Starting from minute 21. I don't have impression that they said Sullivan will be backing up Gazdag. They want to move him closer to the goal going to 3-5-2 or 4-4-2. That also should help to put McGlynn to the middle where he won't need to chase fast wingers. Also said that 3-5-2 will help Craig.
When your young players are training day in and day out against MVP candidates, defender of the year candidates and league best 11 members.....they're going to improve. McGlynn got into the lineup. harriel earned a starting spot and then M'Baizo earned it back. B Aaronson earned his starting spot in training, same as McKenzie and Trusty before him. People act like going to Europe will guarantee playing time??? Players have to earn it there too, especially the youngest players. You can't have it both ways...."they should go to Europe to EARN their playing time against better players in training"......."MLS should just be giving these kids playing time!" Pro sports don't work that way. There will be plenty of opportunities for playing time in 2023 with the Union potentially playing more than 50 games in all competitions.
You’re extrapolating a lot. The Union had a lot of games this season, and had substantial leads in a lot of them. You’re telling me they couldn’t have given Quinn Sullivan more substitute appearances? What about Brandon Craig? It only benefits you to get young players experience in game situations. In professional sports, they give fringe players opportunities to play when the situation allows for experimentation. Isn’t the American terminology “garbage minutes”? In the NBA, they have the last guy on the bench come in to play the entire 4th quarter if his team is up or down 20 points.
https://www.inquirer.com/soccer/phi...fer-rumors-striker-ernst-tanner-20221118.html Another write up of the press conference, I'll post some interesting quotes below. My take on most of it; some promising lip service and answers mixed in with some professional non-answers. After this past year and not seeing as many HG minutes as I would like, a lot of this is "I'll believe it when I see it" territory. Asked if Pierre or Zambrano-Delgado could be on the first team next year, Tanner said: “We want to develop players, and we’d better develop young players into what we can sell, maybe, later on. You saw the successful example with Paxten now. That’s our DNA, and that’s how we go forward, and that’s what we are working for.” --- “We have to find ways, and I have to find ways, to get him [Quinn Sullivan] on the field more,” Curtin said. “His best qualities are closer to the goal — I think he’s probably strikes a ball as well as anyone on our team. He finishes plays off in training consistently. So we have to find a way to be creative in getting him closer to goal.” --- This time, the shift could be to a three-centerback setup, either a 3-4-3 or a 3-5-2. Those setups also would help Jack McGlynn play in a more central role than he has so far. And that in turn would give Curtin room to not overwork Alejandro Bedoya in what’s likely to be his last year. “Him going out to the sidelines to defend in space ... that’s not playing to his skill set,” Curtin said of McGlynn. “His skill set is to get on the ball to play, break lines, and different things.” A 4-4-2 with a box midfield — two attackers in front of two defenders — instead of a diamond also could help McGlynn and Sullivan play more. The Union have pondered that setup for a while now but haven’t gone for it yet. --- So it helps that left back Matt Real and right back Nathan Harriel have played a bit of centerback over the years, whether with the Union’s academy or their reserve team. We certainly should expect to see more of Brandan Craig next year, and that will be a welcome sight. The 18-year-old from Bridesburg has loads of potential, and Curtin wants to give him a shot.
This is not true, at all. NBA teams play to win, and unless they are down 20 with less than 5 to go, most teams trot out the starters at the beginning of the 4th. Seeing as the NBA is a game of tuns, a 20 point lead can evaporate quickly. Blowouts in Soccer aren't that common. The games in which the Union were beating teams 4,5,6 - zero....most of the goals came in the final 15 minutes. A coaches main job is to win games. The young players will play (they will likely NEVER play as much as USMNT only fans want) when the best time and situation presents itself. Playing time is also earned. Teams play one, maybe two games in a week. That's 180 minutes....they train for far longer than that between games. Training is where playing time is earned, games are where it is cemented.
Has played all but 28 minutes for one of the best teams in the country as a true freshman. At almost any other academy he would've been signed to a HG deal. Tonight’s #CollegeCup semifinal between Pitt and Indiana will feature a pair of @YSCAcademy grads battling for a trip to the national final. I caught up with one of them, Pitt rookie Jackson Gilman, ahead of his first College Cup appearance. https://t.co/9kRnAtcjNX— Matt Ralph (@MattRalph_) December 9, 2022
David Vazquez-Wright called up to the U17 team camp https://www.philadelphiaunion.com/a...-vasquez-called-in-for-u-s-u-17s-january-camp Jeremiah White and Neil Pierre Called into U16 camp https://www.philadelphiaunion.com/a...miah-white-called-in-for-us-u16s-january-camp Cavan Sullivan and Anisse Saidi called into U15 camp https://www.philadelphiaunion.com/a...an-anisse-saidi-called-in-us-u15-january-camp
https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/curtin-philadelphia-union-defender-kai-wagner-can-play-anywhere “The loss of Cory is a real one,” Curtin said. “He's a guy who can score double digits in our league and has done it before. That's tough to replace. Goals are hard to replace and we'll certainly be searching. “Can now, though, maybe a Quinn Sullivan step in and take some of that goalscoring load, whether it be as a 10 or as a second striker, whatever that might be? I think that's a reality too; the way he's playing in practice already has been impressive.”
Philadelphia Union’s Neil Pierre (‘07) is currently in Spain on trial with Real Sociedad 👀 pic.twitter.com/NRQIcOIP2c— Footy Access (@footy_access) January 15, 2023
https://www.inquirer.com/soccer/jim-curtin-philadelphia-union-contract-usmnt-20230117.html There could be promotions from the youth and reserve ranks, with forward Nelson Pierre atop the list of candidates. [...] "We will promote him, definitely,” Tanner said, though he doesn’t want to rush it. “We need to have [prospects] in training in order to see how far they’ve developed, and what is best for their development.” As for attacking midfield depth, Tanner said Quinn Sullivan is currently on track to be Dániel Gazdag’s chief backup. “I’m confident with him as a second No. 10, absolutely,” he said. There was chatter among scouts on social media recently that Minnesota tried to stop the Union from signing Darboe. Tanner said that wasn’t true. But he did say Darboe declined a contract offer from the Union, has acquired a European passport, and is likely headed across the Atlantic.
Yeah seems that way. Hopefully if hes viewed as a back up it’s to multiple roles and functions so he gets at a minimum more time? last year doesn’t bode well in that regard though.
I dunno, seems a bit strong. Curtin has kept a tight rotation, but not that tight. Last year 14 players got over 1000 regular season minutes; in 2021, almost 13; in 2020, 13. And that's not even considering CCL minutes, which can be solid challenges. This year Philly's playing CCL, MLS and Leagues Cup. Some backups will get good minutes. Sullivan might be one.
Zambrano to Benfica.. Good for you kid, make it happen.. https://fcscout.com/news/philadelphia-union-academy-forward-marcos-zambrano-signs-with-benfica/
PHilly parting with one of their older homegrowns. Good opportunity for Matt, as he was just forever stuck behind Blake. Sources: NYCFC are finalizing the acquisition of goalkeeper Matt Freese from the Philadelphia Union.Freese, 24, is a Union homegrown but stuck behind Andre Blake, a three-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, for minutes. Made 13 MLS regular season appearances over four seasons. pic.twitter.com/iIE8XR1TnY— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) January 23, 2023