Union Held to a Draw

The Philadelphia Union needed three points today at home but Colorado held them to a 1-1 draw. The Union outplayed the Rapids in the first half, but again they gave up the first goal in the 59th minute. Jeff Larentowicz, who had a whole section rooting him on (he is from the area), drove home a long strike.

The Union had chances but were just unable to finish until Danny Mwanga finally tied it up in the 73rd minute. Mwanga broke away from the defenders and slotted it home when it was just him and the goalie. Union fans rejoiced as the Union then looked to take the lead.

They were unable to due it. Late in the game, Sebatien Le Toux made a nice run in the box. While he was running to the ball, he was clipped by a Rapids defender. Le Toux was brought to the ground, and the scoring chance was foiled. To the coach Peter Nowak's disgust, the official motioned "play on" to the players.

The Union should have had a penalty shot, but that's neither here nor there. Sometimes you don't get those calls. The Union now sit with 17 points, and at 7th place in the Eastern Conference.

Daily Roundup: 5/6/10

Phils Take 3 of 4 From Cards: The Phillies handled the Cardinals today, beating the Cards 7-2. Actually, they handled the Cardinals all week, beating them 3 out of 4 times. Today, ace Roy Halladay pitched 7 innings, gave one earned run, and struck out 9. That effort got Halladay (6-1) his 6th win of the season. The Phillies bats made sure this game was never in doubt.

Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse was pounded from inning #1. Jayson Werth hit a 3-run home run in the first to open the scoring. Raul Ibanez crushed a high fastball into the upper deck (416 feet) in the 6th inning to put the Phils ahead 6-1. Werth had a breakout game, going 3-4 with 3 RBIs and a home run. Werth is batting .354 with 21 RBIs on the year.

The Phillies start a 3-game series with the Braves tomorrow. Jamie Moyer is pitching for the Phils, with Derek Lowe on the mound for the Braves. Game time is 7:05pm.

Robin Roberts Passes Away: Phillies Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts has died at the age of 83 at his home in Florida due to natural causes. Roberts was a key player on the 1950 Whiz Kids NL pennant-winning team. He is the best right handed pitcher in Phillies history. Roberts had 6 20-win seasons. He was first in complete games (237) and second in wins (199) in the '50s.

Now I never saw Robin pitch. He was before my time, but from what I hear, this guy was one heck of a pitcher. He was a Phillies legend who will never be forgotten.

United coming to Town: One of the top soccer clubs in the world, Manchester United, will be coming to Philadelphia to play the Union in an exhibition game at the Linc. The game is scheduled for July 21rst. This is a very exciting for the Union. They have a chance to play a top European team in their first year of existence. Usually, top clubs tour America once every several years. You bet that this game will draw big crowds.

Arsenal Roasts Celtic

Arsenal has just finished up roasting Celtic at Emirates Stadium... final score 3-1. This was the second leg of the UEFA Champions League, Playoff Round 1. In the first game, Arsenal shut out Celtic 2-0. So, the aggregate favored Arsenal 5-1.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dyobmit/ / CC BY 2.0

Arsenal's first goal was very controversial. Eduardo broke away from the pack and was taken down by the Celtic goalie Artur Boruc... or so we thought. The referee whistled for a penalty kick. Eduardo nailed the PK but on further replay, it looked like Boruc made no contact with Eduardo.

Then, in the second half, Emmanuel Eboue put one in the back of the net for Arsenal. That goal kind of sealed the deal for the Gunners. Eboue has looked great so far early on.

Andrei Arshavin, who came in for Eduardo, scored in the 74th minute, which really put Celtic away. Arsenal didn't get the clean sheet, however. Massimo Donati of Celtic scored in the 90th minute, which was the only bright spot in the match for the Scottish club.

U.S. Still Winless in Azteca

The United States soccer team has lost another game in Stadio Azteca. Mexico beat the U.S. 2-1 today in a World Cup qualifying game. The high altitude and heat in Mexico City really wore down the Americans, who lost control of the game in the second half.

The U.S. opened the scoring, with a goal by Charlie Davies in the 9th minute. A great ball from Landon Donovan put Davies on a breakaway between him and the goalie. Later in the first half, when Israel Castro put a beautiful shot into corner of the net.

In the second half, things starting getting testy between the two squads. Davies was on the ground in pain, and he didn't like how three Mexican players were helping him up. U.S. players came over to defend Davies and pushing ensued.

Miguel Sabah scored the winning goal for the Mexicans in the 82nd minute when he hit the roof of the net. It was an unspectacular goal but a very pivotal one in the game.

The referees let this game get out of hand in the second half when the brawl occurred. It's no secret that these teams don't like each other, so the refs should have been prepared for it. They didn't red card any Mexican players, even though they were the instigators in the altercations.

Why couldn't this game be broadcast in English. I had to watch the Spanish broadcast on Telemundo. ESPN has shown most of the U.S. World qualifying matches. Why couldn't they show the biggest one of the year?

0-23-1 in Mexico City is not a good record for the U.S. but the team is improving. I thought they would win this game and show that this U.S. team was better than the previous squads. Even with the loss, I believe the U.S. may be set for a World Cup run.

Hull City?

This is my first article on the Premier League (English soccer) this season but I will start writing many more. In case you didn't know, I follow the Premier League club Arsenal. I watched their debacle on television this morning on Fox Soccer Channel and it was downright disgusting for any fan of Arsenal.

First-place Arsenal was taking on a Hull City club fresh from promotion. Many experts had Arsenal beating Hull City by at least three goals, some said six wouldn't be out of range. The game was at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, where Arsenal has only lost one game since moving into the Emirates.

2-1 Hull City. That was the final score. Premier league titan Arsenal going down to Hull City. Hull City had been surprising, sprinting out to seventh place. They drew Liverpool at home as well. Do we have a sleeper on our hands?

Arsenal had so many chances to score late in the game. Kolo Toure and Robbie Van Persie both blew chances in the final minutes to seal the victory for Hull. Nobody had even scored against Arsenal at the Emirates this season. Yet Hull City goes and scores two goals without a second thought and get the three points.

I've seen Arsenal play this kind of game before, but not against so weak an opponent. Sometimes it seems as if Arsenal is lulled to sleep by its own play, thinking they will win the game easily. But then an underdog goes in and takes the game from right under their noses without them even stirring.

I hadn't even heard that much at all about Hull City since I've been following soccer. But I'm sure not going to forget them now.

Philly Lands Soccer Team

The MLS announced last week that the new expansion team will be awarded to Philadelphia. It was between St. Louis and Philly but after Philly got the funds for a stadium, it was a one city race. The stadium, on the Chester waterfront, will be finished in 2010 and that's is when the team will start competing with other Major League Soccer teams. The team has not been named yet (but it figures to be the "Liberty" or Philly "Freedom").

It seems like their will be many fans at the stadium in the debut year (there have already been thousands who have reserved season tickets). But will the fans stay? That is the question. I think it really depends on how the team plays. Philly fans care about how their team does and that's about all. If the team plays well, they should be able to fill the stadium. The team should also play and exciting form of soccer (their are plenty of boring ways of playing soccer). Historically, expansion teams haven't done well at all (like the Tampa Bay Rays and the Houston Texans).

I really hope the team does well and attracts fans. The team will sellout the first couple of years, but will they be able to hold that up. Soccer is one of the best sports to watch when played effectively. Let's hope they play effectively.