2012 Reading United AC

Philly Union at Reading, PA for exhibition

http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/615136.html

sounds great!!!

Re: Philly Union at Reading, PA for exhibition

They do it every year as part of the affiliation agreement. The Union's two affiliates, Reading United of the PDL and Harrisburg City Islanders USL-PRO, host the friendlies. Brendan Burke, who coaches Reading United, also coaches the Union reserve team and assists Nowak and Co. The exhibitions are usually fun, the players look to impress their MLS brethren, and considering both Reading and Harrisburg's track records for grooming players, it's an opportunity that can lead to MLS.

Lots of news out of Reading, PA:

* Team will play home games at Albright College's Shirk Stadium, link here.

* Team will host the Philadephia Union in their annual exhibition on June 9, link here.

Re: Philly Union at Reading, PA for exhibition

Mods, can we move this into a new Reading United thread I just started? It would be nice to keep stuff pertaining to RU in one place as I plan on keeping tabs of them this summer. Thanks!

Re: Philly Union at Reading, PA for exhibition

since I saw the release from RU that they just moved to a new venue...did the NPSL Revolution team who had been playing there fold?

Re: Philly Union at Reading, PA for exhibition

Yes, the Revolution folded. As I understand it, the franchise formerly known as the Reading Rage split into two, the Revolution and United. United partnered with the Philadelphia Union and landed in the PDL (the Rage had actually been in the old D3 pro league), while a couple of former Rage players and coaches formed the Revolution. The Revolution still operates a bunch of youth teams but their NPSL team was a failure. United has been very, very good, attracting lots of national talent and delivering many high draft picks to MLS. Despite a decent record in the NPSL, the Revolution struggled at the gate (partially because their roster featured lower-level collegiate talent), and the old NPSL-PDL schism meant the two never really partnered. There had been a discussed friendly between the two Reading-based clubs but it never came to fruition. Reading simply isn't big enough for two teams, and considering that the Union are very well-organized and boast a terrific product, the Revolution never stood a chance. The one thing the Revolution had was the better facility, and without them, United swooped in to grab it. It has field turf which is a drag, but as the press release notes, no track and better facilities.

Re: Philly Union at Reading, PA for exhibition

Thanks, I actually did see the United play a playoff match with a torrential rain at halftime against Brooklyn a few years back at Exeter. Also previously saw the Rage play about 10 years ago somewhere at some complex in Wyomissing.

More news from Reading:

* New Adidas jerseys for the 2012 season, link here.

* United signs former Duke All-America and ACC Offensive player of the year, and current Notre Dame forward, Ryan Finley, link here.

* Five other players signed for 2012: Brian Forgue, Steven Neumann, Stephen Okai, Sean Peckham, and Ged Quinn: link here.

http://pdl.uslsoccer.com/home/620854.html

http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/...ut-possible-opponents-in-open-cup/?ref=soccer

Reading 1
Long Island Rough Riders 0

READING UNITED 3, BROOKLYN KNIGHTS 2:
Reading United moved to the top of the Mid Atlantic Division, while maintaining its undefeated start in the PDL as Deshorn Brown, Olutolani Ibunkle and Stephen Okai each found the back of the net in a back-and-forth contest at the Met Oval Soccer Complex.

Reading took the lead in the 30th minute through Brown, who fired a low shot home from the edge of the penalty area. Brooklyn hit back quickly, though as Stefan Dimitrov knocked home the rebound of a free kick by Jose Batista that came back off the crossbar to leave things tied at the break.

Reading regained the lead with 18 minutes to go, Ibunkle capitalizing after a free kick was parried by Knights goalkeeper Stefan Manz to put United ahead. Brooklyn again equalized quickly, Dwayne Reed scoring three minutes later. Okai scored the decisive goal a minute after the Knights’ equalizer, though, earning his side all three points and handing Brooklyn its first loss of the season.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/06/11/gaddis-example-path-mls-unions-pdl-affiliate

READING, Pa. – The Jersey Express took a 2-0 victory against Reading United at Albright College’s Shirk Stadium on Sunday night. Joseph Ovenseri and Jerrod Laventure each scored second-half goals to hand Reading its first defeat of the season, and send the Express into first place in the Mid Atlantic Division.

Reading was on top for most of the first half, but was unable to take a lead before the break. The Express were able to take advantage of their opportunity on the hour-mark as Ovenseri drove a strike from 30 yards that dipped underneath the crossbar.

Ovenseri turned provider on the Express’ second goal in the 77th minute as he made a good run down the left before cutting a cross back to Laventure in the center of the penalty area, allowing the forward to score his third goal of the season. It was Ovenseri’s first assist of the season, adding to his six goals.

The Express will face another test Wednesday night as they host the Long Island Rough Riders, who continued to make a move up the standings with a 3-1 win against the New Jersey Rangers on Saturday night. The Rough Riders sit fourth in the division currently, but the top four sides, with Ocean City sitting third, are now separated by only four points as the teams enter the second half of the season.

Reading United (6-2-1, 19 pts) has lost back-to-back games for the first time in recent memory, dropping them to 3rd place in the Mid-Atlantic Division. The Jersey Express (7-1-2, 23 pts) and Ocean City Nor'easters (7-2-0, 21 pts) both boast better records, although the Express has played one more game than the others. Reading plays each one more time, and with seven games remaining, there's ample time to make up the lost ground, but this is kinda surprising considering how dominant United has been over the years. This year's team hasn't had the firepower of the past, and with how frequently PDL rosters turnover, it's been tough for Brendan Burke to duplicate his high standards. If you want to read more about the team and its matchday experience, check out this great blog by Villanova defender, and current United player, Kyle McCarthy:

http://www.phillysoccerpage.net/2012/06/21/inside-reading-gameday/

http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/639999.html

Reading picked up a big win last night, defeating Bermuda 4-0. With the win, Reading keeps pace in the Mid-Atlantic Division and remains in the playoff hunt. The top two teams from the division qualify for the playoffs and the standings currently look like this:

1. Ocean City Nor-easters: 9-2-0, 27 points
2. Jersey Express: 8-2-2, 26 points
3. Reading United: 7-2-2, 23 points

Jersey has played one more game than OC and RU, and the top of the table all play each other at least once during the stretch run, so things could shuffle quite a bit. Should be interesting to watch it all play out.

http://www.readingunitedac.com/news/details/6.29.12-reading-4-bermuda-0/

Looks like Jersey (Ironbound) Express and Reading played last nite to a 1-1 draw. It looks like that they are now even on points for the last conference playoff spot. Reading has 2 games remaining and Jersey must travel to Long Island this weekend and play the Rough Riders which is never an easy task.

in case anyone is in the area...

FC Sonic host Brooklyn Italians in Conference Semi-Final
Saturday night, 7pm, FC Sonic (10-1-1, Keystone Division) will host the Brooklyn Italians (10-1-3, Atlantic Division) in Bethlehem, Pensylvania in the NPSL Northeast Conference Semi-Final.

The two teams met in May of last year, in Bethlehem, in a U.S. Open Cup Qualifier and the Italians pulled out a respectable 2-1 overtime victory.

The first 200 fans to enter the stadium will receive a FC Sonic rally towel. Gates will open and tickets will be on sale starting at 5:30pm on Saturday at the Ulrich Sports Stadium at Lehigh University – Goodman Athletic Campus.

CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE

Eastern Conference Divisional Playoffs
Tuesday, July 17
Northeast: GPS Portland Phoenix at Ottawa Fury, 7 p.m. ET
Mid Atlantic: Jersey Express at Reading United, 7 p.m. ET
South Atlantic: Real Maryland at Carolina Dynamo, 7 p.m. ET

Central Conference Championships
At Ultimate Soccer Arenas
Pontiac, Mich.

Conference Semifinals
Saturday, July 21
Real Colorado Foxes at Michigan Bucks, 6 p.m. ET
Thunder Bay Chill vs. Forest City London, 8 p.m. ET

Conference Championship
Sunday, July 22
Semifinal winners, 6 p.m. ET

Southern Conference Championships
At Trinity Catholic Stadium
Ocala, Fla.

Conference Semifinals
Friday, July 20
Laredo Heat vs. Orlando City U23, 5:30 p.m. ET
Austin Aztex at Ocala Stampede, 8 p.m. ET

Conference Championship
Sunday, July 22
Semifinals winners, 5 p.m. ET

Western Conference Championships
At Ventura College
Ventura, Calif.

Conference Semifinals
Saturday, July 21
Portland Timbers U-23s at Ventura County Fusion, 5 p.m. PT
Sounders FC U23 vs. FC Tucson, 7:30 p.m. PT

Conference Championship
Sunday, July 22
Semifinal winners, 5 p.m. PT

After 90 minutes, Reading United AC and Jersey (Ironbound) Express are deadlocked at 1-1. Two 15 minute periods of overtime remain, no golden goal

the FC Reading Revolution website says...

WE'RE BAAAAAACK! 2013 Tryout Information Coming Soon!

Revolution? It's somewhat surprising they bother since Reading United is light years ahead of them between the Philly Union affiliation, track record for developing MLS talent, and strong performances in the PDL and Open Cup. Reading really doesn't need two such teams, market over-saturation.

I guess they figure that if FC Sonic can manage to win the NPSL championship this past summer, then they might possibly have a chance as well.

Being competitive on the pitch is one thing, being a viable enterprise at the gate in a market that really doesn't need a second minor league team is another. Good luck to them, it would be nice to see a Reading derby, but I don't really see how they'll fare too well, especially after taking a hiatus.