Jonathan Tannenwald
UPDATE: As pointed out in the comments, FC Delco as we knew it for many years doesn't exist anymore. I've changed the wording below accordingly.
The Union took a major step towards improving the quality of their youth player development structure on Friday by joining the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.
The USSDA is widely recognized as the top level of youth player development in the United States. It includes 18 MLS youth academy teams and other top youth clubs from across the country.
Jonathan Tannenwald
United States women at Germany
12:15 p.m. Friday (ESPN3.com)
Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach lead the U.S. women in a rare friendly on European soil. Perennial power Germany will use this game as a springboard to World Cup qualifying, which begins later this year.
Jonathan Tannenwald
Union manager John Hackworth held his weekly press conference Wednesday afternoon. Here are some highlights of what he had to say:
On whether four is games too small a sample size to tell what he has with his team this year:
I think it's a pretty fair sample size, and pretty indicative of what we're probably going to see the whole year. I still think we have a lot of work to do and there's a lot of areas where we can improve. But as far as what we have right now, I think you've seen four games where you get a really good idea of that.
Jonathan Tannenwald
Time: 3:51 pm. EDT
Venue: Red Bull Arena, Harrison, N.J.
TV: NBC Sports Network (Arlo White, Kyle Martino and Russ Thaler, starting at 3:30 p.m.)
Amid all the rancor they've endured off the field, the Union have enjoyed a quietly successful season thus far on the field. They've won two of their three league games so far. Today, they get a huge test in a venue at which they've known nothing but failure.
A victory at Red Bull Arena would send an early signal that the Union may be a serious contender for the playoffs. A loss might just raise a few questions as to whether results so far have been a mirage.
The Philadelphia Union will put their two-game winning streak on the line in a road tilt against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday afternoon. John Hackworth's team is 1-0 on the road this year.
Jonathan Tannenwald
Manchester United at Sunderland
8:30 a.m. Saturday (ESPN2)
After taking a few days off for World Cup qualifying, leagues around the world return to action this weekend. Led by Robin van Persie, United has a commanding 15-point lead atop the Premier League. With just nine games to go, a win in this game would all but wrap up an unprecedented 13th championship.
Jonathan Tannenwald
Wales at Scotland
4:00 p.m. Friday (ESPN3.com)
Club soccer around the world stops for a few days as attention turns to national teams in World Cup qualifying games. This contest features two teams that share a country - yes, really. When it comes to soccer, England and Britain aren’t the same thing. The United Kingdom, as it’s officially called, has four separate teams within it: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Jonathan Tannenwald
Over the last few months, Philadelphia Union manager John Hackworth has declined to comment about the status of Freddy Adu.
But in recent days, there have been reports across the media that Adu is moving to Brazilian club Bahia. Hackworth opened up about the matter in his press conference Wednesday, offering quite a few details about the status of the Union's highest-paid player.
Here are some highlights of Hackworth's remarks.
Jonathan Tannenwald
UPDATE: Ives is now reporting that because of visa issues, Adu won't travel to Brazil until Wednesday. The earliest a deal could be completed is Thursday night.
It looks like Freddy Adu's tumultuous tenure with the Philadelphia Union is officially over.
Ives Galarcep of Soccer By Ives is reporting that Adu will travel to Brazil on Tuesday to sign a contract with Bahia, a team in Brazil's top league. Although the Union have yet to say anything publicly, if the move goes according to plan it will be announced before manager John Hackworth's weekly press conference on Wednesday.
Jonathan Tannenwald
D.C. United at New York Red Bulls
12:30 p.m. Saturday (NBC, NBCSports.com)
Major League Soccer's first-ever “Rivalry Week” kicks off with a coveted appearance on network television. It's fitting that this game gets the honor, as D.C.-New York is the most-played series in MLS history. This will be the 60th league game between the teams, and the 72nd overall.
Reach Jonathan at jtannenwald@phillynews.com or 215-854-2330.
