2012: Preseason Report

Another offseason of change for the Union, but a core group of players remains as we begin our 2012 campaign.

Roster
---Goleiros
Bill Samid (USA)
Chris Seitz (USA)

---Zagueiros
Gale Agbossoumonde (USA)
Lucas Galdino (BRA)
Georgi Bonev (BUL)
Jon Bradley (USA)

---Laterais
Marvell Wynne (USA)
Jesús Zavala (USA)
Darren Johnson (USA)
Quavas Kirk (USA)

---Volante
Renan (BRA)
Fethi Trabelsi (TUN)
Danny Beckerman (USA)
Carlos Álvarez Cuevas (USA)

---Meias
Erik Flores (BRA)
Tales (BRA)
Michael Adeyinka (NGA)
Phil Smith (USA)
Carlos Torres (USA)

---Atacante
Michael Chidi Alozi (NGA)
Felix Garcia (USA)
Juan de Dios Rodríguez (USA)
Eric Williams (USA)

---Players out on loan
GK: Carlos Balderas (USA) - Philadelphia Academt
D L: Robert Osorio (USA) - Minnesota
DM, M C: George Roundtree (USA) - Minnesota
DM, M C: Franceso Tomasoni (USA) - Minnesota
M C: Joey Hunt (USA) - Minnesota
M C: Dan Moore (USA) - Minnesota
AM RC: Warren Santana (USA) - Minnesota
AM/F C: Carlos Fisher (USA) - Minnesota
AM/F C: Michael Hodgson (USA) - Minnesota
ST: Jose Barbosa (BRA) - Minnesota
ST: Mark Bryant (USA) - Minnesota
ST: Carlos Richards (USA) - Minnesota
ST: Andy Moore (USA) - Minnesota

Transfers Out
The biggest loss was probably Ciro. The striker who was my first big signing was sold to Palmerias. Danny Szetela was sold to FC Nantes. Dax McCarty (Chicago Fire) and Bobby Boswell (FC Dallas) were key contributors who were traded away in favor of draft picks. Youness Mokhtar and Daniel Stahl (Seattle Sounders FC), and Chris George (Columbus Crew) were traded for other players. Chance Myers' contract expired and he signed with ADO Den Haag. Sebastien Nayar's contract expired, and he is currently without a club.

Transfers In
Jesús Zavala (Real Salt Lake), Phil Smith (Seattle Sounders FC), and Eric Williams (Columbus Crew) were all brought in via trade. Renan (Atético Paranaense), Erick Flores (Flamengo), and Tales (Internacional) were all purchased from clubs in Brazil. Thanks to trades, we were able to bring in some quality prospects in the draft. George Rowntree, Mark Bryant, Robert Osorio, Michael Hodgson, and Chris Fisher were all drafted and immediately sent out on loan to Minnesota.

Squad Analysis
Bill Hamid looks to have developed into a top notch MLS keeper and he will now be the #1 choice over Chris Seitz. We have transfer listed Seitz but so far have had no takers.

Bobby Boswell's departure leaves a gap in the center of the defense. Gale Agboussoumonde has one spot locked down, with foreigners Lucas Galdino and Georgi Bonev competing for the second spot. Jon Bradley is a young player who will see significant time also.

At Volante, we purchased Renan from Brazil and he and Fethi Trabelsi will be the first team players there. Renan is the more defensive of the two while Fethi is more the playmaker. Danny Beckerman and Carlos Àlvarez Cuevas are young players who will see time. Beckerman has really developed into a nice player and is the primary backup.

In the attacking midfield, Michael Adeyinka returns. His primary partners will be Tales and Erick Flores, creative Brazilians purchased in the offseason. Carlos Torres returns and Phil Smith is an exciting prospect brought in from Seattle. This is by far our deepest position.

Up front, Michael Chidi Alozi looks to build o his stellar first season with Philadelphia. Three players will vie to replace the departed Ciro. Juan de Dios Rodríguez is the incumbent and has good aerial ability. Felix Garcia comes off loan and hopes to show what he learned at Minnesota. And Eric Williams is a speedster who was acquired from Columbus.

Pan-Pacific Championship
Once again we won this competition, defeating F Marinos and Shandong both by a score of 3-1. The victory makes it 3 for 3 for the Union in the Pan-Pacific Championship.

CONCACAF Champions League
In the knockout stages now. Our quarterfinal opponent was Mexico powerhouse Pachuca. The first leg in Pachuca was a hard fought draw that saw us have the better chances but were ultimately unable to put them away. We finally were able to find the net in the 50th minute of the home leg, a set piece goal by Michael Adeyinka. It was all we needed and we were off to the semifinals with a 1-0 victory.

Our semifinal pairing was against fellow MLS outfit New England Revolution. In the first leg at home, Pat Phelan of the Revs made us nervous with his 22nd minute goal. However, Phil Smith (29) and Michael Chidi Alozi (76) came to our rescue and we won the leg 2-1. At New England, we again found ourselves having trouble finding the net, but still held on to our 2-1 lead by keeping New England out of our goal for the 90 minute tie. Our troubles in front of the opposition net could be down to missing Ciro.

We don't know who our opponents in the final will be, but the other semifinal pairing is Pumas (MEX) and Club America (MEX).

Algeria
After a qualifying campaign that was spread out over two years, it was finally time for the African Cup of Nations in Gabon. We are trying to return the Cup to Algeria, whose only other championship was in 1990.

The group stages were far more difficult than we wanted them to be. In the opener against Gambia, we found ourselves down 1-0 after only 3 minutes. The squad fought back, and we scored three consecutive goals. Gambia would get one back but we held on for a 3-2 win and all the points. We met arch-rivals Morocco in the second fixture, and had a 2-1 lead late. But Nabil Baha scored an 84th minute equalizer and we had to settle for the draw. Our final group match against Mali was a little easier going, and Abdelkader Ghezzal scored a hat trick in the 3-1 victory that helped us win the group.

In the quarterfinal we found ourselves with a monumental task in the Ivory Coast. We bunkered in from the kickoff and in the 7th minute, Hassan Yebda scored on a corner kick to give us a surprise 1-0 lead. Didier Drogba put CIV on level terms with a nice strike in the 33rd. The match looked destined for penalties, with both teams struggling to find space. But Karim Ziani made a nice diagonal run in the 82nd minute and scored the winner for Algeria.

After the surprise win in the round of eight, our semifinal opponent was South Africa. This time former Union player Feham Bouazza opened our account with a goal in the 15th. South Africa would tie the score in the 51st and once again, this match had shootout written all over it. But Rafik Halliche with yet another set piece goal in the 90th minute sealed the dramatic victory and we were off to the final.

In the final, we met another African powerhouse in Ghana. This one would be one for the Cup of Nations ages. Prince Tagoe of Ghana would put the favorites in front in the 33rd minute, and Nana Asare scored a second six minutes later. Idir Ouali netted an important goal just before the half to keep us in the game. It wouldnt be long after emerging from the changing room that Ouali would score the equalizer and we had a whole new ball game. It looked like we might be in trouble when Abdelkader Ghezzal went down with an injury, but his replacement Sofiane Hanni would give Algeria the lead in the 51st minute. Ghana wasn't going to stay down for long though, and Iliasu Shilla found the back of the jar in the 56th and we were all tied up once again. Hanni etched his name in Algerian legend 10 minutes later when he made a run down the center of the pitch and got onto the end of a Rafik Djebbour cross to complete a wild 33 minutes of football that saw 7 goals scored. Ghana's magic ran out and Algeria held on for a 4-3 victory from a fantastic match.

With the historic victory, Algeria now turns it's attention to World Cup qualifying. We play Central African Republic, Zambia, and Liberia twice each before the end of the year. The winner of the group advances, with 8 of the 12 runner ups also advancing to the third round of qualifying. There are two friendly calendar dates later in the year that we intend to fill, but we are waiting to see who will be available as I would like to go outside of the continent as we prepare ourselves for what will hopefully be World Cup competition.