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 »

Could a move for Honduran midfielder Wilson Palacios, left,
be in the cards for the Union? (AP)

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup got the fumbling-executive treatment by U.S. Soccer for its fifth round draw Thursday, which landed the Philadelphia Union another date with D.C. United.

The Union will host that match June 30 at PPL Park at 7:30. It’s the fourth time in six seasons that the teams are drawn together, with D.C. advancing in two of the previous three meetings (including in 2011 for what was technically a “play-in round.”) The Union beat D.C. United, 1-0, at PPL Park May 17 before dropping a controversial 2-1 decision at RFK Stadium May 30.

The winner of that game will travel to the winner of the New York Derby between the Cosmos, the last NASL squad left standing, and Red Bulls. The Round of 16 clash will occur July 21-22.

Whichever team prevails from the “East Region” in this year’s newly-instituted fixed bracket will host the semifinal against the survivor of the “South Region” from the quartet of Chicago, Orlando City, Columbus and the last remaining USL side, the Charlotte Independence. Semis will be held Aug. 11-12.

The draw for the host of the final will be performed prior to the semifinals, with the final date set at Sept. 29 or 30.

The Union advanced to the final of last year’s competition, losing the final at PPL Park to Seattle, 3-1 after extra time. The Union hosted four games in the tournament, only having to travel to FC Dallas for the semifinal.

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One other bit of news: Manager Jim Curtin confirmed that Honduran midfielder Wilson Palacios’ trial has ended. He didn’t rule out a deal for the 30-year-old defensive midfielder, but indications are that the Union would have to clear space under MLS guidelines – likely in terms of international spots, money under the cap and/or roster spots – to make a deal for a player like Palacios work.

“We’ll evaluate things a little further,” Curtin said. “We’ll have talks with ownership and see what makes the most sense for the club and for his agent as well and make a decision that’s best for the team.”

Palacios was released by English Premier League club Stoke City after four injury-plagued seasons in May. He’s been in England since 2007, playing in the Premier League for Birmingham City, Wigan and Tottenham. He’s been capped 97 times for his country, representing them at the last two World Cups.

The MLS transfer window opens July 8, and Palacios would be ineligible to play before then.

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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Regardless of the score in the Union's match with Stoke City, the lasting memory of what was supposed to be a friendly was the knee injury sustained by Brek Shea. Coming off his game-winning goal in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final against Panama and the game-winner against Costa Rica in the group stages (his first goal for the Stars and Stripes), it seemed that one of the great young talents in the American pipeline had turned a corner. Coupled with a pretty goal for the Potters Tuesday, it seems a shame to see Shea hobble off the field with an apparently serious knee injury after a tackle by the Union's Matt Kassel. Here's what all the parties involved in the play had to say.

Brek Shea, seen here with Team USA in the Gold Cup final
in which he scored the winner, left Tuesday's friendly with the
Philadelphia Union after a knee injury sustained in a tackle
by Matt Kassel. (Associated Press)

Brek Shea
On the injury:
It’s throbbing a little bit. I don’t know. I’m not a doctor.

On the tackle by Kassel:
He was going for the ball. I just tried to put my body in front of his. It’s soccer. Tackles happen. I’ve done worse to other people.

On the emotional roller coaster he's experienced:
Obviously, I’m pretty upset right now. I’m excited to get back to Stoke and get ready for the season. Hopefully it’s not as bad as it feels, and we’ll find out tomorrow.
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A quick look at the Stoke City roster makes it clear why the Barclay’s Premier League club would want to head to the United States for its preseason trip. That junket concludes Tuesday when the Potters come to PPL Park to face the Union.

It should be an interesting meeting between the English club, which is wrapping up a three-game swing that includes a 1-0 win over FC Dallas and a 2-0 loss to Houston. Both of those clubs are ones with which the club has done previous transfer business – Brek Shea from Dallas, Geoff Cameron from Houston – making the Union unique in the fixture list.

Here’s the preview of the game via Stoke’s site (including a refreshing outsider’s look at the Union’s standing), while this blog from The Sentinel in Staffordshire is informative in providing info on the Potters’ trip.

A handful of quick bullet points on the team:
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