Cole Missimo made his Union debut
Wednesday night against Crystal Palace.

The roar went up at Talen Energy Stadium just as Connor Wickham’s shoulders slumped.

Away scampered Cole Missimo, like a culprit from the scene of the crime, ball in his possession, along with a moment he won’t forget.

That nutmeg, Missimo slipping the ball through the legs of the Crystal Palace forward and recollecting it, presented one of the highlights for the rookie in his Philadelphia Union debut, a 0-0 draw in a friendly with the English Premier League side Wednesday night.

Missimo was one of three members of the Union to make debuts, joining fellow 2016 SuperDraft pick Taylor Washington and Union Academy product/Bethlehem Steel short-term loanee Derrick Jones. In a game generally bereft of memorable instances, Missimo provided one.

“I was a little worried because I thought it was Ray (Gaddis) who played it down the line to me and I don’t know what else I could’ve done with it because I don’t think I could’ve gone backwards with it,” Missimo said. “So I was just hoping I’d just put it around him, and I guess I got kind of lucky that I got by him. Pretty cool moment."

Oh my... cheeky from @cole_missimo. pic.twitter.com/qhAFkyS4X9

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) July 14, 2016

That passage of play was one of several that will stick with Missimo. The 64th pick in January’s SuperDraft from Northwestern played the second half with the reserves. He’s logged 12 games for Bethlehem Steel and twice been named as an unused sub by manager Jim Curtin.

Missimo has been among a group of reserves that Curtin has touted for their aid preparing first-teamers weekly in training, keeping regulars sharp and healthily fearing for their jobs under the pressure applied from the fringes. For whatever drawbacks posed by a midweek international date inserted between MLS dates with Eastern Conference foes, the chance to reward players like Missimo for their toils feels worthwhile.

“This is probably the biggest moment of my career, to be honest,” Missimo said. “It’s a dream come true. It’s what I’ve been working towards my whole life. So whether it’s an MLS game or an exhibition game, it doesn’t matter. It’s truly a special moment.”
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As Brendan Burke addressed the media two days before Bethlehem Steel FC plays its first USL game, the coach made abundantly clear one fact: In just four months on the job, Burke has managed to establish a more cogent ideology around his team than its seven-year-old parent club has yet uncovered.

Burke’s expectations and methodologies seem clear-cut when Steel FC debuts Friday evening at FC Montreal (7 p.m., live stream below).



Burke’s roster is sparse, comprising just 13 players after the addition of Fred as player/coach Thursday. (That’s even less populous than I surmised last fall.) There may be one or two bodies forthcoming to swell the ranks on a permanent basis. But Burke is assured in Steel’s place within the Union’s hierarchy. Instead of stuffing the roster with players just to meet quotas and artificial expectations, the guiding philosophy has been only adding players with legitimate chances of breaking into the Union’s MLS squad.

“I think we’re in great shape,” Burke said. “We’re a small but focused group. … We’ve had a number of trialists through, but I think what we found is that we’re happy keeping a smaller number of players who we really trust and who we really think have an opportunity to move through to the first team at some stage in their developments.”

Most of Steel’s roster fits that bill. Captain Ryan Richter has MLS and NASL experience. Irish midfielder James Chambers adds a wealthy of European games. Young players like Nigerian-born Bolu Akinyode, Canadian midfielder Josh Heard, Jamaican forwards Amoy Brown and Cory Burke and Liberians Gabe Gisse and Seku Conneh have been identified by Union brass for large upsides. Academy product Derrick Jones is the first Homegrown to land in Bethlehem, and he’ll surely be joined by more in the near future.

The roster includes USL stalwarts like goalie Samir Badr, defender Michael Daly and Ardmore native Nick Bibbs, who’ll mentor younger players and contribute to what Burke hopes is a winning side, though that’s not the primary goal.

More important is that the Union’s affiliate reflects a similar playing style as what has finally emerged from the MLS side, all the better to facilitate promotion of high achievers from USL to MLS.

“I think part of our goal is to tactically mirror what the first team does and to reinforce some of the things that the younger first-team players are being taught and what our players would need to know to step into that environment,” Burke said. “So I think if we get it right, we should look very similar to the first team on the field.”

On the personnel side, this week is unique, the FIFA international window giving the Union a bye. More players than usual will be shuttled to Bethlehem, with the Union sending Eric Ayuk, Leo Fernandes, Fabian Herbers, John McCarthy, Walter Restrepo, Taylor Washington and Josh Yaro. Steel will also use Academy players as opportunities arise, though many of those prospects are away with various U.S. age-group squads this week.

Burke didn’t make any promises on a lineup, but it’s a safe bet that playing loaned Union players is a priority. Guys that have made the Union’s gameday 18 in the first three weeks like Herbers, Fernandes and McCarthy aren’t going to Canada to sit the bench. The same goes for Yaro, who’ll likely pair with Daly in a backline that’ll feature Richter and possibly Washington. Burke heralded Jones’s work this preseason, so he’ll likely start as the holding midfielder.

The Philadelphia Union are four days from the start of the 2016 season. They also have, according to manager Jim Curtin, “two spots left where there are still discussions about” who starts against Dallas.

Perhaps it’s coincidence that that number equals the amount of practice absences this week – midfielders Maurice Edu and Tranquillo Barnetta. Edu (stress reaction in leg) has yet to train with the club and has been in and out of a walking boot in recent weeks. While Curtin stopped at doubtful in his assessment, it’s almost assured the midfielder won’t play.

Barnetta received an injection in his knee, which was surgically repaired during his stint in Germany, and didn’t train with the team Tuesday or Wednesday. Curtin said that the Union, “(will) monitor that and be smart.” That seems to peg Barnetta as doubtful for the opening week with no need to rush him back.

Without those two, what does a Union lineup look like? Try this one:

Bench: McCarthy, Anderson, Creavalle, Carroll, Ilsinho, Restrepo, Herbers

Curtin’s two battles are likely for the starting center back spot alongside Richie Marquez and the composition of central midfield. He’s said that Vincent Nogueira has played as a No. 6 in preseason, and with Edu’s absence open-ended, Nogueira may see significant time there. Brian Carroll could get the nod if the Union want to go defense-first with Nogueira as the No. 8 bumping Roland Alberg, but omitting Carroll would signal that the Union want to play differently, not reverting to the caution of the past.

As for defense, Anderson has made strides, but Ken Tribbett has been one of the “revelations” of preseason and is further along in familiarity and fitness. Through Tribbett, Curtin can send the message that players who train well will be selected. The same goes for Leo Fernandes, who scored twice in training Wednesday and has impressed in preseason. He’s the logical replacement for Barnetta.

There’s no question about CJ Sapong up top. Fernandes would be an option to supplant Chris Pontius or Sebastien Le Toux on a wing was he not needed centrally, or if either of those two faltered this preseason, which they haven’t. And we don’t even need to talk about goalies, for once.

One understated aspect of the positional debate is the captaincy void. Barnetta and Edu are the last two players to wear the captain’s armband, and while Curtin lauded each for their contributions behind the scenes, someone has to lead the team out in Dallas. The need for veteran presence could shift the Nogueira/Carroll discussion in the latter’s favor. Or if could fall to a new captain – Le Toux or Ray Gaddis, perhaps – to earn that honor.

The Philadelphia Union returned to Chester Tuesday to begin the final preparation for their season opener in Dallas next Sunday at 3 p.m. The club has been in Florida for the better part of the last month, taking part in six official preseason games to go with a pair of scrimmages. A few notes from practice.

The Philadelphia Union returned to training in Chester Tuesday
ahead of Sunday's season opener.

- The two notable absences from the group Tuesday were also the last two to wear the captain’s armband in MLS action: Maurice Edu and Tranquillo Barnetta. Edu has what manager Jim Curtin termed “a stress reaction in his leg” that is unrelated to his offseason sports hernia surgery. You'll remember that this entire affair began last July with a partially torn groin that has morphed into much more. Edu has yet to train with the Union this preseason, still working off to the side. Curtin labeled him as “doubtful” for Sunday’s trip to Dallas. Here’s the full quote:

“Mo still hasn’t trained with us at all. Obviously a big piece of our team, a captain, a leader, a guy we always expect big things from. To not have him is a detriment, but everybody has picked up the slack, and has played well. He’s looking doubtful to be honest for Dallas, but the players in his spot have competed well. Obviously we’re a better team with Mo on the field, but the reality is the game doesn’t wait for anybody and we have to move on. It’s not likely he’ll be part of the Dallas game.”

- Barnetta’s absence, Curtin said, stems from tendinitis in his knee. Recall that Barnetta had several major knee injuries in his time at Schalke in Germany. Barnetta did, however, log 60 minutes last Saturday in a scrimmage with Montreal (prior to the game against Toronto).

- The other injuries were minor. Cole Missimo left training a little early, though Curtin didn’t list an ailment. Josh Yaro was somewhat limited due to groin soreness. Ray Gaddis has largely shaken off his knee soreness and appeared to train fully.

- On Ilsinho, Curtin had some good things to say: “We knew probably two games into the preseason that he participated in that it was something we wanted to get done. … A guy that has come in, came from a big club in Europe, the situation there wasn’t ideal for him, so he came with us, turned our heads immediately.”

- Caught the end of some tactical drills at training, where it looked like the “first” team featured Richie Marquez and Anderson as the center back pairing. Brian Carroll was the holding midfielder with Roland Alberg and Leo Fernandes in the central attacking midfielder spots. Not sure if that’s a hint for this weekend, but there are a lot of pieces to still fall into place with this lineup in the coming days.

A move like Thursday’s capture of Dutch midfielder Roland Alberg has been long anticipated, and one could argue that it’s the biggest non-draft acquisition of the Philadelphia Union’s offseason. (Or at least that’s the hope provided by Alberg’s potential contributions.)

The Union stand on the eve of their first preseason game with a roster occupying both ends of the spectrum. On the one side, it stands at 21 players, theoretically nowhere near the MLS-permitted maximum of 28 players. On the other, Sporting Director Earnie Stewart has made it no secret that the objective “(is) not to fill every spot,” but rather to build a stable and sturdy lineup according to the Union’s perceptions, not external expectations.

The guiding mythos of that search seems to be Stewart’s declaration of being two-deep at every position. By that lens, how far are the Union from a completed squad? In basic math, they’re at least one player shy, plus the unavoidable need for a third goalkeeper.

But otherwise, the offseason rebuild may not be far from completion. Consider these two formations, in the assumption of a 4-3-3 (left to right):

Blake
Fabinho-Marquez-Yaro-Gaddis
Edu
Nogueira-Barnetta
Alberg-Sapong-Pontius
McCarthy
Washington-Conceicao-????-Rosenberry
Carroll
Creavalle-Fernandes
Ayuk-Herbers-Le Toux
Extra: Restrepo
 

Listed above are 22 players, all but one of whom (Taylor Washington) has a deal for the 2016 season. There’s only one bona fide question mark among the first two teams, that being a fourth center back on the depth charter. They drafted Mitch Lurie in the third round of the draft, and he’s one candidate for a cheap, American fix. That player, Lurie or not, would presumably by player No. 23 on the roster.

The second XI indicates a weakness in the lack of a reserve No. 8. Theoretically, Tranquillo Barnetta could play there with Alberg or Leo Fernandes as a No. 10. The defensive responsibilities of that position are probably a little beyond Fernandes. That’s an area to look at for player No. 24.

Another forward option could be player No. 25, as I can’t imagine the idea of entering the season with Fabian Herbers as the only reserve center forward being the ideal situation. And a third goalie, obviously beyond those first two XIs, would seem to be the priority for slot No. 26.

Limiting the roster there would allow the Union the flexibility it desires to bring up players from Bethlehem Steel if they prove worthy. It also provides room for summer dealings if Stewart’s observations of his assets in game action fall short of predictions and he opts for replacements.

For this window, then, the Union’s dealings could be near an end.

Union rookie draft pick Eric Bird, left, on the practice field at YSC Sports in January,
which is about the only place he's played this season. (Times File)

One game remains in the Philadelphia Union’s moribund season, and for the plethora of possibilities that the playoff race portends Saturday against Orlando City, there’s one thing that we likely won’t see from the hosts at PPL Park: A drafted rookie getting time.

The Union don’t possess a long, rich history of success through the SuperDraft. Their roster features only three regulars – Ray Gaddis, Richie Marquez and Andre Blake (and ‘regular’ status is new and not wholly solidified for the latter) – drafted by the club.

Only eight players on the Union’s roster arrived by the free and easy mechanism of the draft. Leo Fernandes and Zac MacMath are out on loan, the latter with likely no future in Philly. One, Antoine Hoppenot, has played 22 MLS minutes in the last 17 months under manager Jim Curtin and is likely on the way out the door.

And two have never played for the club, Dzenan Catic and Eric Bird. In fact, the Union are poised to endure the entire 2015 campaign with just one appearance by a drafted rookie, and what an debut it was. Plus, Ray Lee was cut soon thereafter.

This criticism comes with obvious caveats. The Union dealt their top pick in 2015 to Sporting Kansas City for CJ Sapong, who’s played a central role this season and likely moving forward. (That pick was used on midfielder Connor Hallisey, who has played 13 games.) There’s a disclaimer that with the Union Academy allegedly poised to start churning out top-flight talent, the draft is increasingly becoming an excuse to fly to Florida for the combine and spend a January day in a ballroom hobnobbing with execs. Plus having a USL team where young players can, you know, actually play will be beneficial.

But on a team with blatant voids of talent whose coach gushed about the potential of the players they picked in the second round, it’s a complete and utter lost season for acquiring and developing assets free of charge. Say what you will about the declining quality and depth in the draft, but for the perpetual poormouth crying Union to not nab a single player of significance given to them essentially free of cost is an unqualified waste. That may be a luxury the Seattles and Torontos can stomach, but for a Union team so thin in central midfield that it repeatedly resorted to a Brian Carroll-Michael Lahoud double pivot and six games worth of Fred as the No. 10, any reinforcements should be warmly embraced.
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Given the quick turnaround for the Union this week ahead of Wednesday’s visit from New York, there’s was a bit more going on at training Tuesday that can fit in print. So let’s summarize a few of the odds and ends from the day.

- On the injury front, both Vincent Nogueira and Austin Berry trained fully. The last half hour of training was small-field seven-on-seven, which featured Berry along with most of the guys who won’t play Wednesday (the suspended Amobi Okugo and Michael Lahoud, plus squad guys like Andre Blake, Fred, Antoine Hoppenot, etc.) Nogueira didn’t take part, off with the regulars doing some light passing drills. There’s nothing to read into that, as the difference is likely down to the reasons for their absences: Berry, recovering from an illness, needs to get his legs under him, while Nogueira doesn’t want to put extra strain on his groin. Both said after Saturday’s 3-3 draw with the Rapids that they were fit to play some part, though not for the 90 minutes.

- Though he’s sporting a slightly-mangled leg and a bit of a limp, Danny Cruz seems to be fine after picking up a knock Saturday courtesy of Shane O’Neill’s bruising (dirty?) tackle. Cruz has battled all manner of lower-body injuries this year (ankle, foot, heel, shin, you name it), so that’s nothing new, and manager Jim Curtin didn’t list him among the Union’s injuries.

- One injury Curtin didn’t list was Leo Fernandes, who didn’t take part in the last half hour of training. He was walking around in an ankle sleeve with what he termed “a minor” injury.

- Among the only non-Union faces on the training pitch were Michael Farfan and a few academy fill-ins. No one else of note.
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Philadelphia Union (4-3-3)

MacMath

Gaddis-Wheeler-Berry-Williams

Fernandes-Okugo-Nogueira

Maidana-Wenger-Cruz

Bench: Blake, Hoppenot, White, Fred, Pfeffer, Casey, Le Toux

New England (4-4-2)

Knighton

Soares-Barnes-Tierney-Farrell

Fagundez-Kobayashi-Dorman-Nguyen

Bunbury-Mullins

Bench: Jackson, McCarthy, Woodbine, Caldwell, Neumann, Rowe, Davies 

- Well, there’s a new defensive pairing in Austin Berry and Aaron Wheeler, which could be severely tested by the speed of the New England backline. There will be a significant onus on Amobi Okugo to help cover runners with his speed as he fills in for Brian Carroll for the second straight game. The fullbacks will also be called upon heavily to corral Diego Fagundez, while it’ll be a physical battle between Patrick Mullins and Teal Bunbury with the two big Union center backs.

- John Hackworth goes with the safe option in midfield. He had little choice but to deploy Okugo there without Carroll, Maurice Edu and Michael Lahoud, and he pairs Leo Fernandes (after a less-than-stellar performance against Kansas City) with Vincent Nogueira. It’s a possession-oriented approach, but it has to be done well.

- Look to the bench for a couple of rare sights. Zach Pfeffer makes his second sub appearance of the year, while Fred is back with the Union in a kit. They aren’t just there to be there. They could very well get a look today with the paucity of options.

- The Union get a break with Bobby Shuttleworth out due to a concussion sustained in training. That means original Union member Brad Knighton will start for the Revs.

Philadelphia Union (4-1-2-3)

MacMath

Gaddis-Okugo-Wheeler-Fabinho

Edu

Nogueira-Fernandes

Maidana-Wenger-Le Toux

Bench: Blake, Hoppenot, Casey, Lahoud, Berry, Carroll, Williams

New York Red Bulls (4-4-2)

Robles

Kimura-Olave-Sekagya-Miller

Alexander -McCarty-Luyindula-Sam

Wright-Phillips/Henry

Bench: Meara, Bover, Stevenson, Armando, Cahill, Lade, Steele 

- Union manager John Hackworth espoused a desire to rotate his squad this week with three matches in eight days, and he’s done that. The Union introduces three changes from the draw with RSL last week. Aaron Wheeler comes in for Austin Berry, who had a horrible game against RSL. No word on whether that’s pre-planned or performance based. Brian Carroll fails to start for the first available game (without injury or suspension) since May 5, 2012, with Leo Fernandes starting centrally and Cristian Maidana coming in on the wing to move Maurice Edu to a holding midfield position. Fabinho, who didn’t play last week, enters for Sheanon Williams as he and Ray Gaddis flip sides.

- Maurice Edu will wear the captain’s armband for the first time as a member of the union. When in the home opener Carroll was unable to go, that honor went to Amobi Okugo.
- Andre Blake is back after a week out. The bench includes attacking options in Conor Casey and Antoine Hoppenot, but no change-of-pace midfield options.

- For the Red Bulls, Armando gets a place on the bench but isn’t up to start, drafting Ibrahim Sekagya into the side after he played well against the Union as a centerback last year. Tim Cahill earns a seat on the bench, Eric Alexander and Peguy Luyindula the preferred attacking midfield options.

- Okugo faces a third straight game with a rotated defensive partner. Keeping track of Thierry Henry (who burned them last year) and Bradley Wright-Phillips, especially as they interchange with the midfielders, will be a big task for he and Wheeler to sort out.

Few players in Union history left as confusing an imprint as Keon Daniel, whose three-plus year stint with the club officially came to an end Tuesday with the termination of his contract by mutual consent.

Keon Daniel, seen here against D.C. United last year,
was let go by the Union Tuesday. (AP)

His presence has elicited hopefulness, exasperation, devotion, confusion and dissatisfaction, among a wide continuum of other sentiments. Finding a simple summary for Daniel's 64 MLS appearances is well-nigh impossible for a player that has embodied both a major tactical problem and significant solution at versions points in his career.

The contradictions begin with Daniel's very stature. At a formidable 6-1, he was often the most physical of presences among slighter midfielders like Roger Torres and Brian Carroll. Yet he rarely played like it.

His 14 goals in 59 appearances for Trinidad & Tobago indicate his offensive aptitude. His two goals and four assists in 64 games for the Union suggest otherwise. At various times, he's represented for the Union their most attack-minded option, or their most physical, or their most technical.

His two goals are evidence of the promise that has always been so seductive for two Union coaching staffs. The first, June 11, 2011, against Real Salt Lake, was the kind of heads-up hustle goal a player of his stature would find on a somewhat regular basis based on his physicality alone. Instead, it stood alone for him. Statistically, that 2011 season in which he had a goal and two assists in 18 games (nine starts) is remarkably his most productive. (Go to the 1:35 mark below.)
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There’s been little shortage of discussion on the protracted (I can’t call it “transfer”, since technically it wasn’t) saga involving the Philadelphia Union and Union original Fred. All the machinations came to a resolution weeks in the making last Thursday when the Union were officially allowed to ink the 34-year-old player to a deal via an allocation draft.

That poses the question: Where does Fred fit into the 2014 team?

The value of Fred, seen here sliding in on D.C. United's Chris Pontius
in an April 10, 2010 game, is very likely to exceed the number of minutes
he gets on the pitch this season. (AP)

Part of the reason why the Union sought him out and allowed him to train with them for the entire preseason before finally securing his services is that Fred gives manager John Hackworth so many ways to answer that question.

“Fred gives us another option in the midfield, more depth, but also good leadership,” Hackworth said in his weekly press conference Tuesday at PPL Park. “I think he can play as the No. 10. I think in certain positions, you could play him in wide positions. Even as a No. 8, it’s not like he doesn’t have the engine to go up and down the field. But Fred’s creativity and ability to open up a game are certainly more valuable as an attacking midfielder.”

Through the admittedly small sample size of the Union’s three-game start to the season, there’s no indication that the current occupiers of those starting positions are in danger of giving way. Despite some stumbles here and there, it’s been by and large a purposeful introduction to MLS for the likes of Cristian Maidana, Vincent Nogueira and Maurice Edu.
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In bringing together the various cultures and soccer philosophies the Philadelphia Union has attempted to meld this year, there were two commonalities this offseason: Creative soccer, and cards.

In Saturday’s home opener, both made it onto the PPL Park pitch.

After Leo Fernandes set up Sebastien Le Toux for the only goal of the Union’s 1-0 win over New England, they celebrated the way they usually spend their afternoon: By playing cards.



The Union’s foreign contingent – Fernandes, Le Toux, Vincent Nogueira, Cristian Maidana and Fabinho – celebrated the goal as they had planned to beforehand.

“During all the preseason, we play lots of cards with all of us in that group – Chaco and Vincent and Leo,” Le Toux said. “We always play cards after every meal during the preseason. It’s one of those things that we have all together. Before the game, we said that – because we all played today starting – if one of us scores, we were going to do that. Luckily it was Leo who turned the ball to me, so we did that to just have good fun all together and this is how we build chemistry. So it was just a fun time.”

Those card games sound like a pretty important facet in breaking down barriers between new teammates.

“In preseason me, Sebastien, Vince, Cristian and Fabinho we always play cards,” Fernandes said. “For five hours straight, we would play cards. Our celebration was us playing cards.”

The game of choice, according to Fernandes, is 22, appropriate for the No. 22 Fernandes, who offered in his postgame interview that it’s a game most of us wouldn’t have heard of. As far as I can figure, here’s a guide to how it’s played.

The effects of it, though, are obvious on the field.

“It helps us bond a lot,” Fernandes said. “I feel like one of the reasons we’re so close and why we’re playing so good.”

Philadelphia Union (4-1-3-1-1)

MacMath

Fabinho-Berry-Okugo-Gaddis

Edu

Maidana-Fernandes- Le Toux

Fernandes

McInerney

Bench: Blake, White, Wheeler, Cruz, Bone, Hoppenot, Pfeffer

New England Revolution (4-1-4-1)

Shuttleworth

Farrell-Barnes-Soares-Tierney

Caldwell

Smith-Nguyen-Dorman-Fagundez

Bunbury 

Bench: Knighton, Kobayashi, Sene, McCarthy, Woodbine, Bengtson, Rowe

- Many Union fans get the lineup they wanted this offseason, with Maurice Edu as the holding midfielder with Brian Carroll out with an undisclosed illness. There are two partnerships to watch here: How the dynamic between he and Vincent Nogueira change, and how Leo Fernandes and Nogueira balance responsibilities going forward and in defense.

- Sheanon Williams is out for a second straight game, giving Ray Gaddis another chance to showcase his ability at right back opposite Fabinho. Conor Casey is once again unavailable. Zach Pfeffer makes the bench.


- Without Carroll, Amobi Okugo will wear the captain's armband. No determination on whether Okugo is the full-time vice captain. Jeff Parke filled that role last year.
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In all good faith, I can’t really recommend watching the replay of the Union’s rather lifeless 0-0 stalemate with Toronto FC to close out the Disney World Pro Soccer Classic (unless you have absolutely nothing to do). As nice as it was to see Michael Bradley and Maurice Edu go at each other in the center of the pitch, there wasn’t much in the way of coherent attacking soccer or excitement on either side. So to save you the trouble, a few observations:


- The Union’s attacking choreography has a lot of work to do. A lot. That’s not wholly unexpected, but the season is right around the corner, so some comfort needs to be achieved quickly. Where to begin? The idea of playing through the middle is stymied by congestion in that part of the pitch, either from the presence of Brian Carroll stepping up or Jack McInerney drifting back. That hampers the amount of space Edu has to operate, especially with Cristian Maidana and Sebastien Le Toux inevitably drifting inside, and it left Vincent Nogueira dropping way too deep and wide for possession. For as much as Le Toux brings, there are times when it would be beneficial for the Union to have a winger on the opposite side as Maidana who stays wide instead of slotting in centrally.

- Negatives aside, there are also undoubtedly positives. The overlap play with the fullbacks courtesy of Maidana and Le Toux is already more developed than at any point last season. Even from deep-lying positions, the distribution of Nogueira and Maidana is obviously impressive. Edu seems to be adapting well to the free rein he’s been given in midfield. And McInerney appears to be settling in well to the fluidity and movement of the attack.
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For all intents and purposes, the Union’s real preseason started off Tuesday with its 2-1 loss to New York Red Bulls in what appeared to be miserable Jacksonville, Fla.



Though the Union ended up on the wrong side of the ledger thanks to goals by Lloyd Sam and this Henry guy, they enjoyed the better of play of large stretches. They also made wholesale changes at halftime, giving us a good sneak preview into the potential depth chart of John Hackworth. A few observations:

- Here’s the lineup that started:

MacMath

Fabinho-Marquez-Okugo-Williams

Carroll-Edu

Maidana-Nogueira -Cruz

McInerney

Note the arrangement at left back with Fabinho ahead of Ray Gaddis, and I think Richie Marquez’s nod indicates his place in the center back depth chart (though I wasn’t terribly impressed with his play, with the Red Bulls first team scoring both goals). In terms of formation, it seemed like Maurice Edu was pretty deep lying, making it more a 4-2-3-1 rather than a 4-1-2-3 with he and Vincent Nogueira in the center. There was also plenty of interchange between those midfielders drifting in and out.
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The Philadelphia Union Monday waived four players ahead of the MLS's waiver draft, in which the Union pick sixth. The players waived were Kleberson, Don Anding, Greg Jordan and Oka Nikolov. 

None of the moves come as big surprises. Kleberson's loan deal with Bahia ends prior to the start of next season, and it's likely that no one would take a flyer on him given his high salary. The 34-year-old veteran of two World Cup finals spent most of last season rooted to the bench after a quad injury, making 11 appearances and scoring once.

Jordan has struggled though knee injuries this season. The 32nd pick in the 2012 SuperDraft, the 23-year-old never made a league appearance, shuttling between reserve league and Harrisburg City. Nikolov, the 39-year-old veteran of 20 seasons in Germany's Bundesliga, was signed in August as a back-up goalkeeper. He didn't make a league appearance for the Union.

The only move that is even moderately a surprise is Anding, 22, the 26th overall pick in last year's MLS SuperDraft. He made one league appearance this season and was touted by the Union staff for his athleticism and ability to provide width, but apparently he is not in the long-term plans of the club, which has a bevy of draft picks in this year's SuperDraft. Emblematic of the Union's recent draft-day failures, Anding's dismissal means the only remaining link to the 2013 SuperDraft of just over 10 months ago is supplemental pick Leo Fernandes.

The Union will pick sixth in today's Waiver Wire draft, which will be begin at 3:30.

The Philadelphia Union made a personnel move Friday, trading reserve goalkeeper Chris Konopka to Toronto FC for a third-round pick in next year’s MLS SuperDraft. Perhaps the most stirring revelation of the trade is that what the Union got in return actually existed.

First, there’s Konopka, the 28-year-old ’keeper who joined the Union in 2012 and for whom Toronto is his fourth MLS stop. He made just one league appearance in nearly two years with the Union, a 1-0 loss to none other than Toronto May 26, 2012. Three days later, Konopka shut out the Rochester Rhinos, 3-0, for the Union’s first ever win in the U.S. Open Cup.

Konopka served as the backup for the first 24 league matches of the 2013 season behind Zac MacMath, who’s played every MLS minute and leads the league in shutouts. A knee injury kept Konopka out of the matchday 18 since Aug. 17, and he has been supplanted by veteran summer signing Oka Nikolov. 

Konopka, who was recently named one of the Philadelphia Daily News' Sexy Singles, was a bit of a fan favorite as backup goalies tend to be. He tweeted Friday morning:

I'd like to thank everyone at the @PhilaUnion for all the support over the past 2 yrs! Ill always look forward to coming back! #PhillyLove
— Chris Konopka (@ChrisKonopka414) September 13, 2013

As for the SuperDraft, which will be held in Philadelphia in 2014, the format has apparently changed. Instead of two rounds with a four-round supplemental draft, the latter has been eschewed for just a four-round SuperDraft this season, a fact that MLS never directly announced (there's even still info on the MLS site touting the supplemental draft).

However many rounds the league finally decides the draft will entail, the Union will be armed with an a bevy of picks. In addition to their four allotted picks, the Union have Chivas’ first pick thanks to the Gabriel Farfan trade, Chicago’s second-rounder in exchange for Bakary Soumare and a conditional pick acquired from Los Angeles in return for Chandler Hoffman.

The Supplemental Draft has been pretty friendly to the Union, as they've managed to extract the likes of Antoine Hoppenot in 2012 and Leo Fernandes in the final round of 2013. (Konopka, it should be noted, was picked in the third round of the 2007 Supplemental Draft by Kansas City.)

The league has jockeyed back and forth with the Supplemental Draft, twice dropping it then reinstating it, the last time being in 2011 after a two-year hiatus. Among the players to come through the Supplemental Draft process through the years: Adam Jahn (2013); Aaron Schoenfeld, Greg Klazura, Brian Rowe and Andy Rose (2012); Ryan Richter (2011); Chris Tierney (2008); Steve Purdy, Kosuke Kimura and Daniel Woolard (2007); Jordan Harvey, Andy Gruenebaum and Daniel Paladini (2006).

It’s becoming apparent that the problems of the Philadelphia Union are myriad. It’s been 220 minutes since they last scored a goal. They have just three wins in their last 12, two coming against conference bottom dwellers Chivas and D.C. United. Since Aug. 1, their total of five points is second-lowest in MLS. For the first time since late May, they are saddled with a negative goal-differential.

Through it all, though, one area of the Union’s recent futility has stood apart: The midfield. And the possible solution, one that is looking manager John Hackworth squarely in the face, is one that will likely go unexplored.

Is Amobi Okugo the answer
to the Union's midfield struggles? (Times Files)

The problem
Just how difficult has it been for the Union midfield? Well, it depends on perception. Defensively, the Union have managed to recover from a rough start to the season to present pretty stout resistance to opponents. But the realization is setting in that such defensive solidity comes at a steep offensive price, and the Union have been woeful in that regard this season.

It’s easy to see tactically. The Union’s deficiency of midfield depth has caused them to play Sebastien Le Toux out of position all season. Danny Cruz’s performances have been inconsistent. Keon Daniel has struggled to grasp the notion of an “attacking midfielder.” Michael Farfan has constantly underwhelmed. And creative players like Kleberson and Roger Torres haven’t been able to get on the field for whatever reason.
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I think we’ve let enough air into the Brek Shea-Matt Kassel kerfuffle, at least until the results of the scan on Shea’s knee due for Wednesday come back. While Shea’s unfortunate (and hopefully not too serious) injury is the most notable takeaway from Stoke City’s 2-0 win over the Philadelphia Union Tuesday, a few more thoughts.

- In translating success in the English Premier League to MLS, one thing quite literally stands out between the Union and the Potters: Height. The Union had 20 outfield players see the field Tuesday, nine of which were six feet or taller (and that includes borderline 6-footers Kassel and Leo Fernandes). Of Stoke’s 19 outfield players, 14 were six feet or taller. Only three of the Union’s 10 starters (barely-theres Kassel and Fernandes and 6-4 Aaron Wheeler) hit that threshold, while only three of the Stoke starters were under six feet. Look at the physicality of Stoke’s central defenders (Robert Huth at 6-3, 194 pounds and Ryan Shawcross 6-3, 168) and forwards (Cameron Jerome 6-1, 187; Kenwyne Jones 6-2, 187; Peter Crouch 6-7, 165). Perhaps the most daunting juxtaposition is between central midfielders. Stoke’s contingent includes 6-3, 165-pound Steven N’Zonzi and 6-1, 182-pound Charlie Adam compared to Michael Lahoud (5-9, 162) and Brian Carroll (5-10, 155). The Union have struggled this season against bigger, more physical teams (see Los Angeles and Dallas), and while manager John Hackworth didn’t see many lessons to be taken from Tuesday, he at least had some fun joking about the Union’s vertical challenges. “You can’t,” Hackworth said of the prospect of matching up height-wise. “(Chris) Albright said, ‘coach, who are we going to match up with?’ And I said, ‘You match up with the 6-7 guy, and Kassel, you match up with the 6-6 guy and then just go down the line from there.’ We didn’t know what they would roll out either, so it was impossible.”

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There wasn’t a whole lot to write home about in the Union’s scoreless draw Saturday night against Portland. About the best thing you could say is that it was their first such scoreline in almost 11 months. In any case, a few points that deserve a little bit more air into them.

- Leo Fernandes is looking more and more like an MLS player with each appearance. When he came on for Michael Farfan in the 68th minute Saturday, it caused a few raised eyebrows. Farfan took a while to get into the game, but he was looking better after halftime and was about the only member of the Union able to keep possession in the face of Portland’s hard-pressing attack. But Fernandes proved to be a good choice by stand-in manager Rob Vartughian. He wasn’t afraid to mix it up, picking up his first pro yellow card, and his 87th minute volley went off the post and could’ve gone in. “It’s helping me a lot,” Fernandes said about his more regular time on the pitch. “I feel a lot more conformable when I get on the field. I don’t have as many nerves now when I get in. … Every game I’m getting more excited. I just try to help out the team.”

- Zac MacMath has taken his lumps this season (cough, Dallas, cough). But he deserves credit for being really good since then (as my colleague Chris Vito writes). He gave up two goals his next time out against Real Salt Lake, but you can’t fault him on that penalty that forced the Union to settle for a draw. Most importantly, he looked like he learned and grew from the failed punch incident against Dallas. He made a couple of great saves against Houston, where Ricardo Clark’s goal was hardly his fault. (I don’t know how much it mattered anyway; the Union sans most of their midfielders were never going to score that day.) And he was good against Chivas before tonight’s clean sheet. Quietly, MacMath has six shutouts, which puts him squarely in the pack among MLS starters, three off the joint leaders Donovan Ricketts and Bobby Shuttleworth. Read more »