Philadelphia Independence
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
With the 2010 season officially in the books, it's time to take a look back at the year as a whole. Marc Narducci's analysis in today's Inquirer covers a lot of the ground, so here's something more to supplement it. I've compiled all of the Rank and File ratings from this season to get a season-average number for each player.
Before we get to that, though, here are the ratings for Sunday's game at Columbus:
Goalkeeper
Chris Seitz: 3.75
- "The team doesn't seem to play as well in front of him as they do for Knighton." (Steve O.)
- "Tough to blame him for any of the goals specifically. The backline hung him out dry. He was still caught off his line too often, and failed to pounce on the ball on the breakaway goal. He also misplayed a clearance straight up and into the wind." (Ed Fagan Jr.)
Defenders
Danny Califf: 3.88
- "Wouldn't mind if we didn't protect him in the expansion draft, which about says it all about our captain." (Erik L.)
Jordan Harvey: 4.50
- "He didn't make the glaring, obvious mistakes that others had but he still didn't do much to prevent 3 goals." (Ed Fagan Jr.)
Michael Orozco Fiscal: 4.13
- "Part of the defensive problem or solution? After year one, still not sure." (Erik L.)
Sheanon Williams: 5.00
- "Sheanon Williams was the only member of the defense who looked competent for the entire game." (Osager)
Midfielders
Eduardo Coudet: 3.63
- "Probably one of his worst matches in a Union shirt. His foul outside of the penalty area was just close enough for an MLS referee to mistake. He was at fault for the first goal and it was all downhill from there. For a defensive midfielder, he just doesn't play much defense." (Ed Fagan Jr.)
Andrew Jacobson: 4.67
Justin Mapp: 4.57
- "He doesn't bring much to the attack. His lack of creativity is even more noticeable when Torres is brought on." (Ed Fagan Jr.)
Shea Salinas: 5.28
- "Salinas should win the team "most improved" award. At the season's beginning he was tentative and ineffective; since the Houston goal he's become the only real speed threat the Union have." (Peter N.)
Roger Torres: 5.63
- "Needs to get stronger to handle the physical aspects of the MLS, but certainly adds great vision and imagination to the field." (Erik L.)
Forwards
Sebastien Le Toux: 6.75
- "MVP, MVP!! (Just one complaint: set pieces need to improve)." (Erik L.)
Alejandro Moreno: 4.83
Danny Mwanga: 4.36
- "He was not listed on the injury report but I have to believe that shoulder is still nagging him. The offseason will do him a lot of good. He's a finesse striker by trade and he hadn't really been himself since he dislocated/separated his shoulder about a month ago." (Ed Fagan Jr.)
Now for the full-season ratings. A total of 26 players were on the roster for league games this season. Twenty-three of them got on the field in a match, and thus got ratings at some point during the year.
There is one player who played this year but did not get a rating, though: David Myrie. The Costa Rican was in the starting lineup for the season opener at Seattle, and was cut immediately afterwards because he got torched all night by Steve Zakuani on the left flank. We did not start Rank and File until the second game of the season, so Myrie gets no rating.
It's kind of a shame, but then again, that game was over seven months ago. Hard to believe, isn't it?
Okay, here we go.
Goalkeepers
Brad Knighton: 5.67
Brian Perk: No rating
Chris Seitz: 4.92
Defenders
Cristian Arrieta: 4.79
Danny Califf: 4.97
Juan Diego González Alzate: 5.00
Jordan Harvey: 5.25
David Myrie: No rating
Michael Orozco Fiscal: 5.08
Toni Stahl: No rating
Shavar Thomas: 3.85
Sheanon Williams: 6.15
Midfielders
Eduardo Coudet: 5.31
Fred: 5.72
Andrew Jacobson: 5.29
Justin Mapp: 5.79
Stefani Miglioranzi: 5.26
Kyle Nakazawa: 5.07
J.T. Noone: No rating
Amobi Okugo: 5.04
Shea Salinas: 5.90
Roger Torres: 5.91
Nick Zimmerman: 4.70
Forwards
Sébastien Le Toux: 6.81
Jack McInerney: 5.30
Alejandro Moreno: 5.51
Danny Mwanga: 5.85
The MLS Cup playoffs start tonight, as Columbus visits Colorado at 9 p.m. Here's the TV schedule and my predictions for the first round:
Colorado Rapids vs. Columbus Crew
First Leg: at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, tonight at 9 p.m. on ESPN2
Second Leg: at Crew Stadium, November 6 at 4 p.m. on Telefutura
Prediction: Colorado gets the upset. The Crew come into the playoffs reeling. Yes, they routed the Union this past Sunday, but that was their first win in league play since September 4 - and that was only a 1-0 result against D.C. United. The Rapids, meanwhile, are playing well and scoring lots of goals. They only lost two games total in September and October, and scored three or more goals five times.
Colorado also has a really annoying ability to jam the midfield and absorb pressure from an opponent, then strike on the counter-attack with forwards Omar Cummings and Conor Casey. I expect that to happen in this series. The bigger question is whether either game will draw a decent crowd, as both clubs have struggled at the gate all year. Expect to see a lot of empty seats on your TV screen.
FC Dallas vs. Real Salt Lake
First Leg: at Pizza Hut Park, Saturday at 5 p.m. on Fox Soccer Channel
Second Leg: at Rio Tinto Stadium, November 6 at 10 p.m. on Fox Soccer Channel
Prediction: Real Salt Lake in a close and entertaining series. Both of these teams like to play their soccer on the ground, with David Ferreira pulling the strings for FC Dallas and Javier Morales doing so for Real Salt Lake. Both have only lost one home game all year, and both results between the two clubs this year were 2-0 wins for the home side.
In the end, I think RSL has more depth, and they certainly have more experience having won MLS Cup last season. Having the second game at home will also help. FC Dallas will have to push harder in the first game, and as long as RSL can keep the first game close they'll benefit from the crowd and perhaps the altitude in the second game.
San Jose Earthquakes vs. New York Red Bulls
First Leg: at Buck Shaw Stadium, Saturday at 10 p.m. on Fox Soccer Channel
Second Leg: at Red Bull Arena, November 4 at 8 p.m. on ESPN2
Prediction: New York wins relatively comfortably. The only way I see San Jose winning this series is if Chris Wondolowski turns into the next incarnation of Reggie Miller. That's entirely possible, but New York has a much stronger and deeper midfield that should be able to keep posesssion of the ball. The late-season acquisition of Mehdi Ballouchy might just be what puts the Red Bulls over the top, as he can play either behind a striker or as a substitute for midfield linchpin Joel Lindpere.
Thierry Henry might not be fit for the first game, and if he doesn't play I can see San Jose heading east with a lead. But I expect New York to win at home and take the series that way. I will be at Red Bull Arena for that game, and I'm looking forward to seeing whether this is finally the year that New York breaks through. It might just be.
Seattle Sounders vs. Los Angeles Galaxy
First Leg: at Qwest Field, Sunday at 8 p.m. on ESPN2
Second Leg: at the Home Depot Center, November 7 at 9 p.m. on ESPN
Prediction: Los Angeles wins, but if I had any spine I'd pick Seattle for the upset. This is the marquee series of the first round, and well it should be. On one side, you have the superstar trio of David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle; on the other, you have the electric atmosphere created by Seattle fans and one of the hottest teams in MLS right now.
Yet even though the Sounders have won five of their last six games, they still have a tendency to not quite be able to put all the pieces together on the field. The Galaxy are much better at grinding out results when they have to, and unless Seattle wins big at home I think L.A. takes the series.
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
The Philadelphia Independence named defender Heather Mitts as one of their unprotected players for the upcoming Women's Professional Soccer expansion draft, which will help the new Buffalo/Rochester franchise fill out its inaugural roster.
If Mitts is chosen in the draft, which will take place November 4, it would not be her first departure from the Philadelphia soccer scene. The first time was after the Women's United Soccer Association's last season in 2003. Not long thereafter, her husband, A.J. Feeley, was traded from the Eagles to the Miami Dolphins.
Feeley returned to Philadelphia from 2006 to 2008, but Mitts' only visit to the local soccer scene during that time was a U.S. national team friendly here in 2008. She played the 2009 WPS season in Boston.
Mitts is the most prominent name of any of the 21 players leaguewide that will be available to WPS' eighth club. Philadelphia also left midfielder Lyndsey Patterson and defender Sarah Senty unprotected. The only other players available that you might have heard of are Atlanta Beat midfielder Angie Kerr and Washington Freedom forward Christie Welsh. Both have played for the U.S. national team.
Each team also protected ten players on its roster. The rest, from what I can tell, became free agents - the language in the league's statement is a bit unclear, but the Independence's subsequent press release spells things out better.
The goal was to get to a set of 13 players that would then be designated as protected or unprotected. Obviously, there are more than 13 places on the roster. So the first step was to count the number of players with existing contracts in place. For the Independence, those players were Mitts, Amy Rodriguez and Caroline Seger.
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
There's plenty to talk about from the Union's 3-0 win over Chivas USA on Saturday, but let's start with the Independence's loss to FC Gold Pride in yesterday's Women's Professional Soccer championship game. I had other obligations while the game was being played, so I couldn't do a chat. Nonetheless, it wasn't surprising that the Independence were routed by one of the best teams in the history of women's soccer.
On the whole, the Independence are due a tremendous amount of credit for how far they came this year and the style with which they played. Paul Riley put together a squad with a mix of youth, veteran American experience and just the right amount of international flair.
Unfortunately, they were matched up against a Gold Pride team that was by far the best in WPS this season. Marta is unquestionably the world's best player, and she got plenty of help in the attack from Tiffeny Milbrett and Christine Sinclair.
On top of that, the Independence had to travel across the country two days after playing their second straight overtime playoff game. It was just too much of a burden to overcome, and FC Gold Pride were deserved winners of this season's title.
Although WPS is on better financial footing than the old WUSA was, the current league still isn't in the best shape. We should all hope that it continues, especially with the Women's World Cup coming next summer in Germany.
We should also all hope that the Independence find a home next season that is more accessible to the many soccer fans across our region who were unable to get to West Chester this year. As you all know, I was as guilty as anyone of not getting out there often.
There are plenty of options available to Independence for next season, from PPL Park to Villanova Stadium or other college venues. Wherever the team ends up, hopefully the venue will be easier to reach by both car and public transit.
In case you didn't get to watch yesterday's game, you can check out video higlights below.
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
Thierry Henry and Diego Maradona, meet Danesha Adams.
Adams scored the goal that put the Independence into the WPS championship game with a 2-1 win over Boston in extra time. But Adams' header towards the net appeared to deflect in off her left hand.
The play was certainly controversial. From the angle behind the net, it did not look like there was ball-to-hand contact. But from one of the field-level sideline cameras, it seemed pretty clear. The entire Boston defense was furious, and literally stopped moving after the ball crossed the line. But referee Kerry Seitz did not blow her whistle to signal a foul. Instead, she signaled that the goal was good.
Adams' tally capped off a game full of surreal plays, most notably from the two goalkeepers. In the first half, Independence goalkeeper Val Henderson was repeatedly caught off her line, and was finally punished for it when Lauren Cheney's shot went in off the crossbar in the 22nd minute.
Boston continued to have the majority of possession, but Philadelphia got the equalizer just seven minutes later. Amy Rodriguez played a pass to Caroline Seger on the right side of the 18-yard box, and the Swedish star calmly fired a shot past Alyssa Naeher to tie the score.
In the second half, Naeher somehow managed to come down with whatever condition had been affecting Henderson in the first 45 minutes. The Breakers' goalkeeper prepeatedly strayed off her line as the Independence came forward. Rodriguez could have scored at least twice, but couldn't get shots on target after getting the ball around Naeher.
After 90 minutes, the score stood at 1-1. There weren't too many chances in either extra time period, but the Independence had most of the better play. It certainly had to be hard work for Philadelphia, as their first-round playoff game last Sunday against Washington also went to extra time. But the Independence didn't seem especially fatigued.
Perhaps the spacious confines of Harvard's soccer-specific Soldiers Field helped with that. The Crimson's soccer stadium is 74 yards wide, as opposed to the 65-yard-wide field at the Independence's home, Farrell Stadium. The Breakers usually play in Harvard's football stadium, which also has a narrower pitch than the soccer facility.
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
For the first 119 minutes and change, Amy Rodriguez missed more easy chances than anyone was able to keep track of.
But in the very last seconds of the second extra time period, Rodriguez finally found the back of the net. Her goal was the only one of the day, and it gave the Independence a 1-0 win over the Washington Freedom in the opening round of the Women's Professional Soccer playoffs at Farrell Stadium in West Chester.
There was plenty of back-and-forth action, though the very narrow pitch (65 yards at most) meant that the midfields were fairly constrained. Philadelphia had most of the possession and chances in the 90 minutes of regulation. Freedom goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris made a couple of nice saves, but Rodriguez also missed a few times from close range. She also hit the post with the net wide open late in the second half.
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
While I was in the middle of writing this post, the Union waived third-string goalkeeper Brian Perk. There were no quotes from anyone in the team's press release, so hopefully we'll find out more from Peter Nowak tomorrow.
The Union also announced today that they've signed J.T. Noone to an official contract. He has trained with the Union quite a bit this year, but was officially on the roster of the minor-league Harrisburg City Islanders until today.
The All-Star game is done with, and the European clubs that have been touring the U.S. will soon head back across the Atlantic. Now it's time to turn our focus back to domestic affairs. So let's do something we haven't really done yet on here: break down the standings and the playoff races.
Yes, I said races - not just in Major League Soccer, but in Women's Professional Soccer as well. The Independence are playing some really good soccer right now, including last Saturday's 4-1 thrashing of Sky Blue FC in West Chester.
It looks like Paul Riley's team is on track for a playoff berth, and they deserve more attention on here than I've been able to give them so far. Let's start, though, with the situation in MLS. The current table is here. Open it in another window as we go through this, because MLS' playoff structure is a bit complicated.
Pregame service
From Center City
| Market East | Suburban | 30th Street | Chester |
| 11:29 a.m. | 11:34 a.m. | 11:38 a.m. | 12:03 p.m. |
| 12:29 p.m.. | 12:34 p.m. | 12:38 p.m. | 1:04 p.m. |
| 1:29 p.m. | 1:34 p.m. | 1:38 p.m. | 2:03 p.m. |
| 2:28 p.m. | 2:34 p.m. | 2:38 p.m. | 3:04 p.m. |
From Newark, Wilmington, Marcus Hook and Chester
| Newark | Wilmington | Marcus Hook | Chester |
| ----------- | ----------- | 11:47 a.m. | 11:53 a.m. |
| ----------- | 12:36 p.m. | 12:48 p.m. | 12:54 p.m. |
| ----------- | ----------- | 1:47 p.m. | 1:53 p.m. |
| ----------- | 2:36 p.m. | 2:48 p.m. | 2:54 p.m. |
Postgame service
To Center City
| Chester | 30th Street | Suburban | Market East |
| 5:53 p.m. | 6:20 p.m. | 6:25 p.m. | 6:30 p.m.. |
| 6:54 p.m. | 7:20 p.m. | 7:25 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. |
| 7:53 p.m. | 8:20 p.m. | 8:25 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. |
To Marcus Hook, Wilmington and Newark
| Chester | Marcus Hook | Wilmington | Newark |
| 6:03 p.m. | 6:09 p.m. | 6:21 p.m. | ----------- |
| 7:04 p.m. | 7:10 p.m. | ----------- | ----------- |
| 8:03 p.m. | 8:09 p.m. | 8:21 p.m. | ----------- |
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
Philadelphia Independence forward Amy Rodriguez has been named Women's Professional Soccer's player of the month for June.
Rodriguez scored five goals and recorded two assists in June, including two goals in the come-from-behind 3-2 win over the Washington Freedom on June 26. She won the award unanimously, which no player had ever done before in WPS' two-year history.
The Independence are in second place in the WPS table with 21 points, four points behind FC Gold Pride. The two teams will meet in California on June 17, which is the Independence's next game.
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
I took the names suggested for the Union's postgame celebration and narrowed them down to the five most-often suggested by readers. Nominations came from comments on the last post, Twitter and email.
Your choices are at right. Vote early and often. I'm heading out of town for the holiday, so there won't be any blogging for a few days. Enjoy the weekend, and don't forget about the Union's game against Chivas USA on Saturday night. Kickoff is at 10:30 p.m. and the broadcast will be on Fox Soccer Channel.
If you're staying in town, the Independence host Boston at Farrell Stadium on Sunday at 4 p.m. If you're willing to venture outside in the heat, you'll see a team that would claim first place with a win if FC Gold Pride loses at Atlanta on Saturday.
Reach Jonathan at jtannenwald@phillynews.com or 215-854-2330.
