Archive: August, 2010
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Venue: PPL Park, Chester, Pa.
TV: WPVI-6.2 (J.P. Dellacamera and Glenn Davis)
Injury Report
Real Salt Lake
Probable: M Kyle Beckerman (left foot tendon tear), M Javier Morales (left ankle sprain)
Philadelphia Union
Out: M Shea Salinas (left fibula fracture)
Questionable: M Stefani Miglioranzi Miglioranzi (right groin strain)
Probable: D Jordan Harvey (left groin strain), F Danny Mwanga (left groin strain)
Tonight's SEPTA train schedule is below the chat console. SEPTA has once again added service for passengers traveling to and from Delaware.
If you thought last Thursday's game against Columbus was hard, this one will be even more so. Real Salt Lake have two of the most dynamic attacking players in Major League Soccer in Javier Morales and Alvaro Saborio. The team has scored a league-high 33 goals this season. RSL are also well-rested, having not played a game since July 31.
Pregame service
From Center City
| Market East | Suburban | 30th Street | Chester |
| 3:12 p.m. | 3:17 p.m. | 3:21 p.m. | 3:47 p.m. |
| 4:04 p.m. | 4:09 p.m. | 4:13 p.m. | 4:44 p.m. |
| 4:22 p.m. | 4:27 p.m. | 4:31 p.m. | 5:00 p.m. |
| 4:45 p.m. | 4:50 p.m. | 4:54 p.m. | 5:23 p.m. |
| 5:04 p.m. | 5:09 p.m. | 5:14 p.m. | 5:34 p.m.* |
| 5:09 p.m. |
5:14 p.m. |
5:18 p.m. | 5:47 p.m. |
| 5:33 p.m. | 5:38 p.m. | 5:42 p.m. | 6:13 p.m. |
| 6:03 p.m. | 6:08 p.m. | 6:12 p.m. | 6:41 p.m. |
| 6:28 p.m. | 6:33 p.m. | 6:37 p.m. | 7:03 p.m. |
From Newark, Wilmington, Marcus Hook and Chester
| Newark | Wilmington | Marcus Hook | Chester |
| ----------- | ----------- | 3:43 p.m. | 3:49 p.m. |
| ----------- | 4:44 p.m. | 4:56 p.m. | 5:02 p.m. |
| 4:46 p.m. | 5:06 p.m. | 5:18 p.m. | 5:24 p.m. |
| ----------- | 5:50 p.m. | 6:02 p.m. | 6:08 p.m. |
| 5:43 p.m. | 6:02 p.m. | 6:14 p.m. | 6:20 p.m. |
| ----------- | ----------- | 7:02 p.m. | 7:02 p.m. |
| 6:46 p.m. | 7:06 p.m. | 7:18 p.m. | 7:24 p.m.* |
Postgame service
To Center City
| Chester | 30th Street | Suburban | Market East |
| 10:04 p.m. | 10:33 p.m. | 10:38 p.m. | 10:43 p.m. |
| 11:06 p.m. | 11:33 p.m. | 11:38 p.m. | 11:43 p.m. |
| 11:45 p.m. | 12:10 a.m. | 12:14 a.m. | 12:18 a.m. |
| 12:45 a.m. | 1:10 a.m. | 1:14 a.m. | 1:18 a.m. |
To Marcus Hook, Wilmington and Newark
| Chester | Marcus Hook | Wilmington | Newark |
| 10:02 p.m. | 10:09 p.m. | 10:23 p.m. | ----------- |
| 11:03 p.m. | 11:09 p.m. | 11:23 p.m. | ----------- |
| 12:03 a.m. | 12:09 a.m. | ----------- | ----------- |
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
The grades are in, and they aren't pretty for Brad Knighton after his first start in Major League Soccer. Knighton's fumble of a loose ball - and ensuing tackle on Brek Shea, which resulted in a red card - led to FC Dallas' first goal and completely changed the momentum of the match.
To make matters worse for Knighton, Chris Seitz made a number of stellar saves despite being under the weather. Yes, Seitz gave up three goals, but David Ferreira's penalty was unstoppable and the Union's back line could not stop Jeff Cunningham on the other two.
Things had looked so good after Alejandro Moreno finally scored his first goal of the season to give the Union an early lead. But everything fell apart after Knighton's dismissal, and Cunningham drove two nails in the coffin with his goals.
Cunningham was named MLS' player of the week by the North American Soccer Reporters, of which I'm part. I voted for Cunningham with very little hesitation. You can see the voting breakdown here.
A lot of players got votes, including Columbus' Steven Lenhart after his two goals against the Union this past Thursday. Seattle's Fredy Montero also left an impression by scoring a goal and setting up the other in the Sounders' 2-0 win over Houston late last night. But Cunningham's impact in just 45 minutes at Pizza Hut Park was as decisive as it gets from a halftime substitute.
What concerned me most from the Union game was not Knighton's struggles, but those of the other debutant: Juan Diego Gonzalez. From my perspective, it looked like the Colombian defender was beaten rather directly on both of Cunningham's goals.
Cunningham is still one of the fastest and most dangerous strikers in MLS, and Gonzalez is just getting settled in with his new club. But that was not a great first impression.
Before getting to the player ratings, one more thought from me about Knighton and Seitz. I know that many people have called for Knighton to start this year. I have defended Seitz a lot, and I know at times I've looked for ways to excuse Seitz from blame. But no matter what you think, I think yesterday made it clear that Seitz is the starter.
If Peter Nowak ever has doubts about that, I am sure he will be forthright in telling us. Nowak is an honest guy, and he has not been afraid to critique his players in his public remarks.
There is a long tradition in this town of singling out one position for blame after losses, especially because of the Flyers' history of goaltending issues in the playoffs. But the Union aren't the Flyers, and I have no intention of falling into the trap of fitting a new team to old storylines.
With that said, now it's time to find out what our fan voters thought of the Union's performance. There are a lot of great comments here, and I hope you'll add yours below.
Goalkeepers
Brad Knighton: 1.75
- "To all the "Start Knighton Now" folks, put that in your pipe and smoke it. Seems our GK situation is worse off than some think." (Andrew Dillon)
- "Have to pin the loss on him entirely; minimal pressure on him and no excuse for the error. Cannot expect the team to play with 10 men in triple digit temperature." (Jeff P.)
Chris Seitz: 5.13
- "I'm not sure if Nowak intended to give Knighton a real shot or to see how Seitz would respond. Either way, he certainly learned something. " (Nathan M.)
Defenders
Juan Diego González Alzate: 4.75
- "Gonzalez was, ahem, uneven... I guess he fits right in with our back line." (Osager)
- "Left much to be desired in his debut; completely out of position on the second FC Dallas goal." (Jeff P.)
Cristian Arrieta: 4.38
Danny Califf: 4.50
Jordan Harvey: 4.25
- "Jordan Harvey seemed especially heavy-of-touch today, apparently he's not his best in the heat." (Osager)
Michael Orozco Fiscal: 4.75
Midfielders
Eduardo Coudet: 5.63
Fred: 4.38
- "Fred's lack of a first touch wasted as good an opportunity as the Union will see all season." (Nathan M.)
Andrew Jacobson: 5.38
- "Would like to see more of him off the bench. Perhaps we will if Miglioranzi is still on the shelf." (Jeff P.)
Justin Mapp: 5.13
Kyle Nakazawa: 4.63
Forwards
Sebastien Le Toux: 5.50
- "What can I say about Le Toux that hasn't already been said? I know he never knew heat like that growing up in France. Still, he soldiered on, creating chances out of nothing. Credit him with a big assist on the goal." (Osager)
Alejandro Moreno: 5.63
- "Thrilled for Moreno finally netting his first goal this season. Could've been a prettier goal, but beggars can't be choosers." (Andrew Dillon)
- "Moreno did his job. Ugly goal, but it was a goal." (Ethan Gomberg)
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
Philadelphia Union at FC Dallas
Time: 6:00 p.m. EDT
Venue: Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas
TV: Fox Soccer Channel (Dave Johnson and Brian Dunseth)
Boston Breakers at Philadelphia Independence
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
I have said a few times on here recently that I have not covered the Independence as much as I would like to. I finally got a chance to catch up with the team on Thursday, as many of the players and front office staff came to PPL Park for the Union game.
It was good to see them there, and not just for the sake of being able to finally do some interviews. Any cooperation between Major League Soccer and Women's Professional Soccer is good for the sport, and growing soccer in America is still what matters most.
I've posted all the interviews I did in the audio player below. I talked to midfielder Lori Lindsey, forward Amy Rodriguez, goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc and defender Heather Mitts. The interview with LeBlanc is especially interesting, as she had a lot to say about the health of women's soccer in the United States and her native Canada.
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
We turn now to our reader panel for the final verdict on Thursday's game. A reminder that if you'd like to join in the voting, just email me and I'll add you to the listserv. It would be great to have more people involved.
Goalkeeper
Chris Seitz: 4.00
On the one hand...
- "Can't blame Seitz for those two." (Osager)
On the other...
- "One wonders just how bad Brad Knighton is that Nowak insists on starting Seitz every game. When confronted by charging opponents, Seitz freezes up." (Nathan M.)
And using both at the same time...
- "Both goals were tough to save, I suppose, but asking for a save on either shouldn't be much from a former USMNT prospect." (Jeff P.)
Defenders
Cristian Arrieta: 4.57
Danny Califf: 4.29
- "Looked so slow and out of position throughout last night." (Jeff P.)
Jordan Harvey: 4.29
Michael Orozco Fiscal: 4.71
- "Played reckless in the second half in terms of some late challenges; needs to improve his service into the box." (Jeff P.)
Midfielders
Eduardo Coudet: 5.71
- "Fantastic game. He's the midfield leadership that this team has lacked." (Chris Straub-Wallace)
- "Coudet is a help to the defense, but tonight not enough help - what about letting him play a true sweeper (oh, I forgot, nobody uses sweepers anymore)." (Osager)
Fred: 5.43
- "Nice to see Fred take part in the attack more, but he needs to take one less touch on the ball and actually shoot." (Andrew Dillon)
- "Got lucky with Le Toux being fouled after his inability to finish from the penalty spot. Needs to look to finish more often." (Chris Straub-Wallace)
Andrew Jacobson: 4.86
Justin Mapp: 5.71
- "Mapp taking chances from distance is why he was brought here. Can't wait to see him actually convert them, too." (Andrew Dillon)
- "Decent movement through the midfield, but his inability to use his right foot is glaring. I'd like to see how he works on the left side." (Chris Straub-Wallace)
Stefani Miglioranzi: 5.13
- "Hopefully he recovers quickly; both him and Coudet did a solid job of controlling the middle third in the first half." (Jeff P.)
- "Too bad for Migz and his groin strain. His intention was there early on; his shot gave Hesmer a bit of trouble. Hurry back in the lineup, Stefani, the team needs your steady presence as a defensive midfielder." (Andrew Dillon)
How about a midfield four of Mapp on the right, Torres on the left and two of Coudet, Fred and Miglioranzi in the middle? Some defense, some offense, some speed and a lot of flexibility.
Kyle Nakazawa: 5.29
Forwards
Sebastien Le Toux: 6.43
- "Looks like Le Toux has been taking diving lessons from Moreno." (Nathan M.)
Zing of the week.
Jack McInerney: 4.86
- "A spot start for Jack is needed sooner than later. Not sure how much his head is into a 10 minute substitution role." (Chris Straub-Wallace)
- "Wee Jack Mac couldn't celebrate his birthday in style. He looks a little too tentative at times, and should start trusting that he has the skills to excel at this level - he did manage to score on Los Angeles' Donovan Ricketts a few games back. More of that, please." (Andrew Dillon)
Alejandro Moreno: 4.71
- "Essentially limited to posting up defenders, looks broken down when pursuing the ball or attacking defenders." (Jeff P.)
- "Moreno needs a rest." (Osager)
I can't help thinking that both of those comments are related. Moreno has played a lot lately, and he's done so on a knee that isn't fully healthy. You wonder what would have happened had Danny Mwanga been fit. Surely he would have been on the field, and he probably would have been able to chase down some of those through balls that were just out of Moreno's reach.
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
With a short turnaround before Sunday's game at Dallas, I don't want to take too much time going over the Union's 2-1 loss to Columbus last night. But I will offer a few quick observations.
- Danny Califf was at fault on both goals. Steven Lenhart ran behind Califf on the Crew's first goal, then went right in front of him on the second. There wasn't much Chris Seitz could do about either play - he was actually positioned quite well on the first goal, and was simply stranded on the second.
- I didn't like the midfield combination of Kyle Nakazawa and Eduardo Coudet. I thought it was too defensive. Coudet pushed forward and distributed the ball much more often when Stefani Miglioranzi was on the field. When Miglioranzi came off with what he admitted after the game was a tweaked groin muscle, Coudet seemed to go into Miglioranzi's part of the field. He played a much more defensive role there.
Nakazawa was farther forward, and did not hold the ball or distribute it well from my perspective. As a result of his positioning, Nakazawa was often out on the flanks, where he wasn't as effective as he can be when in a central position. Perhaps it would have worked better had Coudet played in front of Nakazawa instead of the other way around.
- Peter Nowak admitted after the game that his team lacked "efficiency." It's a good word to sum up all those missed chances and half-chances, and passing sequences that didn't result in good shots.
"The story of the day - maybe not on the day, maybe even on the season - is that we need to be efficient," he said. "We need to be efficent, play the game simple and play the game effective. I think the efficiency part is still missing, and I will try to find a solution to that."
There was more.
"We've dominated game after game - it's like a broken record, it's like Groundhog Day.," he said. "I don't want to play the way teams that come here do - just defend, defend, defend. It was the same against Chicago in Chicago and the same with Toronto in Toronto and here. This is not our style - we're not going to do that, just hoping and praying that we're going to create one chance and score a goal."
You can listen to all of Nowak's remarks in the audio player below. I'll post the Rank and File ratings tonight. Then be sure to check back tomorrow for an update on the Independence as they get ready to host the Boston Breakers on Sunday evening in a game with huge playoff implications.
Have a great weekend.
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Venue: PPL Park, Chester, Pa.
TV: ESPN2 (J.P. Dellacamera and Taylor Twellman)
Injury Report
Columbus Crew
Pregame service
From Center City
| Market East | Suburban | 30th Street | Chester |
| 4:04 p.m. | 4:09 p.m. | 4:13 p.m. | 4:42 p.m. |
| 4:22 p.m. | 4:27 p.m. | 4:31 p.m. | 5:00 p.m. |
| 4:45 p.m. | 4:50 p.m. | 4:54 p.m. | 5:23 p.m. |
| 5:04 p.m. | 5:09 p.m. | 5:14 p.m. | 5:34 p.m.* |
| 5:09 p.m. |
5:14 p.m. |
5:18 p.m. | 5:47 p.m. |
| 5:33 p.m. | 5:38 p.m. | 5:42 p.m. | 6:13 p.m. |
| 6:03 p.m. | 6:08 p.m. | 6:12 p.m. | 6:41 p.m. |
| 6:28 p.m. | 6:33 p.m. | 6:37 p.m. | 7:03 p.m. |
From Newark, Wilmington, Marcus Hook and Chester
| Newark | Wilmington | Marcus Hook | Chester |
| ----------- | 4:44 p.m. | 4:56 p.m. | 5:02 p.m. |
| 4:46 p.m. | 5:06 p.m. | 5:18 p.m. | 5:24 p.m. |
| ----------- | 5:50 p.m. | 6:02 p.m. | 6:08 p.m. |
| 5:43 p.m. | 6:02 p.m. | 6:14 p.m. | 6:20 p.m. |
| ----------- | ----------- | 7:02 p.m. | 7:02 p.m. |
| 6:46 p.m. | 7:06 p.m. | 7:18 p.m. | 7:24 p.m. |
Postgame service
To Center City
| Chester | 30th Street | Suburban | Market East |
| 11:06 p.m. | 11:33 p.m. | 11:38 p.m. | 11:43 p.m. |
| 11:45 p.m. | 12:10 a.m. | 12:14 a.m. | 12:18 a.m. |
| 12:45 a.m. | 1:10 a.m. | 1:14 a.m. | 1:18 a.m. |
To Marcus Hook, Wilmington and Newark
| Chester | Marcus Hook | Wilmington | Newark |
| 11:03 p.m. | 11:09 p.m. | 11:23 p.m. | ----------- |
| 12:03 a.m. | 12:09 a.m. | ----------- | ----------- |
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
We only had comments from two voters this week, but they're pretty good ones.
Goalkeeper
Chris Seitz: 4.17
- "Some have argued that Seitz should't take the blame for the New England goal. Rubbish. If he hadn't committed too soon, we wouldn't be talking about a ball that defied physics." (Nathan M.)
- "Seitz didn't have a great game, but by no means should he be at fault for that goal." (Andrew Dillon)
[Well, that settles things, doesn't it.]
Defenders
Cristian Arrieta: 4.83
Danny Califf: 5.83
Jordan Harvey: 4.83
Michael Orozco Fiscal: 5.33
Midfielders
Eduardo Coudet: 6.50
- "Coudet was a real improvement in midfield. Califf's title notwithstanding, he looked like the real field commander." (Nathan M.)
Fred: 5.17
Andrew Jacobson: 4.75
Sebastien Le Toux: 7.83
- "That HAS to be a Goal of the Year candidate. Well played, Le Toux!" (Andrew Dillon)
Justin Mapp: 5.67
- "It was great to see Mapp log some time and take some chances. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Nowak and Co. can bring him back to his full potential." (Andrew Dillon)
Stefani Miglioranzi: 5.67
- "Miglioranzi and Coudet have the makings of a solid midfield, especially when you consider they shut down one of the best defensive midfielders MLS has ever had. Shalrie who?" (Andrew Dillon)
Forwards
Jack McInerney: 4.40
- "McInerney has guts but needs to take a lesson from Mwanga and start gunning. He's too indecisive in the box." (Nathan M.)
Alejandro Moreno: 5.17
- "Moreno needs to learn that one can hold the ball and draw fouls without spending time on the ground. His reputation is starting to wear thin with the Union faithful." (Andrew Dillon)
Danny Mwanga: 5.50
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
I've got quite a few things to discuss after watching a replay of the Union's 1-1 draw with New England on Saturday. Rank and File will come tomorrow night, then we'll get ready for Thursday night's game against Columbus.
- Marco Perovic's goal took one of the strangest bounces I've ever seen on that kind of free kick. I've watched the play multiple times now, and from everything the kick stays pretty flat as it swings around the wall. So it was quite surprising to see the ball bounce up at such a sharp angle.
The discussion among the media after the game was about whether Seitz had to go to ground to try to block the shot, or whether he could have moved but stayed on his feet. Seitz answered that his intent was to get the center of his body down so that the ball would come to his chest.
Reach Jonathan at jtannenwald@phillynews.com or 215-854-2330.
