Photo by Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports
By SBI SOCCER
Still feeling the sting of Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup loss, the Philadelphia Union look set to make a major change.
CBS Philadelphia reported Thursday that the Union CEO and Operating Partner Nick Sakiewicz will be dismissed from his duties on Friday morning. Majority owner Jay Sugarman is reportedly set to be in town Friday morning and has called for a staff meaning.
Sakiewicz currently owns a minority share in the team and would reportedly need to be bought out by Sugarman. The 54-year-old executive has been with the club since its inception in 2008.
The news comes on the heels of Wednesday’s U.S> Open Cup final loss to Sporting KC, who claimed victory, 7-6, in a penalty kick shootout. The defeat marked the second straight home U.S. Open Cup final loss for the club.
As things stand, the Union sit ninth in the Eastern Conference with 34 points through 31 games.
What do you think of the news? What do you expect from the Union going forward?
Share your thoughts below.
Not surprising. Sakiewicz, like Kevin Paine, milked some early success when they were competing against buffoons (those who knew nothing about soccer who were involved,….or those who knew a little about soccer but had no business skills/experience) who were running the league all those years ago.
Nevertheless,…kudos to NS for his contributions (whatever they were) to getting the Union off the ground. Despite some of the comments above,…PPL is a beautiful little stadium and is a wonderful environment to watch an MLS game. Also,…their branding is excellent,…the logo, the uni, the colors.
BTW — as I watched the Open Cup final and I saw Conor Casey check in to the match, I thought,…this is all you got? Shame on the Red Bulls for not coming out of that bracket.
This should have happen at the end of the Union’s 3rd season.
For the record PPL is a pretty nice stadium.
It is a nice stadium.
That is where the right change needs to be made. They need someone who can come in and take them to to next level. Sakiewicz was right at the beginning. He is not right for them now.
John sounds like he is from El Paso. Jealousy is a nasty thing.
I learned a long time ago, it ain’t about the stadium. It’s all about the grass pitch and what is played on it.
Jim Curtin has to go too. The open cup was the only thing that could have saved him.
About time but I’m still not renewing my season tickets. There is more housekeeping that needs to be done. If the owner comes out tomorrow hiring Sack’s bud in any FO position then Sugarman has got to go too.
Finally.
I never thought Philly would be successful in terms of winning or having a good pyramid within.
The only reason they have a team is because of the sons of ben and garber had to expand in the east for growth.
Philadelphia union deserve better, even their stadium had to be modified due to money issues.
Hopefully in 5 years, teams like union,dallas,crew,impact,dc, rapids give their fans a real soccer taste, in and outside the field.
its pathetic how some mls stadiums don’t have real roof cover or real seats, or a Jersey sponsor.
look at dc united new stadium rendering, its mls cookie cutter and it keeps getting less sexy due to money issues.
Hopefully dc united end up with a better soccer stadium, its DC united, they deserve better.
Philly has a roof, are you dumb? It actually is a pretty nice place to watch a game. Better than plenty of other MLS venues.
PPL Park is a terrific stadium and a great place to watch a game. What are you talking about? The atmosphere there is terrific.
He does have a point in one sense, the original renderings of design they published of what would become PPL Park looked more interesting than what it ended up actually being built as. It had a full roof which covered all seats and looked unique in its design, but then we were told that due to steel prices being driven up during ’08 and ’09 they had to modify the original plan for the roof.
Just to add to that, I now look at that modification as a precursor of what was to come in terms of this ownership group’s spending habits.
Glad to hear it won’t take 60-90 days to fire him.
Nah, it only took 60-90 months to get it done.
Corporate showdown in Chester PA!