Liberty Ballers: All Posts by Justin F.

Philadelphia Union To Face Ocean City Nor'Easters In 3rd Round Of U.S. Open Cup

2013-05-22T02:19:55Z

Thanks to a shocking upset tonight in Ocean City, the Philadelphia Union will play host to the nearby Ocean City Nor'easters in the 3rd round of the U.S. Open Cup May 28 at PPL Park.

The Ocean City Nor'easters upset the Pittsburgh Riverhounds 1-0 in a thrilling second round match to ensure advancement in the 100th U.S. Open Cup.

The Nor'easters are a member of the USL Premier Development League. In fact, they share a division with Philadelphia Union affiliate Reading United, who also advanced to the Round of 32 of the U.S. Open Cup by defeating Harrisburg City Islanders, the Union's USL Professional Division affilliate. Reading United will face New York Red Bulls in the 3rd round of the USOC.

It is currently unknown if the Union's match against Ocean City Nor'easters will be televised or not, although presumably the match will at the very least be streamed on the Philadelphia Union's official web site.

The eventual winner of the U.S. Open Cup will receive a $250,000 cash prize and a berth into the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League.

MLS Announces 20th Franchise, New York City FC

2013-05-21T18:20:10Z

Pour one out for New York Red Bulls fans.

They are stuck in New Jersey with a new stadium, are struggling with attendance, and now have to deal with a new crosstown rival, New York City FC, firmly planted in New York City beginning play in 2015 with Flushing Meadows in Queens as the expected location for the new stadium.

Oh, and by the way, NYCFC are owned by Manchester City and the New York Yankees. Suffice to say, the Red Bulls are now the undisputed good guys in the New York area, or Orlando, or wherever they are playing in 2020.

Some members of the Sons of Ben may disagree, but the "rivalry" with New York Red Bulls has always appeared more Sons of Ben manufactured to drum up interest in the team than anything actually authentic.* Over time, D.C. United has become the more natural rival to the Union (and given the fact they have a history pre-dating the Union, also NYRB). But with the addition of an MLS team owned by the New York Yankees, it is certainly safe to say NYCFC should become a more natural, prominent New York rival to the Philadelphia Union.

*Seriously, people. New York Pink Cows. It's not even creative.

In basketball terms, NYCFC have become the Knicks, and New York Red Bulls are the pre-Brooklyn era New Jersey Nets. Attendance figures will soon reflect this.

While this should certainly make some things very interesting in MLS, do spare a thought for the New York Red Bulls and pour one out for New York Red Bulls fans. Place in the standings aside, things are about to be very not fun for them.

What Can You Do To Ensure The Sixers Land A Top Three Pick?

2013-05-21T14:45:06Z

The NBA Draft Lottery is, miraculously, tonight. With the 11th worst overall record, the Sixers currently have a 2.9% chance of finding their way into a top 3 pick in this year's draft (and a 6% chance of dropping past 11th). That's mostly well and good, until you remember percent means out of a 100 and 2.9% is just slightly less than a 3 out of 100 chance. On the plus side, this is a significantly better chance than winning the Powerball. On the minus side, this does not look good.

But fear not! I have come up with some (possibly) foolproof ways for you, yes You, to help the Sixers increase their chances at landing in the Top 3 in the Draft lottery!

Think of your son.
Think of Andre Iguodala's son.
Write a letter to Adm Aron asking the Sixers to knock the #11 pick out of the pank tonight.
Wake up as King Arthur, call on the immortal Merlin, and make magic happen.
Repeatedly scream "THE SIXERS WILL GET A TOP THREE PICK" every time you use a stapler at work. Hopefully it's a big stapling day at the office.
Fire a confetti cannon with each keystroke.
Sever your left pinky toe as a tribute offering to Lucy.
Create a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet in honor of the new Sixers General Manager.
Wearing a Sixers jersey, slip David Stern a 20 when you bump into him on the street.
Draft a 15,000 word essay on the importance of late night text messaging in basketball.
Sneak into WIP's studios and burn all tapes of Angelo Cataldi talking about the Dirty Thirty.
Douse yourself in lube.
Walk around town with a yellow umbrella calling yourself The Top Three Pick.
Take a poop. Take another.
Re-watch the 1993 NBA Draft Lottery.
Pour one out for Shawn Bradley's career.
Re-watch the 2010 NBA Draft Lottery because once the Sixers get a top 3 pick what can possibly go wrong?

Please report back any and all findings!

Match Day #12 Game Thread: Philadelphia Union vs. Chicago Fire

2013-05-18T22:47:36Z

Game: Philadelphia Union vs. Chicago Fire

Where: PPL Park, Chester, PA

When: 7:30 PM ET

Channel: The Comcast Network

Commentators: JP Dellacamera and Alejandro Moreno

Meet the Opposition: Hot Time In Old Town

Philadelphia Union starting XI: (4-4-2) Zac MacMath; Raymon Gaddis, Bakary Soumare, Amobi Okugo, Sheanon Williams; Brian Carroll, Danny Cruz, Kleberson, Michael Farfan; Jack McInerney, Sebastien Le Toux

Philadelphia Union bench: Chris Konopka, Chris Albright, Keon Daniel, Leo Fernandes, Roger Torres, Conor Casey, Antoine Hoppenot

Chicago Fire starting XI: (4-4-2) Sean Johnson; Wells Thompson, Jalil Anibaba, Austin Berry, Gonzalo Segares; Dilly Duka, Logan Pause, Jeff Larentowicz, Joel Lindpere; Patrick Nyarko; Chris Rolfe

Chicago Fire bench: Paolo Tornaghi, Michael Videira, Corben Bone, Brendan King, Alex, Quincy Amerikwa, Sherjill MacDonald

Prediction: The last time these two squads met, the Union won but things could have gone better. This match is at PPL Park and even after the mid-week collapse against the Los Angeles Galaxy, surely the Union can put together a strong 90 minutes at home against Chicago. I hope. Union win 1-0.

Be sure to join us in this thread for a chat about the game and do not forget to follow along with updates on Twitter by following @brotherlygame and @tBGLive.

Match Day #11 Game Thread: Philadelphia Union Vs. LA Galaxy

2013-05-15T23:13:43Z

Game: Philadelphia Union vs. LA Galaxy

Where: PPL Park, Chester, PA

When: 7:30 PM ET

Channel: Comcast Sportsnet

Commentators: JP Dellacamera and Alejandro Moreno

Meet the Opposition: LAG Confidential

Philadelphia Union starting XI: (4-4-2) Zac MacMath; Raymon Gaddis, Bakary Soumare, Amobi Okugo, Sheanon Williams; Brian Carroll, Kleberson, Keon Daniel, Danny Cruz; Jack McInerney, Sebastien Le Toux

Philadelphia Union bench: Aaron Wheeler, Chris Konopka, Chris Albright, Michael Farfan, Antoine Hoppenot, Roger Torres, Conor Casey

Los Angeles Galaxy starting XI: (4-4-2) Carlo Cudicini; Todd Dunivant, Tommy Meyer, Omar Gonzalez, A.J. DeLaGarza; Marcelo Sarvas, Juninho, Mike Magee, Landon Donovan; Jose Villareal, Robbie Keane

Los Angeles Galaxy bench: Sean Franklin, Charlie Rugg, Hector Jimenez, Leonardo, Rafael Garcia, Greg Cochrane, Brian Rowe

Prediction: The Union have made an improvement to their midfield by finally slotting in Kleberson, but the Galaxy have too much quality on their squad. Galaxy win 2-0.

Be sure to join us in this thread for a chat about the game and do not forget to follow along with updates on Twitter by following @brotherlygame and @tBGLive.

MacMath A Hero As Union Divide By Zero: Chicago Fire 0-1 Philadelphia Union

2013-05-11T21:31:40Z

Despite getting thoroughly outplayed by the Chicago Fire for almost the entire 90 minutes, the Philadelphia Union still somehow managed to pick up a 1-0 win on the road against thanks to a brilliant performance from Zac MacMath and a moment of magic from Sebastien Le Toux and Jack McInerney.

John Hackworth once again went with the ineffective midfield combination of Michael Farfan, Danny Cruz, Brian Carroll, and Keon Daniel and as a result, the Chicago Fire controlled most of the first half, taking advantage of the weak Union midfield. Once again ignoring Kleberson and Roger Torres, Hackworth went with a midfield that provided no-link up play with the strikers while also providing inadequate coverage defensively. It is therefore no surprise that the Fire were able to take advantage and control the first half.

Bakary Soumare appeared a bit out of shape during the first half, however, him along with the rest of the makeshift Union back line missing Sheanon Williams to red card and Jeff Parke to injury held up just fine to start.

Zac MacMath had an outstanding first half for the Philadelphia Union. Often a weak link on the Union, MacMath proved vital in the first half of tonight's match, making two vital saves. The first an instinctive, if admittedly a tad lucky, leg save that came about after a scramble in the box resulted in Dan Paladini alone in the box in front of MacMath. The second came on a breakthrough where the Fire were oddly hesitant to shoot at first, but eventually they pulled it back to Joel Lindpere who fired one off but MacMath was there to greet it with an excellent diving save. This was the Zac MacMath the Union dreamed of when he was a first round draft selection.

The start of the second half would see much the same as the first half. The Chicago Fire dominated the midfield and the run of play, but were unable to capitalize on their chances on goal, including a Dilly Duka shot that deflected off Amobi Okugo but MacMath was still able to grab. The Chicago Fire continued to control the run of play, the Chicago Fire continued to take advantage of a weak Union midfield, and the Chicago Fire continued to either miss the goal or get stopped by MacMath.

After scoring two goals last weekend against Seattle, Danny Cruz was once again his usual ineffective self and was subbed out for Sebasiten Le Toux in the 56th minute, a substitution that would prove vital to the final outcome.

Raymon Gaddis got away with a fouling Patrick Nyarko on a breakaway in the 69th minute and this allowed MacMath to come up and scoop up the ball to prevent any further damage. In yet another missed chance for Chicago, a very nice diagonal ball from Paladini found Chris Rolfe who deftly got past Gaddis placing a cross just out of the reach of Nyarko.

The Union would make the Fire pay for their missed chances in the 75th minute. A quick free kick from Le Toux found a streaking McInerney who had beaten a sleeping Jalil Anibaba. McInerney made no mistake sliding the ball past Sean Johnson and the Union would have a 1-0 lead they would not relinquish.

The Fire did end up threatening, though. Quincy Amerikwa came on as a substitute in the 84th minute and did his best to try and shake up the game. After being on the receiving end of a fair challenge from Soumare in the box, Amerikwa took a nice dive to try and draw a penalty. This angered Soumare who in a moment of madness went after Amerikwa behind the official's back. Soumare definitely should not have done that and was quite fortunate have not been spotted by the official.

The Fire's last opportunity came in the final minute of stoppage time when Amerikwa unleashed a howitzer from the perimeter of the box but MacMath was up to the task on what might have been his best save in an afternoon where he made many big saves.

I've been very critical of Zac MacMath's performance and sloppy, over-aggressive tendencies as Union goalkeeper, but holy cow did he ever have a coming out party this afternoon. MacMath was absolutely brilliant today and the only reason the Philadelphia Union had a chance to win. If MacMath can keep playing like this, the Union will be in very good shape behind the back line. That was an outstanding performance from the young goalkeeper.

On the other side, the Union were absolutely fortunate to come away with a win today. Hackworth's tactics sucked again, the Union got dominated by a bad team, and the Union did not deserve a draw this afternoon let alone a full three points. Kleberson and Roger Torres, two guys who could help the Union solve their midfield woes unnecessarily spent the entire 90 minutes on the bench again. The Union may be in 5th place and in line for a playoff spot at the current moment, but unless Hackworth starts changing things around, the Union will not stay there and McInerney's amazing season will be all for naught.

Match Day #10 Game Thread: Chicago Fire vs. Philadelphia Union

2013-05-11T17:41:00Z

Game: Chicago Fire vs. Philadelphia Union

Where: Toyota Park, Bridgeview, IL

When: 1:30 PM ET

Channel: NBCSN

Commentators: Arlo White and Kyle Martino

Meet the Opposition: Hot Time In Old Town

Philadelphia Union starting XI: (4-4-2) Zac MacMath; Gabriel Farfan, Amobi Okugo, Bakary Soumare, Raymon Gaddis; Brian Carroll, Keon Daniel, Michael Farfan, Danny Cruz; Conor Casey, Jack McInerney

Philadelphia Union bench: Matt Kassel, Roger Torres, Chris Konopka, Sebastien Le Toux, Chris Albright, Kleberson, Antoine Hoppenot

Chicago Fire starting XI: (4-4-1-1) Sean Johnson; Gonzalo Segares, Austin Berry, Jalil Anibaba, Wells Thompson; Dan Paladini, Logan Pause, Joel Lindpere, Dilly Duka; Chris Rolfe; Patrick Nyarko

Chicago Fire bench: Corben Bone, Quincy Amerikwa, Paolo Tornaghi, Alex, Maicon Santos, Michael Videira, Yazid Atouba

Prediction: The Union continue to run out a formation and starting XI that has been show time and again to not work. 1-1 draw.

Be sure to join us in this thread for a chat about the game and do not forget to follow along with updates on Twitter by following @brotherlygame and @tBGLive.

Three Questions With Hot Time In Old Town

2013-05-10T19:15:07Z

TBG: It's only two months into the season, but the Eastern Conference appears to be tiered with New York, Houston, Kansas City, and Montreal on top, Philadelphia and Columbus in the middle, and New England, Chicago, Toronto, and D.C. on the bottom. Do you believe the Fire can break through that bottom pack and contend for a playoff spot this year?

HTIOT: A month ago my outlook was a bit brighter than now. I haven't packed in 2013 by any means, but the positive run the Fire went on in April didn't continue in Montreal. We have a talented lineup on paper, but a mix of injuries, tactical mistakes, and player under-performance has hurt the team all year. The biggest issue has been struggling to score goals, as no player is coming through to be the guy that can put the team on his back.

Fans are hopeful the team can put a decent run together and try to hang in there until the summer transfer window. We certainly can't afford to dig too deep of a hole. The problem is we don't have much cap space at all to work with, so the front office is going to have to get creative to bring in that much needed scorer, midfield playmaker, or center back.

TBG: The Union's biggest weakness is the complete inadequacy of their midfield. Do you anticipate the Fire will be able to take advantage of that?

HTIOT: Hopefully we can. The problem is, our midfield has been wildly inconsistent too and has struggled creating at times. If the Fire midfield can carve up the Union center of the pitch, we should be in good shape. Unfortunately that has not happened much this year save the Red Bulls game. One of our biggest weaknesses thus far has been the inability of the midfield to assert themselves and take over a game.

Chicago is a team that has some speed, especially on the wings. We tend to be a counter attacking team, so rather than play directly through the Union midfield, I see us trying to beat Philly down the flanks. However, when we do get the ball in the box and create chances, most of those have not been taken. Something figures to give for one of these teams on Saturday.

TBG: Who has been the Fire's most valuable player thus far this season?

HTIOT: I would have to say Sean Johnson. Apart from a couple of errors, he has been great in goal. Some losses would have been even worse if not for his intervention. Honestly though, there hasn't been many high notes as of yet. Here's to hoping that turns around sooner rather than later.

TBG: Thanks to Ryan for taking the time to answer these questions. Be sure to check my answers to Ryan's questions over at Hot Time In Old Town.