I took the drive up to scenic Exeter High School Tuesday evening primarily to work on something from the Reading United side, a feature on former Union U-18 product and Haverford School grad Brett Campbell, a junior at Georgetown who has had a torrid start to the summer.

There was more to see than just the handful of Reading standouts, though, in the Union’s 1-0 friendly win at Don Thomas Stadium. A few observations from the game:

- We have an Andrew Wenger goal sighting. It took Reading’s third goalie of the night crashing into a defender as he tried to collect a header by Steven Vitoria off a free kick, but hey, Wenger kicked a ball into the back of the net and then the ref blew the whistle and the scoreboard changed. That should be a win for Wenger considering how his season has gone, plus there’s the added bonus of doing it against his former team. It goes without saying how badly the Union need him to get going.

- The Union started the same lineup as Saturday (with the exception of John McCarthy in for Bryan Sylvestre), which was essentially the same lineup as last Wednesday (minus CJ Sapong for Fernando Aristeguieta), which was the same lineup as the previous Saturday. For nine outfield players, that’s four starts in 11 days. Granted, most only played for 30 minutes or a half in a glorified practice session, plus it’s a bit of a reward for the 1,200 Reading fans that showed up, one of the biggest crowds for a friendly in the teams’ partnership that created a really great atmosphere.

- Only two players went 90 minutes Tuesday: Richie Marquez and McCarthy. Remember that McCarthy must be the Union’s goalie in next Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup match with Rochester since Sylvestre is Cup-tied.

- Tuesday was the first match in a Union kit for rookie Eric Bird, who started the season injured. More on that in Thursday’s paper. Read more »

If there was one question for which Philadelphia Union John Hackworth was looking for clarity in last week’s friendly with Reading United, it was if he had the kind of defensive depth that he’d hoped, the kind that made the trades of Bakary Soumare and Gabriel Farfan in the last month workable.

The answer originally looked murky. And then, thanks to one of the unlikeliest of sources, it showed shocking clarity.

An injury at the last minute meant that fans were forced into a bit of double-take when reading the starting backline: Don Anding, Matt Kassel, Chris Albright and Aaron Wheeler.
Wait, that guy who made his MLS debut just days earlier as a striker and darn near picked up his first career assist? Yeah, that guy.

The ability of the 6-4, prototypical center forward Wheeler to deputize in the center of defense was at the tip of the tongue for Hackworth four days later when reviewing the takeaways from the friendly at his weekly press conference.

The performances in the 2-0 win over the Union’s developmental partner in the USL Pro division may not have changed who will be on the pitch Wednesday when the Union travel to D.C. United for the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, but they certainly change the equation moving forward, Wheeler being among the main catalysts for that change. Read more »

Despite a relatively sedate period in the Union's schedule, gaffer John Hackworth had plenty to say about the upcoming Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup date with D.C. United and last week's friendly with Reading United. Video and highlights below:


On the expectations about this meeting with D.C.:
Before I talk about maybe the personnel, I expect this game to be a typical game that we play down there are the SoccerPlex. I think it’s going to be a hard game. I think it’s going to be a really emotional game. I think that D.C. will absolutely put everything they have into winning the game. We have to make sure we match or exceed all of those things. I know D.C. is not in the best form right now in terms of their league play. I know they had a good result on the weekend and they may be turning things around. They’re positive about their result against New England. I just know that it’s going to be a tough game no matter what.

On what fuels this D.C.-Philly rivalry:
I don’t know. (D.C. coach) Ben (Olsen) and I were joking about it in preseason that we can’t figure out why our teams get so emotionally charged against each other. Usually head coaches that have little grudges against each other, they seem to fuel a little of that fire. But Ben and I get along pretty good, even when it’s pretty emotional along the sidelines, usually we’re respectful to each other and obviously being very competitive and saying what we need to say, but it’s different when we’re across the white lines for sure. I think that’s a good thing because we certainly look forward to it, and whether you’re playing in an Open Cup game or in the league, this rivalry between D.C. is real. And I think that’s what it comes down to, that no matter what game, whether it’s a preseason game with your second team playing or an Open Cup game or a league game, it’s always going to be feisty when we play.

Read more »

(Associated Press)

Midfielder Roger Torres has recovered from April knee surgery and has been cleared to play in the Union’s friendly Saturday at Reading United AC, manager Peter Nowak said Thursday in his weekly press conference.

Torres sustained a left knee MCL sprain in an April 9 reserve-league match against New England. Three days later, he underwent surgery to repair the afflicted knee, and he’s been sidelined since.

“He is good to go. He will play,” Nowak said of Torres, a previously loaned player whose rights the Union acquired outright in the offseason.

“For 10 days, he’s working to come back. He’s not feeling any kind of pain. He’s striking the ball very well. … He needs to be monitored to make sure he’s OK, but he needs to touch the ball more.”

Torres has played 72 minutes in two matches this season, recording one assist.

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IN FRIDAY'S DAILY TIMES: According to Union boss Peter Nowak, the Union simply could not drag their feet on trading Danny Mwanga to Portland. Said Nowak: "Why now? ... We cannot fool ourselves with our position in the standings."

Once more, the Union did one of their affiliate clubs a solid.

The Union announced Friday they will face Reading United AC, their United Soccer League affiliate, in an exhibition match Saturday, June 9 at 7 p.m. at Albright College's Shirk Stadium.

That makes three times in as many years the Union will go up against their affiliate club. They played to a 1-1 draw last season.

"Philadelphia Union are deeply committed to our player development partnerships with Reading United A.C. and the Harrisburg City Islanders,” said Union CEO Nick Sakiewicz. “These games give us an opportunity to get together in each respective market, bring some exciting soccer to town and see how the stars of the future match up against Major League Soccer professionals. We are honored to have such great partners."

Here's some ticket info concerning the game:
Reduced price pre-order tickets for the game are $12 and general admission will be available online at www.readingunitedac.com/store/tickets.html through May 31, 2012. Tickets purchased after May 31 will sell for $15.