Soccer By Ives

Nowak resigns from U.S. national team, next stop Philadelphia

 

                                           Photo by ISIphotos.com

Peter Nowak said farewell to one job on Thursday, setting up his next coaching opportunity, which will begin on Friday.

Nowak officially resigned from his post as U.S. national team assistant coach on Thursday, clearing the way for him to be named head coach of the MLS expansion Philadelphia Union. Nowak's appointment as Union head coach, first reported by SBI late on Wednesday night, will be officially announced at a press conference in Chester on Friday.

Nowak to be named Philadelphia Union's first head coach

 

                                                                          Photo by ISIphotos.com

The MLS expansion Philadelphia Union has selected its first head coach and it has chosen a man with championship experience and a gritty style perfectly-suited for his new home.

Philadelphia will introduce Peter Nowak as its first head coach at a press conference on Friday, sources with knowledge of the hire told Soccer By Ives on Wednesday. Nowak, the only man to ever win an MLS Cup as a player and head coach, is leaving his post as U.S. national team assistant coach to take over as head coach for the Union, which is set to begin play in 2010.

Philadelphia Union CEO Nick Sakiewicz would not confirm the hire when contacted on Wednesday. Nowak, 44, was not with the U.S. national team in Miami on Wednesday at its first training session ahead of its upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Costa Rica and Honduras.

Mid-Day Musings (Notes on Philly Union, Eddie Lewis and Zak Whitbread)

   

                                                                 Photo by ISIphotos.com

Good afternoon all. It was another exciting week of soccer action, both in MLS and abroad, and there are plenty of topics to discuss, so here are a few I wanted to touch on:

As we head stand almost a third of the way through the MLS season, these are the playoff match-ups if the season ended today:

• Chicago vs. Toronto FC

• D.C. United vs. Kansas City

• Chivas USA vs. Colorado

• Seattle vs. Houston

Folks, if you're team isn't listed above, you can take heart in the knowledge that five of the seven teams currently on the outside of the playoffs looking in are just three points away from a playoff spot. If you're a fan of FC Dallas or San Jose I'd say take heart in knowing you will have a good chance at the No. 2 pick in the 2009 MLS Draft (Yes, Philly will have the first pick, darn expansion team).

MLS Philadelphia introduces new name and colors

 

                                                                       Photo by ISIphotos.com

Philadelphia soccer fans enjoyed another milestone day on Monday as the 2010 MLS expansion team revealed its nickname and colors at a ceremony at City Hall. The Philadelphia Union won't take the field for another 10 months, but the celebration of their arrival is well under way.

Here is the logo for those of you who missed it last week:

  

Now that the name and colors have been decided, it's time to start thinking about a head coach. Philadelphia president Nick Sakiewicz said months ago that he wanted to have a head coach in place during the first half of 2009. Should we still expect a hiring that soon? Who would you like to see hired?

Share your thoughts below.

MLS Philadelphia's Nickname to be Union

 

The MLS Expansion team in Philadelphia finally has a name.

Major League Soccer's 16th team will be named the Philadelphia Union, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Friday. Union beat out four other proposed nicknames, including AC Philadelphia and Philadelphia City.

For those who recall, SBI's informal poll on choosing a Philadelphia nickname back in January drew more than 3,800 votes and saw Philadelphia City (30 percent) edge out both AC Philadelphia (27 percent) and Philadelphia Union (26 percent).

Philadelphia Union will officially unveil its new team name, logo and colors on Monday at a ceremony at Philadelphia City Hall.

My initial thoughts? The logo and colors are great and while I wasn't a fan of Union out of the four finalists, I don't think it's terrible. I also like the idea of the team informally adopting "The Snakes" as a nickname.

What do you think of the name? Should Philly have gone with AC or SC? Like the logo? Just glad I won't have to run that tired photo of the shovel?

Share your thoughts on Philadelphia's nickname and logo below.

SBI's Recommended Reading

 

By SEAN RUBIO

With the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals out of the way, we've got stories from Colombia, Italy, and more for you on this Thursday edition of Recommended Reading.  You know its a good day on the internet when you chance upon a Diego Serna interview:

Ex-MLSer Diego Serna talks about life in Miami, and playing for Miami FC [Football in Miami and Beyond]

A look at Real Madrid's €70m credit from a Spanish bank in an effort to land C. Ronaldo [Mad About Futbol]

Wonder-strikes from around the world [FourFourTwo]

Possible split looking between Serie A and Serie B coming closer to reality [ESPNSoccernet]

Colombian player suspended after admitting dive in post-match interview [Reuters UK]

MLS Philly to unveil name, colors, and more on May 11 [MLSNet]

Agree that "football is for the cunning, not for suckers"?  Happy to hear from Diego Serna?  What do you think Philly's name and color scheme should be?

Share your thoughts below.

Voting for Philly MLS team name officially begins

 

Okay Philadelphia MLS fans, it is time to vote.

The Philadelphia Inquirer/Daily News is hosting the official ballot to name the 2010 MLS franchise in Philadelphia. The four choices are the same ones revealed two weeks ago, along with a write-in category that voters can chose to select something different.

More than 3,600 votes were cast in SBI's informal poll on naming the Philly team, and it was a very close race. Philadelphia City won the SBI voting with 30 percent of the voting while AC Philadelphia (27 percent) and Philadelphia Union (26 percent) followed closely behind. Philadelphia SC drew the least support among SBI readers with just 14 percent of the vote. In case you missed my previous endorsement, I am sticking with Philadelphia City as my favorite choice for the name.

Now that you have had some time to digest the choices for a Philly team name which name do you think should be chosen? Which would get your vote today? Which would make you the least happy? What write-in vote do you see making some noise?

Share your thoughts on the Philadelphia MLS team name vote below.

Philadelphia settles on finalists for team name

Philadephia fans still have to wait more than a year for their expansion MLS team to take the field, but they are finally closer to knowing what that team's name will be.

According to sources within MLS, the Philadelphia expansion team has settled on four finalists for the club's name. AC Philadelphia, Philadelphia City, Philadelphia Union and Philadelphia SC. The club is expected to hold a vote in the coming months, allowing fans to choose the name of the team. The Philadelphia expansion team is scheduled to begin play in 2010.

So now that the name possibilities are out, which one do you like the most? Vote below:

poll by twiigs.com

Which ones do I like? Philladelphia City and AC Philadelphia are pretty snazzy and none of them are Kansas City Wiz terrible.

What do you think if the final four name finalists? Do you dislike any of them? Is there a nickname that should have made the cut that didn't?

Share your thoughts below.

Trouble in Philadelphia?

 

Fans of the expansion Philadelphia MLS franchise are probably treading a bit nervously after comments attributed to Nick Sakiewicz about the expansion team's stadium project, which was originally set to be ready in time for when the team begins play in 2010.

“I wish we could give you hard commitments today, but we’re not even sure the stadium is going to be built,” Sakiewiecz told the Delaware County Times. “If the markets tank next month, then we won’t build this thing. We’ll be out $15 million and everyone goes home.”

As alarming as those words sound, the full DelCo Times story paints a better picture of posturing politics, some haggling over a tax zone on the stadium property.

That said, the comments sure don't ease concerns over growing rumors about financial instability within the Philadelphia ownership group.

Definitely give the story a read before you go jumping to any conclusions.

What do you think of the story? Are you a worried Philly fan? Think it's just another case of political posturing? Starting wonder if we might see Miami Barcelona instead of a Philadelphia team in 2010? Think it's much ado about nothing?

Share your thoughts below.

Philadelphia MLS expansion team breaks ground on $115M stadium

 

The Philadelphia MLS expansion team broke ground on their new $115 million stadium project in Chester, PA on Monday, moving a step closer to building a new home for soccer in the Northeast.

MLS commissioner Don Garber was on hand (below, second from left), complete with hard hat and shovel. The Philly supporter's group, Sons of Ben, also made an appearance. Philly MLS chief executive Nick Sakiewicz was there, and I don't want to say he's been to his share of groundbreakings but he's put more shovels in the ground than Joe Pesci's character in Goodfellas. All kidding aside, Sakiewicz and the Philadelphia ownership group deserve credit for keeping their stadium project afloat amidst so much economic uncertainty.

Speakingo which, here is a more sobering take on the groundbreaking from the Phily Inquirer.

Concerns about the economy aside, Monday was an exciting day to be a soccer fan in the Philadelphia area. With an eager fan base, government support for a stadium, and a 2010 kick-off just 15 months away, thinks are looking up for soccer in the city of Brotherly Love.

What do you think of the groundbreaking ceremony? Are you excited about Philadelphia joining MLS? Are you a DC or Red Bulls fan who can't wait to have a team to cheer against just two hours away?

Share your thoughts below.

Morning Ticker: Drogba charged, Philly set to break ground and no call-up for Beckham

Didier Drogba is in trouble.

His well-publicized return throw of a coin tossed at him during Chelsea's Carling Cup loss to Burnley could wind up costing him far more than he could have bargained for now that Drogba is facing a charge from the English FA over the incident.

What sort of suspension could he be looking at? It is looking like the striker will face a three-match ban, an unfortunate development for a player who had just returned from injury.

And yes, for those of you wondering, at least one fan has stepped forward and filed a complaint against Drogba over the incident. Yes, I know, shocking.

Here are some other stories to get your day started:

Vermes turns down Sounders FC coaching job

                                                Photo by ISIphotos.com

So who is the most wanted man in Major League Soccer? No, this isn't a David Beckham joke. The answer, it turns out, is Kansas City Wizards technical director Peter Vermes. Less than a month after turning down an offer to become general manager of the Los Angeles Galaxy, now comes word that he has turned down an MLS head coaching job.

Seattle Sounders FC, the expansion franchise set to begin playing in 2009, offered Vermes its head coaching job and he has passed on the offer, sources with knowledge of the offer told SBI on Thursday. Sources have also told SBI that the job has also been discussed with one current MLS head coach.

The former U.S. national team standout and former player for the MetroStars, Rapids and Kansas City Wizards was offered the position by former U.S. national team and Colorado Rapids teammate Chris Henderson, who is now the Seattle technical director. Henderson also spent the 2007 season as an assistant coach with Kansas City, where he also worked with Vermes.

MLS reveals announcement plans for Philadelphia expansion

Philadelphia, MLS is coming your way.

As reported last week by SBI, Major League Soccer will announce Philadelphia as the league's 16th team at a ceremony at 2pm on Thursday at Turbine Hall in Chester, PA. MLS commissioner Don Garber and members of the Philadelphia expansion group will be in attendance for the event.

So there you have it. The team is coming. Philly fans can breath a sigh of relief and start saving their money for those tickets.

What do you think of the news? Share your thoughts (and joy) below.

My take on MLS expansion in Philadelphia

Good morning all.

As you read recently on SBI, Major League Soccer is preparing to announce Philadelphia as the league's 16th franchise and, with that in mind, I thought it was a good time to take a look at Philly and what the city will be bringing to the MLS table.

Here is my story on Philadelphia expansion for ESPN.com. I found it very interesting that there are so many long-time MLS fans in the city, fans who rooted for either D.C. United or the Red Bulls/MetroStars who are ready to root for Philly's new team. Add that to the instant rivalries created by D.C. and New York and these are elements that will help a Philly team be a success right away.

Those of you who have read SBI for a while know that I have backed Philly as an expansion city for a while now and I'm still convinced that it will be a big hit. After working on this piece I am even more convinced.

League officials are putting the finishing touches on the announcement, though I am told the league's Board of Governors has yet to put its stamp on it. Could this lead to a delay? Sure, but just like the Seattle expansion news (which you read first on SBI and which wound up being delayed by almost two months), Philadelphia expansion is happening. In a league where simple trades wind up getting delayed by a week because of red tape, it isn't a surprise to see such a major announcement getting stuck in the MLS mud.

Here is a question. What will you be looking forward to the most about a Philadelphia expansion franchise? Visiting a new stadium? Enjoying a new rivalry? Having an excuse to travel near Atlantic City? A chance to have some quality cheesesteaks?

Share your thoughts below.

What should Philadelphia's team name be?

With the MLS expansion team in Philadelphia just two years away I couldn't help but wonder what good nickname would be for the club.

With the Seattle expansion team considering the awful name Emeral City Greens we can only hope that the people in Philadelphia come up with something better.

What shouldn't Philly's team be called? The Liberty Bells probably wouldn't go over well. The Cheesesteaks probably wouldn't either.

You make the call people. What should the MLS expansion team in Philly be called? Share your suggestions below.