Edu hurt?

While other players worked on shooting drills or broke into small groups for games that double as first-touch lessons, Edu was off to the side with injured rookie Eric Bird, running timed sprints.

Outwardly, it appeared to be a sign of an injury, a minor tweak perhaps in the first half against AFC Bournemouth Tuesday.

But Edu wasn’t injured. With the defender suspended from Saturday’s game at Toronto, Edu was just putting in extra fitness work, voluntarily.

“I love seeing that,” Union manager Jim Curtin said. “I didn’t make him do that, but again, that’s a sign of his growth. That’s not something that he’s done in the past. For him to do that, I didn’t tell him to. I didn’t force him to. He did it on his own. It shows me that he has a real ambition even on a week where he’s not going to play.”

Edu has long drawn praise from members of the Union staff, last year in his loan stint from English Premier League club Stoke City and this season in making the switch permanent and essentially being installed as the captain. But the plaudits have intensified lately, especially from Curtin, who sees Edu blossoming into the leader that a young team like the Union requires. Read more »

El Salvador forward Rodolfo Zelaya, front, battling
U.S. defender Clarence Goodson in a quarterfinal match
of the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, is on trial with the Union.
(AP)

It’s the summer, which means that transfer rumors hang as thick as the humidity coming off the Delaware River at PPL Park. Monday afternoon, after chatting about the upcoming friendly with AFC Bournemouth, Philadelphia union manager Jim Curtin shed some light on a handful of players recently linked with the club.

Curtin confirmed that the trial for Chilean midfielder Santiago Dittborn had ended after one week, as anticipated, but that the club’s interest in the 22-year-old remains.

“Santiago came in on a trial and did very well,” Curtin said. “He impressed every day, so again, a lot of times guys come in on trial and have one good day and then fade. He was consistent every day.

“We’re exploring different options with him, but he was impressive. When you get good players in in good form, the idea after a trial is to hope that you can make something work.”

Money, cap space and international spots seem to be at a premium for the Union, and some combination of those factors is likely obstructing a move for Dittborn. Based on Curtin’s appraisal, he sounds like someone the Union want to keep around, but if they can only add one or two players this summer, it would require a high level of certainty to jump at the first guy on the radar.

Curtin was understandably vague about the behind-the-scenes machinations, but here’s what he had to say: “There’s always moving parts. There’s obviously salary cap restrictions and there’s roster number restrictions, so we have to be smart in managing that and doing what’s best for the club moving forward. Yeah, a couple of things will have to fall into place before we can make additions, but we’re working hard behind the scenes to do that.”

It sounds as though roster subtractions, *cough cough* Rais M’Bolhi *cough*, are necessary before significant additions.

Also in camp this week is Rodolfo Zelaya, who wasn’t in camp last week. The 27-year-old Salvadoran has a bit of a checkered past. He’s been linked with MLS on numerous occasions and has scored prolifically with El Salvador, bagging 17 goals in 30 caps. His last club was Alianza in his home country.
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The Union are still playing for the U.S. Open Cup.
Somewhere, and eventually.
(Times Staff/JULIA WILKINSON)

The Philadelphia Union are into the quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

When that game will be played remains a mystery.

Jim Curtin shed some light on the matter Tuesday, saying that the Union are preparing for a July 21 date with the New York Red Bulls at a site and time to be determined.

“It’s changed a lot,” Curtin said after training. “In the past, I’ve had a lot of different emails and calls and correspondence. As of right now, I’m told it’s on the 21st. That’s the info I have. The venue is still to be determined.”

For its part, U.S. Soccer still lists the date on its website at TBD. The federation tweeted five days ago that they would have dates scheduled already, but that seems to have gone by the wayside in regard to the Union/Red Bulls date.

#USOC2015 Quarterfinal Dates and Times will be announced Thursday morning.

— U.S. Open Cup (@opencup) July 2, 2015

Let’s wade into the convoluted logic holding up something so simple as a game date. U.S. Soccer, which operates the tournament, clearly states that semifinals will be held July 21 or 22. Those blackout dates were established before the tournament began, a guide around which clubs should schedule their other events, such as friendlies.

Despite this, the Red Bulls agreed to take part in the International Challenge Cup, a grandiose sounding yet ultimately meaningless money grab … I mean friendly … against English Premier League champions Chelsea at Red Bull Arena July 22. The arena is also occupied July 21 for an ICC match between French club Paris Saint-Germain and Italy’s Fiorentina. (Hence the added wrinkle of the neutral site.)
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