Major League Soccer's 16th team will take the field for the first time tonight when the Philadelphia Union makes its debut in the MLS season opener vs. the Seattle Sounders (9:30pm, ESPN2).
The Sounders head into their second year looking to build on a very successful inaugural season, and are considered by many (including SBI) as an MLS Cup title contender.
The Union will struggle to match Seattle's first-year success, but head coach Peter Nowak has built a strong defense that should help Philadelphia stay competitive despite a lack of dangerous attacking options.
I will be providing commentary throughout tonight's match so please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action (Commentary is after the jump):
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FINAL– That's all for me. Thank you for following along and please feel free to share your post-match thoughts in the comments section below.
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FINAL– Some post-game thoughts.
Steve Zakuani looks poised for a breakout season.
Danny Mwanga should never play central midfield. Ever. Not even for a minute. Please.
Roger Torres looks like a great prospect. Play him in front of two tough defensive midfielders and let him create.
It's scary to think about what Seattle will look like with Blaise Nkufo in its lineup. I'm feeling good about Seattle as my MLS Cup champion pick.
Philadelphia is going to have serious growing pains, but the Union has tons of young talent. The future is bright for Philly, but year one is going to be a struggle.
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FINAL– Sounders 2, Union 0. Seattle was just too good for a young and inexperienced Philly team.
And yes, I'm 1-0 in MLS picks after predicting a 2-0 Seattle victory before the match.
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91st minute– I like Fucito's game, he's not making passes he could make but he's quick and aggressive. He can't be worse than Levesque showed.
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90th minute– Seattle has taken the foot off the gas, but Philly's got nothing.
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86th minute– Moreno draws a yellow card for fouling Nyassi. Not a good tackle at all.
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84th minute– Seattle has pushed hard for a third goal, with Fucito looking good since coming on.
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78th minute– Michael Fucito came on for Zakuani. Kid's got some speed.
Jack McInerny is into the match. The youngster is very talented and quick. he's in for Myrie.
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75th minute– Myrie hurt his knee and looks ready to come out. Looks like a thigh injury. That or Zakuanitis.
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73rd minute– Kudos to the Philadelphia fans who made the trip to Seattle. Consider we didn't even know if the season would start on time until Saturday, it has been an impressive showing by the Sons of Ben.
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71st minute– Amobi Okugo comes in for Torres. Nice night for the Colombian midfielder.
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65th minute– Nyassi with a nice dribble at goal, but his shot is wide of the net. Philly stays on the back-foot and looks primed to give up another goal.
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63rd minute– You may have missed it but Stefani Miglioranzi came on for Danny Mwanga at halftime (No, I didn't notice either).
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62nd minute– David Myrie just plowed through Zakuani, earning a yellow card for his trouble.
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60th minute– Nyassi comes on for Ljungberg, who played well (diving aside).
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58th minute– Freddie Ljungberg is asking to come out.
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57th minute– Montero with a good look but he skies it. Needs to do better there. Seattle should be up 3-0 or 4-0.
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55th minute– Seitz does very well to run out and clear the ball from Brad Evans.
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52nd minute– Myrie doing better against Zakuani in the second half, staying in front of the speedster.
Seattle corner.
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49th minute– Sloppy start to this half for both teams.
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48th minute– Ljungberg really needs to stop diving.
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46th minute– And we're back.
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HALFTIME– It should be noted that while Stahl's second yellow was understandable, his first yellow card was a bad call.
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HALFTIME– Here are some halftime thoughts:
Alonso and Ljungberg are just flat out better than Mwanga and Orozco.
Steve Zakuani is moving much better tonight than he did last year. He's thinking cross rather than trying to make too many moves and turning the ball over or taking bad shots.
Roger Torres looks very promising. He's only 18? The kid has skills, but needs better support in midfield.
David Myrie doesn't look ready to play right back.
Danny Mwanga needs to play forward, or not at all. He is not a central midfielder. Not in MLS anyway.
Roger Levesque is just not good enough to start. Seattle may need to consider playing Sanna Nyassi.
Kasey Keller is 40 but can still move well and make key saves.
Freddy Montero still dives too much, but he does take his share of abuse.
Philly needs to sign a DP this summer. Badly.
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HALFTIME– Sounders 2, Union 0. Philly started well but the play of Alonso, Zakuani and Ljungberg helped Seattle take over. Philly's youth and immaturity showed and something tells me we will see more goals.
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45th minute– Ljungberg's touch fails him on another Sounders breakout. Philly looks like they're two men down, not just one.
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45th minute– Terrible play by Jordan Harvey, who falls asleep and keeps Montero onside on the goal.
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44th minute– GOAL SOUNDERS!!! Freddy Montero heads home Seattle's second goal. Sounders 2, Philly 0.
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43rd minute– Levesque with another poor touch. He's just not good enough.
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42nd minute– This match is going to get ugly. You just know it. Philly's defense has been getting ripped apart at even strength. A man down? Seattle should have a field day.
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40th minute– STAHL WITH THE RED CARD!! He gets a second yellow and is out. Not sure if that's a second yellow, but he's gone. Tough first match for the rookie.
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38th minute– Roger Torres with a great pass but LeToux was offside on what could have been a great scoring chance.
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36th minute– If you are following along with the commentary, please let me know in the comments section.
Roger Torres looks good for Philly tonight.
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34th minute– Orozco has shown some flashes. He's not that bad in central midfield, you can see some skill on the ball.
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33rd minute– Philly corner, it's Torres to take.
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32nd minute– SAVE SEITZ. Montero with a clear look right at Seitz.
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30th minute– Ljungberg and Alonso are dominating play in central midfield, but that's to be expected considering Philly is using a centerback and a striker in central midfield.
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28th minute– Maybe it's just me but Mwanga does not look comfortable in central midfield. He's spending far too much time with his back to goal, tracking back for balls. His strengths are speed and an ability to go at people. He doesn't look like he'll be doing that tonight.
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26th minute– Zakuani with another dangerous run. He's looked great tonight. Philly keeps getting caught on the counter.
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24th minute– Toni Stahl with a yellow card for a foul on Ljungberg, who's feeling pain in his back on the sidelines.
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18th minute– Freddy Montero has a shin injury that has him hobbled.
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16th minute– Roger Levesque just shanked a WIDE-OPEN look from Zakuani, sends it into the stands.
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14th minute– Osvaldo Alonso with a yellow card for a tackle from behind on Moreno.
David Myrie was beaten on the Evans goal as he was late to pick up Zakuani's overlapping run, which allowed Freddy Montero to spring him with a nice pass.
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12th minute– GOAL SEATTLE!!! And it's Brad Evans with the finish off a great cross in from Zakuani. Seattle 1, Philadelphia 0.
Great build-up.
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11th minute– Roger Torres looks good on the ball early for Philly. He's just 18 folks, lots of talent there. This Philly team is going to be something in a few years.
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9th minute– Seattle is starting to pick it up a bit. They need to maintain some more possession.
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6th minute– Philly's corner is headed clear. Seattle is stuck in its half now. Surprising.
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6th minute– Orozco with a shot from distance that forces a Keller save.
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5th minute– Philly applying some pressure now. Seattle hasn't come out as strong as you'd expect.
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2nd Minute– The free kick and rebound shot are both blocked by the wall.
It's a rainy night in Seattle.
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1st Minute– Danny Califf gets a yellow for a foul on Montero just seconds into the match. Dangerous free kick for Seattle.
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1st Minute– We are underway and the Philadelphia Union are born.
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PRE-GAME– We're almost underway.
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PRE-GAME– Looking at Philly's lineup, I really do think they're a DP away from being able to move past a few teams in the East. Their defense should be strong and if Seitz lives up to the hype, they will be tough to score on.
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PRE-GAME– Here is Seattle's starting lineup:
————-Montero———Ljungberg ————-
Zakuani—————Evans—————Levesque
———————–Alonso————————-
Gonzalez——Hurtado—–Marshall———Scott
———————–Keller————————-
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PRE-GAME– Very young lineup for the Union, with rookies Mwanga and Stahl and youngsters Seitz, Myrie, Torres and Orozco.
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PRE-GAME– Here is Philadelphia's starting lineup:
—————LeToux———-Moreno—————
Jacobson————Mwanga—————-Torres
——————Stahl—–Orozco ——————
Harvey————–Califf———————-Myrie
———————-Seitz—————————–
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PRE-GAME– For those wondering, I'm picking Seattle to beat the Columbus Crew in the 2010 MLS Cup Final. No, I didn't pick Seattle to win the West in the regular season, but I do think the arrival of Blaise Nkufo this summer will provide the missing piece to help the Sounders win it all. Realistically though, I think there are as many as five different teams that could win.
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PRE-GAME– The suspense over Philadelphia's starting lineup is almost over. Seattle's starting lineup has slightly less suspense, though Nate Jaqua and James Riley aren't playing tonight.
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Another great showing by the Sounders Fans last night!
I believe every PHI card was deserved…. just Cynical fouls from an outclassed opponent.
I’m not sure if you are referring to the tv or at the stadium, but at the stadium they announced it as a “Seattle record for a MLS game.”
I am not so sure about the ‘great coach’ bit. He played what, 3, players completely out of position, on the road, in the first game of the club’s existence? Not a recipe for success.
And then, it seemed clear to me that the hacking and aggressive physical play was a coaches call too. Maybe he was figuring on standard MLS refs where tackles through the back of the legs 50 yards from goal don’t draw cards, but it was always likely that Philly would not end with 11 men starting like that.
I thought he started out a little dodgy, but he settled down. Last year I was frustrated with his passing to another defender every time he got the ball. Last night, though, he was definitely playing farther up the field and distributing forward, so I see those as improvements.
How is a knee/kick back to someone’s back not a yellow card reckless tackle. I’m sorry but that type if tackle is unacceptable.
Terrible spelling there…I know
Thing is, Philli have some good young talent and a great coach…but they are way too undisciplined. I think it stems down to no real leadersgip yet. 30 seconds in and their captain is already booked for a stupid cheapshop…Stahl sentoff at 40 minutes. From there they were doomed. Again, signs of hoep from their young players, but a long way to go unless the vets step it up.
I saw the game this morning (dvr’d it) and thought the same thing! lol He looks like he’s about to break his water any minute. lol
Ives,
Good to know that you’re feeling great about your MLS Champion pick after the team you picked beat an expansion team, at home, who had 10 men for most of the match. Way to keep things in perspective big man.
Now that’s funny.
Or maybe the ref was doing his job, because most of the fouls from Philly were from behind after they were beaten. Generally those will be given yellows.
For those complaining about the first yellow, I am pretty sure that foul led to the injury that had him leave the game early.
I wasn’t that impressed with the Union, but then again it was their first game. If it wasn’t a nasty night in Seattle that game isn’t even close. Seattle seemed to be trying to kill the game off, which is fine given the rain and wind that made it a miserable night.
Fischy…… Ive seen DC games in the past….. He plays best outwide……. For the time being Nowak should go balls to the wall and start the following team
Mwanga at center mid? Why?
I’m pretty happy with that effort, especially after the team went down a man. Even Ives predicted second half goals from SEA and there were none.
And Scott couldn’t make a first touch all game.
Shame the ref decided to be such a homer. What was it 5 or 6 yellows on just 8 fouls for Philly. Total joke but hardly a shock in this league.
I thought the Union played well and far better than I expected given the players they picked up. Keep that up and they’ll not finish last.
I only saw the highlights after the game, but I agree; the Union kits look absolutely horrendous. I’m thinking that maybe some of you that watched the whole match thought they looked ok?… but on the highlights it was almost unbelievable that anyone would let them march on to the pitch looking like that.
I think if they had blue shorts it would make a world of difference (I actually really liked the way the shirts looked when they were unveiled.)
Form is temporary class is permanent?
Just got back from the game–a few comments:
Turnout in the rain was great. At first I thought ECS seemed quieter this year but they definitely picked it up. Was also great to see small groups in the rest of the crowd beginning to sing along and jump.
I couldn’t tell if Stahl deserved the first card–they didn’t show many replays in the stadium–but he totally deserved the second. I really didn’t see much diving–even from Moreno, shockingly–the game was a bit chippy but nothing malicious. Montero and Ljundberg both cleaned up their diving games in the latter half of last year but their early reputations clearly precede them, especially in this forum. They get hacked constantly and I would have a hard time holding my tongue in their position.
A plane flew around the stadium with an “ACES: GO UNION” banner. I thought it was pretty funny. Got kind of old when it didn’t go away, though. Guess TA wanted to get their money’s worth.
Final thought. Rather than making defensive subs in the second half I was impressed that Sigi brought in Nyassi and Fucito. Great opportunity to get offensive-minded second stringers some time. We clearly need more depth up front than in back. Oh, real final thought: Levesque had an off night. I’ve seen him play great at this level and word is that he came into camp better than ever.
What you said times four.
In long shots the Union looked like they weren’t wearing pants.