2011: Preseason Report

The preseason is over, and a new campaign begins for the Philadelphia Union. It was actually a busy preseason for us this year, playing in the Pan-Pacific Championship again and the knockout stages of the CONCACAF Champions League. Let's begin with personnel moves

Transfers
Several players were traded away in the offseason. Among them, key players Peri Marosevic (Real Salt Lake), Heath Pearce (LA Galaxy), Danny O'Rourke (LA Galaxy), Justin Mapp (FC Dallas), Sam Cronin (FC Dallas), and Adrian Peralta (FC Dallas). We also have several new faces. Michael Chidi Alozi (F - BATE) and Michael Douglas (D LC - Atlanta Silverbacks) were purchased. We traded for Chris George (AM RLC - LA Galaxy), Jon Bradley (D C - Real Salt Lake), and Danny Beckerman (DM M C - FC Dallas). Bradley was sent on loan to Minnesota. In the SuperDraft we acquired a couple of interesting prospects in Alfonso Alfaro (AM RLC) and Jose Barbosa (F C, BRA). Both players have been loaned to Minnesota for the season. In the waiver draft we picked up Felix Garcia (F C) and Dax McCarty (DM, AM C).

2011 Philadelphia Union Roster
---Goleiros
Chris Seitz (USA)
Bill Hamid (USA)

---Zaguiros
Bobby Boswell (USA)
Lucas Galdino (BRA)
Gale Agbossoumonde (USA)
Michael Douglas (USA)

---Laterais
Marvell Wynne (USA)
Chance Myers (USA)
Darren Johnson (USA)
Quavas Kirk (USA)

---Volantes
Sebastian Nayar (ARG)
Fethi Trabelsi (TUN)
Danny Szetela (USA)
Dax McCarty (USA)
Danny Beckerman (USA)

---Meias
Michael Adeyinka (NIG)
Feham Bouazza (ALG)
Chris Georgia (USA)
Youness Mokhtar (NED)
Carlos Torres (USA)

---Atacantes
Ciro (BRA)
Michael Chidi Alozi (NIG)
Daniel Stahl (USA)
Juan de Dios Rodriguez (USA)

---Players Loaned Out
GK: Carlos Balderas (USA) - Philadelphia Academy
GK: Jason Gray (USA) - Minnesota
D RC: Scott Pulido (USA) - Minnesota
D C: Phil Wheeldon (USA) - Minnesota
D C: Jon Bradley (USA) - Minnesota
D C: Mario McDonald (USA) - Minnesota
M C: Carlos Alvarez Cuevas (USA) - Minnesota
M C: Francesco Tomasoni (USA) - Philadelphia Academy
AM RC: Alfonso Alfaro (USA) - Minnesota
ST: Israel Sesay (USA) - Minnesota
ST: Jose Barbarosa (BRA) - Minnesota
ST: Felix Garcia (USA) - Minnesota

(Obviously I have problems letting go of prospects /o\ )

Pan-Pacific Championship
It was our second year in a row in this competition, earned by winning MLS. I like playing in it, you get a couple of real but low pressure matches against light competition right when you're trying to get your players ready for the season. In this case it was especially helpful because we had Champions League matches shortly after. In the semifinal, Daniel Stahl scored twice sandwiched around a Feham Bouazza strike en route to a 3-0 win over the Urawa Reds (JPN). The final against Korean outfit Jeonbuk was a little more competitive, but Fethi Trabelsi opened our account in the 24th minute. Daniel Stahl scored his 3rd of the tournament and sealed the deal on a 2-0 victory for the championship.

CONCACAF Champions League
In the quarterfinal, we squared off against fellow MLS club Toronto FC. The first leg away, Pere Marti scored for the Reds in the 42nd minute. It looked like that was destined to be the only goal of the match until Michael Adeyinka came to the rescue in the first minute of stoppage time, heading in a free kick to even the aggregate at 1 heading back to Philly. The action was just as intense at Union Field, but Ciro slotted home a PK in the 49th minute that would be all that was necessary for a 2-1 aggregate win.

The semifinal draw would see us matched up against Mexican giants Club America. The first leg at famed Estadio Azteca in front of 87043 would be eerily similar to the first leg at BMO. We were under heavy pressure for most of the match, and Daniel Montenegro finally broke through for America in the 67th minute, putting us behind 1-0. Once again, stoppage time heroics would save the day, as substitute Juan de Dios Rodriguez found the back of the jar in the third minute of injury time in the run of the play to put us on equal ground for the second leg.

CA came north to Philly needing a goal desperately. After playing on a balmy 64 degrees and sunny day in the first leg, the second leg would be cold and wet at 42 degrees. The first half saw neither team able to do much, with America struggling to break down our organized defense. In the 62nd minute, Bobby Boswell really put Mexico in dire straits by heading in a goal off a corner kick, and Ciro all but turned out the lights by hitting America on a counter attack for a second, and we held on for the 2-0 win, 3-1 on aggregate. The second leg really went by the typical Mexico-USA script. Mexico attacks, USA scores on a set piece, Mexico attacks desperately, USA scores on counter: final score 2-0.

Algeria
Two matches so far in 2011. The first was a home friendly against Somalia that I used to give a few guys their first cap, and cap tie a naturalized French player. Rafik Halliche and Idir Ouali scored for a 2-0 win.

The second was a ACN qualifier at Lesotho. We really didn't play well, but goals by Anthar Yahia and Philadelphia Union player Feham Bouazza (his first international goal) helped us take all 3 points. After the first round of matches, we are tied atop the group with Sierra Leone. Here are the group standings:

1. Algeria 7pts (2-1-0) 4gf-1ga +3gd
1. Sierra Leona 7pts (2-1-0) 4gf-1ga +3gd
3. Sudan 3pts (1-0-2) 5gf-5ga 0gd
4. Lesotho opts (0-0-3) 1gf-7ga -6gd

On June 1, Sudan comes in for a ACN qualifier. We then play a series of friendlies in the summer (Cameroon, Morocco, Albania), before resuming qualifying in September for a crucial match at Sierra Leone. It will likely determine our groups representative in Gabon (African Cup of Nations). After that, we host Venezuela before closing the book on qualifying against Lesotho. We will probably set up one more friendly after the Lesotho match.