Rank and File: Union at D.C. United
Before we get to the ratings, a few minor news items.
First of all, there was some discussion on Twitter yesterday about the current Major League Soccer attendance table. The Union currently rank third, with an average of 20,346 per game. Obviously that number will fall as the season progresses, because the average is skewed by the two games at Lincoln Financial Field. But there is a legitimate chance that the Union finish fourth in the table if the PPL Park average remains near the venue's 18,500-seat capacity.
That would be below Seattle, Toronto and Los Angeles, all of which have larger stadiums. But it would quite noticeably be above New York, which like the Union opened their own new facility this year.
Second, the U.S. World Cup bid committee released its latest round of petition signing stats, and Philadelphia ranks sixth among the 18 markets in the current bid package.
That's not an unreasonable position for this market, but it doesn't look so good when you consider the top three markets on the leaderboard: Houston, Miami and Tampa Bay. I think we can safely say that those cities aren't as well-known for stuffing the ballot box.
You can add your name to the petition by going to the bid's official website.
Finally, a small Union news item: the kickoff time for the game at Colorado on September 29 has been pushed back half an hour to 9:30 p.m. As of now, there is no television broadcast information for the game on the Union's website. This might be because the game was rescheduled from July 21 because of the Manchester United friendly.
Now to your player ratings for the Union's 2-0 loss at D.C. United this past Sunday. The best comment of the week comes from Sons of Ben president Bryan James. It wasn't about any particular player, but rather about the Union's performance as a whole this past Sunday:
ugh
And so it goes. Here's what the rest of this week's voters had to say, along with their player ratings. I suppose I should have mentioned somewhere along the way that the ratings are basedon a scale of 1 to 10 points, with 1 being the worst.
If you'd like to participate, just email me and I'll add you to the next ballot.
Goalkeeper
Chris Seitz: 4.87
- "Seitz didn't have a great game, nor a poor one for that matter. Nothing much he could've done on those 2 goals." (Andrew Dillon)
- "Cost one goal, and nearly a huge collision with Gonzalez on another occasion. If you can't communicate in an empty stadium, you have no shot when there are fans there." (Dan Gontkof)
Defenders
Juan Diego González Alzate: 4.80
- "On another team, the moment when Gonzalez tried to get fancy and wound up giving United a corner kick would be embarrassing. On the Union, it's better-than-average defense." (Anonymous, though I think I know who it was)
Danny Califf: 3.53
- "It must've been Allsopp's birthday yesterday, with Califf giving him a nice giftwrapped present and all." (Andrew Dillon)
Believe it or not, Allsopp's birthday is August 10. So that's not to far off.
Jordan Harvey: 3.93
- "Needs a game off, looks sluggish and provides no service as a left flank player" (Jeff P.)
Michael Orozco Fiscal: 4.20
Midfielders
Eduardo Coudet: 4.73
Fred: 4.80
- "I think we are seeing why he is considered one of MLS's most overpaid players, as he has had little impact this season." (Jeff P.)
I'm not sure I agree with that one, but I think it's fair to say he hasn't quite lived up to expectations.
Sébastien Le Toux: 5.93
Justin Mapp: 4.87
- "The only thing thinner than the Union defense is Justin Mapp's hair." (The aforementioned anonymous voter)
Stefani Miglioranzi: 5.07
Kyle Nakazawa: 4.53
- "Confused by his substitution on. Like him as a player for the future, but if he isn't there to take free kicks, then why bother?" (Dan Gontkof)
Nick Zimmerman: 4.62
Forwards
Alejandro Moreno: 4.37
- "Slow and hurt and falling down. Seems he is falling apart faster then RFK." (Dan Gontkof)
Danny Mwanga: 5.33