Nowak: Union's roster not set yet
Peter Nowak held a conference call with reporters this afternoon to give an update on the Union's training camp in Orlando.
Nowak: Union's roster not set yet
Jonathan Tannenwald
Peter Nowak held a conference call with reporters this afternoon to give an update on the Union's training camp in Orlando.
Since Cristian Arrieta was waived yesterday, I asked Nowak if the club had any plans to add a player and fill that roster spot.
The Union are quite stringent about not discussing players who are not under contract, and Nowak observes that policy just as well as the club's media relations staff. Nonetheless, Nowak provided an answer with at least a little bit of news in it.
"The roster of course is not set," Nowak said. "The roster compliance deadline is March 1, and we have to make a decision at the end of this camp. The roster is not in place yet - we still are working on some things that could improve our roster offensive and defensively."
The current roster on the Union's official website lists 25 players. We know from the club's Twitter feed that there has been some number of trialists involved with the club's exhibition matches so far.
Five players have left the Union in recent weeks: Arrieta, Brad Knighton, Toni Stahl, and supplemental draft picks Josh Walburn and Matt Marcin. The three roster players were waived, while the two supplemental draft picks never signed official contracts.
As for who the trialists are, even the most dogged Union bloggers out there haven't posted much information. This much is almost certain, though: the club needs another striker and a third goalkeeper. Another outside back might also help now that Arrieta is gone, but I think the other two positions are much more pressing needs.
What positions do you think the Union should focus on in with those last roster spots? Post your thoughts in the comments.
And while you're here, check out highlights from today's big international matches around the world. A hat tip to the fine folks at 101GreatGoals.com, who did the legwork to find the clips.
Angel Di Maria for Argentina vs. Porgtugal, set up by a spectacular pass from Lionel Messi - and described by the great GolTV tandem of Phil Schoen and Ray Hudson:
Wesley Sneijder for the Netherlands vs. Austria:
Miroslav Klose for Germany vs. Italy, with a nice passing sequence leading up to the finish:
There was also this horrific challenge by Brazil's Hernanaes on France's Karim Benzeman:
As for who the trialists are, even the most dogged Union bloggers out there haven't posted much information.
Here's an idea. Send a reporter to watch the games.— Mike Renn- Over at BigSoccer, fans have used photos from training camp to identify trialists such as Thorne Holder, Chris Argorson, Keon Daniel, Gabriel Farfan (Michael's brother) and Aaron Wheeler.— HazmatCorntail
Reach Jonathan at jtannenwald@phillynews.com or 215-854-2330.
