Archive: May, 2012
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
There are a lot of major storylines heading into Saturday's game between the Union and Seattle Sounders at CenturyLink Field. This one might not be the biggest, but I think it's definitely worth spotlighting.
Philadelphia Union midfielder Freddy Adu and Seattle Sounders forward Eddie Johnson have traveled around the world in their soccer careers. On Saturday, they will be reunited on one of Major League Soccer's biggest stages.
So let's take a trip in the American Soccer Way-Back Machine, shall we?
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
Philadelphia Union defender Sheanon Williams looks ahead to Saturday's game at Seattle, and looks back at the 2-1 loss to San Jose this past weekend.
(Video by Marc Narducci/The Philadelphia Inquirer
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
ESPN The Magazine put together a really interesting feature this week ranking payrolls for teams across a wide range of American and other sports.
This allows us to compare how the Union's payroll stacks up against those of the big four professional teams, as well as other MLS and international teams.
Although the article does not directly state the source of its MLS salary data, it does say that the key "average weekly pay" figure is "calcualated from base playeyr salaries from current or most recently completed seasons from each sport."
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
UPDATE: I got some new information from a source about the Union's past participation in what used to be known as the U.S. Open Cup qualifying rounds. See below.
This is a rather small thing as regards the local soccer scene, but it's something that I didn't want to overlook.
The first- and second-round draws for the 2012 U.S. Open Cup are out, and we now know the early matchups for the Union's lower-division affiliates.
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
At this time of year, it's almost impossible to avoid the buzz created by the NHL and NBA playoffs. That's especially true in Philadelphia, and even more so on a day like today. It's pretty special that the Flyers and 76ers (and Phillies) will be playing big games at literally the exact same time.
(It's a headache as regards my real job, though, as I'll be overseeing all of our online coverage of tonight's action. The television near my desk will be getting quite a workout.)
Nonetheless, I've had enough time to keep at least one eye on my MLS All-Star Game watch list. And since it's the first day of May, it's time for the latest edition of All-Star Astrology.
Reach Jonathan at jtannenwald@phillynews.com or 215-854-2330.
