Week 11 Rookie Watch

Draftees

2. Joshua Yaro (Philadelphia) - Started vs LA Galaxy, 90 mins
2. Joshua Yaro (Philadelphia) - Started vs Montreal, 90 mins
3. Keegan Rosenberry (Philadelphia) - Started vs LA Galaxy, 90 mins, 3 shots, 1 goal
3. Keegan Rosenberry (Philadelphia) - Started vs Montreal, 90 mins, 2 shots
4. Brandon Vincent (Chicago) - Sub vs Vancouver - 28 mins
4. Brandon Vincent (Chicago) - Started vs New England - 90 mins
6. Fabian Herbers (Philadelphia) - Sub vs LA Galaxy, 4 mins
6. Fabian Herbers (Philadelphia) - Sub vs Montreal, 24 mins, 1 shot
9. Tsubasa Endoh (Toronto FC) - Started vs Vancouver, 90 mins, 1 shot
11. Julian Buescher (DC United) - Sub vs NYRB, 16 mins, 1 shot
12. Jonathan Campbell (Chicago) - Started vs Vancouver, 90 mins
12. Jonathan Campbell (Chicago) - Started vs New England, 90 mins
51. Femi Hollinger-Janzen (New England) - Sub vs Chicago - 18 mins, 1 shot, 1 goal

Homegrowns

Joey Calistri (Chicago) - Started vs Vancouver, 90 mins, 2 shots, 1 assist
Joey Calistri (Chicago) - Sub vs New England, 13 mins
Jordan Morris (Seattle) - Started vs FC Dallas, 90 mins, 1 shot
Alex Muyl (NYRB) - Sub vs DC United, 19 mins

Jordan Morris saw his scoring streak come to an end, but New England's Femi Hollinger-Janzen headed in a goal for the Revs, the first of his career. Philadelphia's Keegan Rosenberry continued to make his case for being an early rookie of the year favorite by adding his first goal along with playing solid defense at right back for the Union. Elsewhere, Chicago's Joey Calistri earned his first career assist while making his first career start in midweek action.

The B Team - Missing Copa América

So back in March, for kicks we put together a U.S. roster comprised of players that were not on the World Cup Qualifying Roster or the Olympic Qualifying Roster to see what kind of team we could throw together. Now with Copa América looming and the U.S.'s 40-man preliminary roster in place, I thought it might be fun to do it again. Our roster's going to look a little bit different this time with some players getting called up (Nick Rimando, Eric Lichaj, Danny Williams, Graham Zusi, Tim Ream and Perry Kitchen) and others hampered by injuries (Quincy Amarikwa), but I still think this is a halfway decent - if MLS-biased - roster. Here's what I came up with:

STARTERS

Goalkeeper - Luis Robles - New York Red Bulls - The reigning MLS goalkeeper of the year who hasn't missed a start since 2012 has had a rough start to 2016, but much of that can be attributed to the porous defense in front of him. CAPS: 2

Left Back - Jorge Villafaña - Santos Laguna - For whatever reason, despite the lack of left backs in the system, Villafaña still isn't getting a look with the USMNT. Well, he's a staple at left back for our B Team. CAPS: 0

Center Back - Nat Borchers - Portland Timbers - The Wyndham Rewards Wizard is still plugging away at Age 35. He's not a long term solution, but he brings toughness and savvy to the table without being a high risk for cards (just one yellow in his last 41 regular season matches. CAPS: 3

Center Back - Chad Marshall - Seattle Sounders - The 6'4" Marshall is exceptional in the air and already has a pair of goals for the Sounders this season. Paired with Borchers, Marshall would make the U.S. tough on set pieces on both ends of the field. CAPS: 11

Right Back - Robbie Rogers - LA Galaxy - Rogers is better on the left than on the right, but he's shown this year after Ashley Cole took the left back spot that he can play on either side of the field. With his attacking background, Rogers is always dangerous moving forward and would give the U.S. an effective attack out of the back. CAPS: 18

Defensive Midfield - Wil Trapp - Columbus Crew - One of many young players looking to be the heir apparent to Kyle Beckerman, Trapp helped the Crew reach the MLS Cup in 2015, and has started every game for them in 2016. CAPS: 2

Defensive Midfield - Dax McCarty - New York Red Bulls - Full disclosure, I would have liked to put Matt Polster in this spot alongside Trapp, but Polster's banged up, so instead we'll go with the veteran. McCarty was a huge reason for the Red Bulls' success in 2015, and after a slow start he's playing better of late. CAPS: 5

Left Wing - Brek Shea - Orlando City SC - He's been playing more left back than left wing, but he's got the athleticism and the attacking skillset to allow him to slot in here without a huge drop in play. CAPS: 34

Attacking Midfield - Benny Feilhaber - Sporting Kansas City - Klinsmann may not like Feilhaber, but I do. He's a playmaker, and has a great engine, and while he may not be Michael Bradley, he could certainly run this offense. CAPS: 41

Right Wing - Mike Grella - New York Red Bulls - An exciting winger, Grella burst onto the scene in 2015 after spending 2014 in the NASL and delivered 9 goals and 7 assists for the Supporters Shield Winners. And to show it wasn't a fluke, Grella is off to a fast start in 2016 with three goals already. CAPS: 0

Striker - C.J. Sapong - Philadelphia Union - One of the more notable snubs, Sapong is really coming into his own with the Union and is a big reason they've turned their fortunes around. CAPS: 2.


BENCH

Goalkeeper - Clint Irwin - Toronto FC - CAPS: 0
Goalkeeper - Tim Melia - Sporting Kansas City - CAPS: 0
Left Back - Jonathan Bornstein - Querétaro FC - CAPS: 38
Center Back - Michael Parkhurst - Columbus Crew - CAPS: 25
Center Back - Marvell Wynne - San Jose Earthquakes - CAPS: 5
Right Back - Jonathan Spector - Birmingham City - CAPS: 36
Defensive Midfield - Scott Caldwell - New England Revolution - CAPS: 0
Attack Midfield - Sacha Kljestan - New York Red Bulls - CAPS: 46
Left Wing - Chris Rolfe - DC United - CAPS: 10
Right Wing - Chris Pontius - Philadelphia Union - CAPS: 0
Striker - Juan Agudelo - New England Revolution - CAPS: 20
Striker - Jack McInerney - Portland Timbers - CAPS: 0

Week 8-9 Rookie Watch

Week 8

Draftees

2. Joshua Yaro (Philadelphia) - Started vs NYCFC, 90 mins
3. Keegan Rosenberry (Philadelphia) - Started vs NYCFC, 90 mins, 1 shot
19. Rodrigo Saravia (Columbus) - Sub vs Houston, 16 mins
37. Dennis Castillo (Colorado) - Sub vs Seattle, 30 mins, 1 assist

Homegrowns

Jordan Morris (Seattle) - Started vs Colorado, 90 mins, 2 shots, 1 goal
Alex Muyl (NYRB) - Sub vs Orlando City, 4 mins, 1 shot

Week 9

Draftees

2. Joshua Yaro (Philadelphia) - Started vs San Jose, 90 mins
3. Keegan Rosenberry (Philadelphia) - Started vs San Jose, 90 mins
6. Fabian Herbers (Philadelphia) - Sub vs San Jose, 4 mins
9. Tsubasa Endoh (Toronto FC) - Started vs Portland, 78 mins
11. Julian Buescher (DC United) - Sub vs Chicago, 18 mins, 1 shot
12. Jonathan Campbell (Chicago) - Started vs DC United, 90 mins, 2 shots, 1 goal
19. Rodrigo Saravia (Columbus) - Sub vs Seattle, 13 mins
51. Femi Hollinger-Janzen (New England) - Sub vs Portland - 20 mins, 2 shots
51. Femi Hollinger-Janzen (New England) - Started vs Orlando City - 70 mins, 1 shot

Homegrowns

Justin Bilyeu (NYRB) - Sub vs FC Dallas, 10 mins
Joey Calistri (Chicago) - Sub vs DC United, 37 mins
Jordan Morris (Seattle) - Started vs Columbus, 90 mins, 3 shots, 1 goal
Alex Muyl (NYRB) - Sub vs FC Dallas, 18 mins, 1 assist

Jordan Morris stayed hot for Seattle now having scored in three straight matches for the Sounders while Chicago's Jonathan Campbell knocked home his first MLS goal. Elsewhere, DC United's Julian Buescher and Toronto's Tsubasa Endoh returned to action, New York's Alex Muyl and Colorado's Dennis Castillo each earned assists, while the Philadelphia duo of Josh Yaro and Keegan Rosenberry continued to hold down the backline for the Union.

Week 7 Rookie Watch

Draftees

2. Joshua Yaro (Philadelphia) - Started vs Seattle, 90 mins
3. Keegan Rosenberry (Philadelphia) - Started vs Seattle, 90 mins
6. Fabian Herbers (Philadelphia) - Sub vs Seattle, 15 mins
12. Jonathan Campbell (Chicago) - Started vs Montreal, 90 mins, 1 shot
19. Rodrigo Saravia (Columbus) - Sub vs NYCFC, 1 min
22. Alex Morrell (Chicago) - Sub vs Montreal, 32 mins, 2 shots
49. Kip Colvey (San Jose) - Started vs Portland, 90 mins

Homegrowns

Tyler Adams (NYRB) - Started vs San Jose, 45 mins
Jordan Morris (Seattle) - Started vs Philadelphia, 82 mins, 3 shots, 1 goal
Alex Muyl (NYRB) - Started vs Colorado, 90 mins, 2 shots

Second overall pick Josh Yaro, Guatemalan international Rodrigo Saravia, and 17 year-old Tyler Adams all made their MLS debuts this week, but the real story this week was the long awaited first MLS goal by Jordan Morris. Morris's goal would end up being the game winner in Seattle's 2-1 win over Philadelphia on Saturday night.

Week 6 Rookie Watch

Draftees

3. Keegan Rosenberry (Philadelphia) - Started vs Orlando City, 90 mins
6. Fabian Herbers (Philadelphia) - Sub vs Orlando City, 27 mins, 1 shot
12. Jonathan Campbell (Chicago) - Started vs NYCFC, 90 mins, 1 shot
22. Alex Morrell (Chicago) - Sub vs NYCFC, 6 mins
51. Femi Hollinger-Janzen (New England) - Sub vs Toronto, 1 min

Homegrowns

Jordan Morris (Seattle) - Started vs Houston, 79 mins
Alex Muyl (NYRB) - Sub vs Sporting KC, 5 mins

Chicago's Alex Morrell and New York's Alex Muyl each made their MLS debuts this weekend in another quiet week for the 2016 rookie class. Regulars Keegan Rosenberry, Jonathan Campbell and Jordan Morris each all started for their respective clubs, but preseason Rookie of the Year favorite Morris has still yet to tally a goal or an assist in his professional career.

Week 5 Rookie Watch

Draftees

3. Keegan Rosenberry (Philadelphia) - Started vs Chicago, 90 mins
6. Fabian Herbers (Philadelphia) - Sub vs Chicago, 12 mins
12. Jonathan Campbell (Chicago) - Started vs Philadelphia, 90 mins
51. Femi Hollinger-Janzen (New England) - Sub vs NYRB, 3 mins

Homegrowns

Jordan Morris (Seattle) - Sub vs Montreal, 33 mins

Jonathan Campbell helped the Chicago Fire to their first win of the 2016 MLS campaign with a 90 minute stint in central defense as the Fire shutout the Union, 1-0. Keegan Rosenberry went the full 90 minutes at right back in a losing effort for Philly. Jordan Morris came off the bench for the first time in 2016 on Saturday night and while he was on the field for Clint Dempsey's game winner, he wasn't involved in the game's only goal. Morris remains scoreless for the 1-3-0 Sounders.

Week 3 Rookie Watch

Draftees

3. Keegan Rosenberry (Philadelphia) - Started vs New England, 90 mins
4. Brandon Vincent (Chicago) - Started vs Columbus, 90 mins
6. Fabian Herbers (Philadelphia) - Sub vs New England, 1 min, 2 shots
9. Tsubasa Endoh (Toronto FC) - Started vs Sporting KC, 77 mins, 1 shot
12. Jonathan Campbell (Chicago) - Started vs Columbus, 90 mins
49. Kip Colvey (San Jose) - Started vs LA Galaxy, 90 mins
51. Femi Hollinger-Janzen (New England) - Sub vs Philadelphia, 15 mins

Homegrowns

Joey Calistri (Chicago) - Sub vs Columbus, 1 min
Jordan Morris (Seattle) - Started vs Vancouver, 71 mins, 2 shots

The Chicago Fire continue to set the pace for rookies in 2016 with Brandon Vincent, Jonathan Campbell and Joey Calistri all seeing action for the third straight week. Elsewhere, New England's Femi Hollinger-Janzen made his MLS debut as a substitute in New England's blowout loss to the Union. Meanwhile the winless Sounders continue to struggle in Jordan Morris's debut season losing a third straight to start the campaign.

USMNT Roster Thoughts

So, rather than comment on the USMNT rosters for the Guatemala World Cup Qualifiers and the U-23 showdown with Colombia, I thought it would be interesting to see if I could put together a roster of players not selected for either group that could, on paper, give Guatemala a run for their money. I didn't consider injured/suspended players (Benny Feilhaber, Brad Evans, Bill Hamid, Jermaine Jones, etc), but here's what I came up with:


For the purpose of argument, we'll line up in a traditional 4-4-2, but I think our roster offers enough flexibility to be able to run a 4-3-3/4-5-1 as well if need be:


Goalkeeper - Nick Rimando - Real Salt Lake - The veteran netminder was a part of the U.S.'s World Cup roster in 2014, and he's been an MLS All-Star each of the last three seasons. CAPS: 21


Left Back - Jorge Villafaña - Santos Laguna - Villafaña is fresh off an MLS Cup win with the Portland Timbers, and has started all three of Santos's CONCACAF Champions League knockout round matches where they have yet to concede a single goal. A member of the ill-fated U-23s in 2012, Villafaña hasn't received any attention for Jurgen Klinsmann, and with left back such a question mark, you'd think the 26 year Villafaña would at least be due a look. CAPS: 0


Center Back - Nat Borchers - Portland Timbers - Borchers has been a key contributor on multiple MLS Cup winning sides and the 6'2" mountain man would bring a toughness that the U.S. teams often lack when visiting Central America. Borchers is 34, and his best days are probably behind him, but I think you could get two matches out of him. CAPS: 3


Center Back - Chad Marshall - Seattle Sounders - A three-time MLS Defender of the Year, most recently in 2014, the 6'3" Marshall would be big (figuratively) on set pieces. Always a threat to score on corners, Marshall's head could be the difference in a close game. CAPS: 11


Right Back - Eric Lichaj - Nottingham Forest - Lichaj's been a regular in the English League Championship for Nottingham Forest and at 27, is at that right age for a breakout. Lichaj hasn't appeared for the U.S. since 2013, but he's really seen his playing time increase overseas since we last saw him in the red, white and blue. CAPS: 10

Week 2 Rookie Watch

Draftees

3. Keegan Rosenberry (Philadelphia) - Started vs Columbus, 90 mins
4. Brandon Vincent (Chicago) - Started vs Orlando City, 90 mins
6. Fabian Herbers (Philadelphia) - Sub vs Columbus, 4 mins
9. Tsubasa Endoh (Toronto FC) - Started vs NYCFC, 59 mins
11. Julian Buescher (DC United) - Sub vs New England, 19 mins
12. Jonathan Campbell (Chicago) - Started vs Orlando City, 90 mins, 1 shot
13. Hadji Barry (Orlando City) - Sub vs Chicago, 17 mins
49. Kip Colvey (San Jose) - Started vs Portland, 90 mins, 1 assist

Homegrowns

Joey Calistri (Chicago) - Sub vs Orlando City, 6 mins
Jordan Morris (Seattle) - Started vs RSL, 76 mins

The same 10 rookies who debuted in Week 1 were all in action again in Week 2. Chicago's Jonathan Campbell and San Jose's Kip Colvey each made their first MLS starts while Colvey added his first career assist. Seattle's Jordan Morris was shutout for the second straight match as Seattle fell to 0-2-0.

MLS Players on Loan for 2016

Bernardo Añor - Sporting Kansas City - Loaned to Minnesota United FC (NASL) - Minnesota United features several former MLSers including Danny Cruz, Ben Speas, Kristian Nicht (the keeper Montreal brought in for last year's Champions League Final) and their captain Aaron Pitchkolan. They are famous for recently developing USMNT midfielder Miguel Ibarra and also boast the 2014 NASL player of the year in striker Christian Ramirez. Añor started his MLS career in 2011 and had a career year in 2014 with the Columbus Crew when he scored six goals. He logged just 483 minutes with Sporting Kansas City in 2015.

Erik Palmer-Brown - Sporting Kansas City - Loaned to FC Porto (Portugal) - Just 18 years old, Palmer-Brown has already been around a while having signed his first professional contract in 2013. Palmer-Brown played in a career high 7 matches with Sporting KC in 2015. He has yet to appear in a match for Porto.

Jimmy Ockford - Seattle Sounders - Loaned to New York Cosmos (NASL) - A second round pick in 2014, Ockford, now 23, has appeared in just one regular season match for the Sounders (a start against Philadelphia last June) in his brief career. He returns to the Cosmos where he also spent the 2014 season to play alongside the likes of Jairo Arrieta, Adam Moffat, Hunter Freeman, Danny Szetela and Carlos Mendes.

Leandro Barrera - San Jose Earthquakes - Loaned to Club Atlético San Martín (Argentina) - San Martín finished 17th out of 30 teams in the Primera División in 2015. Barrera, 24, appeared in only six matches (1 start) for San Jose in 2015. He spent his first MLS season (2014) with Chivas USA for whom he made 24 starts scoring a goal and adding two assists.

Sebastian Saucedo - Real Salt Lake - Loaned to Veracruz (Liga MX) - The 19 year-old Saucedo has appeared for both the U.S. and Mexico's youth international squads and was loaned to Veracruz in January. To date, Saucedo has appeared twice as a substitute, once against América and once against Puebla. Saucedo made nine appearances during his debut season in MLS, logging 168 total minutes.

Michael Lahoud - Philadelphia Union - Loaned to New York Cosmos (NASL) - Lahoud will join Seattle's Jimmy Ockford on the Cosmos after spending the seven seasons in MLS with Chivas USA and most recently, the Philadelphia Union. The 29 year-old Sierra Leonean made 14 starts for the Union in 2015 and has two goals and eight assists in 122 career MLS appearances.

Romario Williams - Montreal Impact - Loaned to Charleston Battery (USL) - Williams, the third overall pick in the 2015 SuperDraft, made just two appearances for the Impact during the 2015 regular season. He joins the Battery who were winners of the 2015 Southern Derby, but whose last true hardware came when they won the USL League Championship in 2012.

Juan Ramírez - Colorado Rapids - Loaned to Almería (Spain) - Signed to a young designated player contract in 2015, Ramírez scored a goal and added three assists during his debut season with the Rapids. He will play on loan in Spain's second division with Almería for a period of six months. According to Almería's Wikipedia page, Ramírez has currently logged four appearances during the regular season. The club currently sits in 19th place.

Week 1 Rookie Watch

Draftees

3. Keegan Rosenberry (Philadelphia) - Started vs FCD, 90 mins
4. Brandon Vincent (Chicago) - Started vs NYCFC, 90 mins
6. Fabian Herbers (Philadelphia) - Sub vs FCD, 7 mins, 1 shot
9. Tsubasa Endoh (Toronto FC) - Started vs NYRB, 84 mins, 2 shots
11. Julian Buescher (DC United) - Sub vs LA, 15 mins
12. Jonathan Campbell (Chicago) - Sub vs NYCFC, 45 mins, 1 shot
13. Hadji Barry (Orlando City) - Sub vs Real Salt Lake, 13 mins, 1 shot, 1 assist
49. Kip Colvey (San Jose) - Sub vs Colorado, 45 mins

Homegrowns

Joey Calistri (Chicago) - Sub vs NYCFC, 9 mins
Jordan Morris (Seattle) - Started vs Sporting KC, 83 mins, 1 shot


10 rookies were in action yesterday as the 2016 MLS campaign kicked off with a bang. Keegan Rosenberry (Philadelphia), Brandon Vincent (Chicago), Tsubasa Endoh (Toronto) and Jordan Morris (Seattle) all made the Starting Eleven for their respective clubs, but only Orlando City's Hadji Barry made the scoresheet with a stoppage time assist in Orlando City's wild 2-2 draw with Real Salt Lake.

Who's Adding Who - Philadelphia Union

In:

M Chris Pontius (12/7/15 - trade from D.C. United) - After being named an MLS All-Star and Best XI selection in 2012, Pontius has struggled, scoring just six goals over the past three seasons. The Union hope a change of scenery does him well as Pontius leaves United after a 7 year-run with the Black and Red. Pontius made 17 starts for United in 2015 scoring three goals and adding one assist.
M Walter Restrepo (1/12/16 - transfer from NY Cosmos) - The 27 year old winger comes to MLS after spending the past five seasons in the U.S.'s lower divisions, most recently in the NASL with the Cosmos. Restrepo has been named to the NASL Best XI twice in his career.
D Anderson Conceicao (1/13/16 - loan from Tombense) - The 6'2" Brazilian Center Back is on a season long loan from Tombense (Brazil). Despite signing with Tombense in 2011, he has spent most of his time elsewhere going on loans to Criciúma (Brazil), Figueirense (Brazil), Mallorca (Spain), Atlético Goianiense (Brazil), Bahia (Brazil), Joinville (Brazil), and América Mineiro (Brazil) before now coming to Philadelphia.
D Joshua Yaro (1/14/16 - SuperDraft) - The second overall pick in this year's draft made 17 starts for Georgetown in 2015 on his way to being named an NSCAA First Team All American and the Big East Defensive Player of the Year. He appeared in 57 matches in his three years with the Hoyas.
D Keegan Rosenberry (1/14/16 - SuperDraft) - Taken one pick after his college teammate Yaro, Rosenberry started over 20 games in each of his four years at Georgetown. Rosenberry scored two goals in his senior year and added a career-best six assists.
F Fabian Herbers (1/14/16 - SuperDraft) - The Union's third pick in the top six of this year's draft, Herbers helped Creighton reach the NCAA College Cup Quarterfinals in his junior year while leading the team in goals with 15 and assists with 17. His 15 goals were tied for the third in Division I while his 17 assists were tops in the nation.
M Roland Alberg (2/4/16 - transfer from ADO Den Haag) - Dutch attacking midfielder Alberg comes to the Union from ADO Den Haag of the Dutch Eredivisie. Alberg is coming off his best professional season during which he scored eight goals and tallied nine assists.
GK Matt Jones (2/9/16 - loan from Belenenses) - English-born Jones moved to the U.S. in 2005 to attend Sacred Heart University. After four years with the Pioneers he joined the Western Mass Pioneers (USL Second Division) for a brief stint before returning to Europe with Portuguese side C.D. Santa Clara. Jones has played in Portugal ever since, and arrives back in the U.S. on a season long loan from Belenenses.
D Taylor Washington (2/19/16 - SuperDraft) - Washington was limited to 11 starts in 2011 with George Mason, but started every game for the Patriots in 2013 and 2014. A transfer from Boston University, the left-sided player and 23rd overall pick in the draft was the third defender selected in this year's draft by the Union.
D Cole Missimo (2/23/16 - SuperDraft) - The 64th overall pick in this year's draft, Missimo played four years at Northwestern. During his senior year, Missimo scored one goal and added two assists on his way to being named to the NSCAA Second Team All-Big Ten Conference for the second straight year.
D Ken Tribbett (2/23/16 - free) - The former Drexel Dragon has played in the U.S.'s lower divisions since 2013, recently signing with the Union's USL side Bethlehem Steel before leaving to sign with Steel's parent club less than a month later. Tribbett spent the 2015 season with the Harrisburg City Islanders in the USL.
M Ilsinho (2/24/16 - free) - Signed to a two-year deal, the former Brazilian international brings UEFA Champions League experience from his time with Shakhtar Donetsk to the Union locker room. A bronze-medal winner at the 2008 Olympics, Ilsinho has been without a club since leaving Shakhtar in June.

Out:

M Cristian Maidana (12/7/15 - traded to Houston) - Houston Dynamo
M Andrew Wenger (12/7/15 - traded to Houston) - Houston Dynamo
F Fernando Aristeguieta (12/10/15 - loan expired) - Red Star (France) on loan from Nantes
F Dzenan Catic (12/10/15 - option declined) - Rio Grande Valley FC Toros (USL)
F Conor Casey (12/10/15 - option declined) - Columbus Crew
M Fred (12/10/15 - option declined)
M Danny Cruz (12/10/15 - option declined) - Minnesota United FC (NASL)
F Antoine Hoppenot (12/10/15 - option declined) - FC Cincinnati (USL)
D Ethan White (12/10/15 - traded to NYCFC) - New York City FC
D Steven Vitoria (12/10/15 - option declined) - Benfica (Portugal)
M Eric Bird (12/10/15 - option declined)
M Jimmy McLaughlin (12/10/15 - option declined) - FC Cincinnati (USL)
GK Zac MacMath (12/11/15 - traded to Colorado) - Colorado Rapids
M Michael Lahoud (1/12/16 - loaned to NY Cosmos) - New York Cosmos (NASL)
M Zach Pfeffer (1/15/16 - traded to Colorado) - Colorado Rapids

Season in Review: Philadelphia Union

Record: 10-17-7, 37 pts, 9th Place Eastern Conference
Goals For: 42
Goals Against: 55

Team Leaders

Goals: C.J. Sapong - 9
Assists: Cristian Maidana - 15
Shutouts: Brian Sylvestre - 5
All-Stars: None

Year in Review

The Union won just once in their first 11 matches in 2015 (1-7-3) and were never able to recover from their slow start. Still, posting a nearly .500 record over the final 2/3 of the season (9-10-4) and advancing to the U.S. Open Cup Finals for a second consecutive season leaves fans reasons to be optimistic moving forward. Andre Blake emerged out of the wreckage that was Philadelphia's goalkeeping situation and the 24 year-old Jamaican will likely hold down the position for the Union for years to come. C.J. Sapong (26) resurrected his declining career with his best MLS season despite an early injury and gave the Union attack some youth as Conor Casey (34) and Sébastien Le Toux (31) were the club's top two scorers in 2014. Cristian Maidana was second in MLS with 15 assists and the addition of Swiss International Tranquillo Barnetta added stability to the midfield. But the defense lacked consistency and their -13 goal differential was the second worst in the league behind only the Chicago Fire. On offense, promising loanee Fernando Aristeguieta contributed only 14 starts and scored just twice after April 5th, and the Union never won more than two in a row at any point during the season.

What's Next?

Cristian Maidana definitely earned his designated player paycheck, but neither Maurice Edu nor Aristeguieta delivered memorable performances in 2015. Aristeguieta's loan is up and assuming he returns to Nantes (France), that will free up a designated player spot on the Union roster. The emergence of Blake finally solves Philadelphia's goalkeeping issues and allows them to focus their attention elsewhere going into 2016. The backline wouldn't be a bad place to start, but a strike partner for Sapong wouldn't be a bad thought either. The midfield with Maidana and Barnetta is surrounded with young talent in Andrew Wenger (24), Eric Ayuk (18), Zach Pfeffer (20), and if Edu can somehow get pushed out of central defense, he'll shore that group up even further. If the Union play like the team that ended the season instead of the one that started it, they should be in the mix in the East next year, but they'll need better performances than they got from a lot of the supporting cast this year.

Union-Sporting KC set for 2015 U.S. Open Cup Final

The 2015 U.S. Open Cup Final is set as the Philadelphia Union get set to host Sporting Kansas City at the end of September. Nobody should be surprised to see Sporting Kansas City in the Finals as Sporting leads the league in points per game (37 pts in 21 matches), and has the fewest losses of any MLS club with four. Add in star power in the likes of Benny Feilhaber, Graham Zusi, Dominic Dwyer and Matt Besler, and solid contributions from newcomers Soni Mustivar and Krisztián Németh, and you have a recipe for success. On the other side of the pitch, you have the Philadelphia Union. The Union lead MLS with 13 losses and have the fewest points per game in the league (23 points in 24 matches). Still, for the second year in a row, it's Philadelphia who find themselves in the U.S. Open Cup Final. It's been quite a run for the Union who have twice overcome red cards, and twice overcome shootouts, in their 4-game journey to the Championship. It was fitting too that the tournament's all-time leading scorer, Sébastien Le Toux, would be the one to send the Union through in their 1-0 win over Chicago. Still, the Union will head into the final as heavy underdogs. The two clubs met just once this season with the Union squandering a 2-1 lead in stoppage time and falling 3-2 on Németh's game winner in the 94th minute. That was still during the Raïs M'Bolhi era though which the Union have moved past. The Final is set for September 30th with a berth in next year's Champions League on the line. Here's a look at how each team made it to the Finals.

Philadelphia Union

D 0-0 vs Rochester Rhinos (USL), W 3-1 on PKs
W 2-1 vs DC United - Ayuk (1), Fabinho (1)
D 1-1 vs New York Red Bulls, W 4-3 on PKs - Ayuk (2)
W 1-0 vs Chicago Fire - Le Toux (1)

Sporting Kansas City

W 1-0 vs Saint Louis FC (USL) - Zusi (1)
W 6-2 vs FC Dallas - Dwyer 4 (4), Németh 2 (2)
W 3-1 vs Houston Dynamo - Feilhaber (1), Dwyer (5), Németh (3)
W 3-1 vs Real Salt Lake - Mustivar (1), Feilhaber (2), Németh (4)

Trade Tracker

Following this week's trade between Philadelphia and Houston, we've now seen six trades over the past month that have moved players around (I'm going to assume you're not interested in trades that only deal with money). In case you haven't been following, here's a quick trade recap:

6/26/15

San Jose trades Ty Harden to Chicago for Quincy Amarikwa. Amarikwa gives the Quakes another goal scoring threat to go alongside Chris Wondolowski and we already saw the impact he can have when he scored twice against the Galaxy on July 17th. Harden had only made one start for the Quakes this year, ironically against the Fire, and scored his first career MLS goal and added his first career MLS assist in a 2-1 win.

7/14/15

Houston trades Corey Ashe to Orlando City for allocation money and a 2017 2nd round draft pick. Ashe gives Orlando City some much needed depth in the back after getting squeezed out of the rotation in Houston. After making 20 starts for the Dynamo in 2014, Ashe had yet to appear in an MLS match this season. Ashe had been with Houston since his MLS debut in 2007.

7/16/15

Montreal trades Bakary Soumaré to FC Dallas in exchange for Kyle Bekker. The Canadian-born Bekker returns to Canada where he spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons with Toronto FC. He saw only limited playing time in Dallas appearing in 8 matches and making a pair of starts during the regular season. Soumaré was the driver in this deal as he'd become unhappy with his role in Montreal after factoring in their Champions League run this spring.

DC United trades Luis Silva to Real Salt Lake in exchange for Álvaro Saborío. In easily the biggest trade so far this season, United sends Silva, who tied for the team lead in scoring last season, to Real Salt Lake for RSL's all-time leading scorer. Silva had not returned to form for DC after suffering an injury at the end of last season scoring just once and making just four starts this year. Sabo, meanwhile, was having a down year by his standards scoring just three times in 14 appearances. He leaves RSL with 63 goals over parts of six seasons, and should be fresh after not seeing much action for Costa Rica during the Gold Cup.

7/20/15

Sporting Kansas City trades Servando Carrasco to Orlando City for Amobi Okugo. Carrasco, who is perhaps most famous for being married to USWNT star Alex Morgan, had seen his playing time diminish in Sporting's 4-3-3 where Benny Feilhaber, Haitian newcomer Soni Mustivar and Honduran Roger Espinoza had absorbed most of the minutes. He gives Orlando much needed depth as in more than a few occasions this season, City has struggled to put an 18-man squad together. In Okugo, Sporting gets some more experience on their back line where they had been starting a pair of rookies, Saad Abdul-Salaam and Amadou Dia.

7/23/15

Philadelphia Union trades Sheanon Williams and an international roster spot to Houston for allocation money. Williams, who had been with Philadelphia since 2010, saw his playing time diminish with the emergence of Raymon Gaddis and became expendable. Jermaine Taylor's injury in the Gold Cup leaves a gap at the back for the Dynamo that Williams should be able to help fill.

US Open Cup Quarterfinal Match Summaries

Upsets were the story in the quarterfinals as Real Salt Lake, Philadelphia and Chicago all advanced in a wild round of play. Here's a rundown of all four matches. The semis will pit Philadelphia against Chicago and Sporting against Real Salt Lake.

Real Salt Lake 1 LA Galaxy 0

Steven Gerrard's insertion in to the LA lineup wasn't enough to stop Real Salt Lake from pulling off a narrow victory and knock the Galaxy out of the 2015 US Open Cup. Aaron Maund's 87th minute header, his first professional goal, was the difference in the match as the Galaxy couldn't overcome the absences of Gyasi Zardes, Omar Gonzalez and Jaime Penedo. Real Salt Lake outshot the Galaxy 15-6 while maintaining possession for 60% of the match.

Philadelphia Union 1 New York Red Bulls 1, Philadelphia wins 4-3 in Shootout

Philadelphia survived a first half red card for the second match in a row in the tournament and against all odds, have advanced to the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. Conor Casey, who got the start because C.J. Sapong was red carded in Philadelphia's 5th Round win over DC United, was sent off 40 minutes in with the score tied at 0-0. Philadelphia took the lead in the 56th minute but then watched New York tie the match 4 minutes into stoppage time. Still, the Union persevered winning the shootout 4-3. The Red Bulls outshot the Union 34-8 and John McCarthy made nine saves for Philadelphia.

Sporting Kansas City 3 Houston Dynamo 1

Luis Garrido suffered an early ejection, and while Houston was able to take a lead behind a Will Bruin goal, Sporting roared back with goals of their own from Benny Feilhaber, Dom Dwyer and Krisztián Németh as they advanced to the semifinals with a 3-1 win. Erick 'Cubo' Torres made his 2015 debut for Houston, and while he wasn't a factor in this match, the hope for Houston is that he'll add some punch to a struggling offense.

Chicago Fire 3 Orlando City SC 1

Kennedy Igboananike came off the bench to score twice in the closing minutes as the Chicago Fire stunned Orlando City 3-1. The Fire, who have struggled for much of the year, outshot Orlando 20-8 despite losing the possession battle and eventually broke through when Igboananike found the back of the net late. Orlando got a goal from rookie of the year candidate Cyle Larin in a losing effort.

MLS Weekly Recap, Week 19

Here's this week's recap:

Ricardo Clark and Will Bruin both scored as the Dynamo defeated the Wondo-less Quakes 2-0. Nigerian midfielder Rasheed Olabiyi made his MLS debut when he came on as a second half substitute... Bradley Wright-Phillips bagged two goals and an assist in the game's opening 12 minutes as the Red Bulls routed the Revolution 4-1. For the Revs it was their fifth straight loss and they've won just once since May 2nd... Vincent Nogueira scored a pair of goals and midfielder Cristian Maidana added three assists as the Union throttled the Timbers 3-0. Brian Sylvestre earned the shutout in net for the Union who dealt the Timbers their first loss with Will Johnson in the starting lineup. They had been 5-0 in his five previous starts... Playing without Cyle Larin (Gold Cup) or Kaká (red card suspension), Orlando City struggled to generate any offense as they fell to Dan Kennedy and FC Dallas 2-0. The win was Dallas's third straight and they haven't conceded a goal in three straight matches... Dominic Oduro scored twice and Marco Donadel tallied his first MLS goal as Montreal pulled off a 3-0 upset over the Columbus Crew. Kei Kamara, the league's leading scorer, attempted five shots, but failed to put any on frame... Jason Johnson scored the only goal of the match in stoppage time as the Fire surprised the Seattle Sounders 1-0. Homegrown player Patrick Doody made his MLS debut and went a full 90 minutes at left back in the win while Mike Magee made his first start of the season... Colorado scored three times after the 80th minute including twice in stoppage time to shock Real Salt Lake 3-1. Sebastián Jaime scored for the third straight match for RSL, but was also ejected in the 84th minute setting up the Rapids' win... Sebastian Giovinco and David Villa put on quite a show combing for 5 goals and an assist in a wild 4-4 tie between New York City FC and Toronto FC... Defender Kevin Ellis scored the only goal of the match as Sporting Kansas City, despite starting a pair of rookies in defense, shutout Vancouver 1-0.

US Open Cup Quarterfinal Match-Ups Set

We'll cover this week's matches later, but here's a look at the Quarterfinal Pairings for this year's US Open Cup. Matches will be played the 21st and 22nd of July:

East Regional: New York Red Bulls vs Philadelphia Union

In an Eastern Conference showdown, the Red Bulls will face off against last year's tournament runner-up, the Philadelphia Union. The Union knocked off the Red Bulls in their only match-up so far this season, 2-0 on May 24th behind goals by Vincent Nogueira and C.J. Sapong. While the Red Bulls have beaten up on the likes of the Atlanta Silverbacks and New York Cosmos, outscoring the two NASL sides 7-1, the Union have had a much tougher route to the quarterfinals. After playing the Rochester Rhinos to a 0-0 draw and defeating them in a shootout, they turned around and upset DC United scoring a pair of goals after going down to 10 men when Sapong was sent off 24 minutes in for a hard foul. Cristian Maidana assisted on both of the Union's goals in the win.

South Regional: Orlando City SC vs Chicago Fire

Two teams headed in opposite directions will face off when Orlando City takes on the Chicago Fire in the Southern Regional. The Fire have won just once in their last nine league matches and have dropped their last four including a 3-2 decision against Orlando on June 6th thanks to a pair of own goals by Adaílton. Orlando, on the other hand, is 4-1-2 in their last seven matches and Carlos Rivas is tied for the tournament lead in goals scored with four.

Central Regional: Houston Dynamo vs Sporting Kansas City

Dom Dwyer exploded for four goals in Sporting's 6-2 rout of FC Dallas in the 5th Round, more than making up for their lackluster performance against Saint Louis FC in their tournament opener. Houston, meanwhile, has yet to concede a goal in the tournament with Joe Willis posting back-to-back shutout wins over the Austin Aztex and Colorado Rapids. In their only meeting this year, the two clubs played to a wild 4-4 draw.

Western Regional: Real Salt Lake vs LA Galaxy

The Galaxy shut out the Wondo-less Quakes 1-0 thanks to an early goal from Jose Villarreal, winning without Gyasi Zardes, Omar Gonzalez, Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard or Jaime Penedo. Real Salt Lake reached the quarterfinals by shocking the Portland Timbers 2-0 as Portland suffered a letdown following a pair of emotional wins over the Seattle Sounders. Real Salt Lake has been shut out twice by the Galaxy so far this season. The two clubs played to a 0-0 draw on May 6th and the Galaxy rode a Juninho PK to a 1-0 win on May 27th.

MLS Weekly Recap, Week 17

Here's this week's recap:

With Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins both out, the Union took advantage and shocked the Seattle Sounders 1-0... Real Salt Lake sustained a pair of red cards and were outshot by the Red Bulls 24-4, but managed to keep the damage to a minimum losing just 1-0. Nick Rimando made seven saves... Kei Kamara scored two more goals and Ethan Finlay picked up his ninth assist of the season as the Crew survived giving up a first minute goal and defeated the Revs 2-1... Orlando City got goals from Cyle Larin and Kaká as they spoiled Joseph Greenspan's MLS debut and knocked off the Rapids 2-0. Larin's goal was his sixth of the year, easily leading all rookies.. Toronto FC got goals from all three of their stars (Altidore, Bradley, Giovinco) as they rallied to knock off their nemesis, the Montreal Impact, 3-1... DC United became the first team to ten wins thanks to Conor Doyle's second half goal as they defeated the Chicago Fire, 1-0. Mike Magee made his second appearance for the Fire logging 16 minutes as a second half substitute... The LA Galaxy scored five for the second straight MLS match and routed the Timbers snapping their four-game winning streak. Robbie Keane had a goal and two assists to lead the Galaxy attack... FC Dallas got a pair of first half goals and won for the first time in a month and a half, 2-0 over their rivals, the Houston Dynamo. Houston rookie Rob Lovejoy left the match in the first half with a hamstring injury... Bill Hamid made it two shutouts in a week when he also shut out the triple threat of Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco in their 0-0 draw with Toronto... Octavio Rivero scored for the first time since May 9th and Vancouver took advantage of an Andrew Farrell red card in their 2-1 win over the Revolution... Krisztián Németh scored his 7th goal, Benny Feilhaber tied Ethan Finlay for the league lead in assists with nine, and Chance Myers played his first MLS match since May 23, 2014 (and picked up an assist no less) as Sporting defeated Colorado 2-0... No sooner than did Feilhaber tie Ethan Finlay for the assist lead that the Columbus Crew winger picked up assist number ten and added a goal as the Crew twice fought back from one goal deficits to force a draw with Real Salt Lake... Chris Wondolowski and company snapped the LA Galaxy's hot streak bouncing back from an early 1-0 deficit to defeat their rivals, 3-1. Matías Pérez García stayed red hot for the Quakes notching a pair of assists to give him a goal and three helpers in his last two matches... The Red Bulls won another showdown with their crosstown rivals thanks to a pair of assists from Sacha Kljestan and a goal from Bradley Wright-Phillips... The Portland Timbers turned in a dominant performance against the short-handed Sounders thanks to a breakout performance from Darlington Nagbe and two more goals from Fanendo Adi.

US Open Cup Recap - Round 4, Day 1

New York Red Bulls 3 Atlanta Silverbacks 0

The Red Bulls were eliminated in this round of last year's tournament by the New York Cosmos 3-0. They didn't mess around this year against Atlanta starting regulars Bradley Wright-Phillips, Sacha Kljestan, Lloyd Sam, Luis Robles and others and cruised to a 3-0 win of their own. Sam and Ronald Zubar each scored in the opening 15 minutes, but Sam left the match just over 20 minutes in with both groin and ankle injuries. Sean Davis added an insurance goal in the second half.

Philadelphia Union 0 Rochester Rhinos 0, Philadelphia Wins 3-1 in Shootout

After 120 minutes of scoreless action, the Union edged out the Rochester Rhinos 3-1 in a penalty kick shootout. Maurice Edu, Vincent Nogueira and Cristian Maidana each converted for the Union. John McCarthy played the full match in net for Philadelphia and was scored on just once in four tries during the shootout.

Sporting Kansas City 1 Saint Louis FC 0

Benny Feilhaber connected with Graham Zusi for the match's lone goal as Sporting knocked off Saint Louis FC 1-0. Tim Melia remains unbeaten in net for Sporting in seven starts across all competitions since taking over for Luis Marín. Perhaps more importantly though for Sporting, Chance Myers made his return to the field for the first time after tearing his achilles tendon a year ago. Myers went 55 minuets before coming off in favor of rookie Saad-Abdul Salaam.

FC Dallas 4 Oklahoma City Energy 1

David Texeira and Michael Barrios both netted a pair of goals as FC Dallas jumped out to a 3-0 first half lead and cruised to a 4-1 win over the Energy. Dallas reached the semifinals of last year's tournament before falling on penalties to the Philadelphia Union.

Chicago Fire 1 Louisville City FC 0 (a.e.t.)

Quincy Amarikwa broke a 0-0 tie in the 115th minute as the Fire snuck by Louisville City. Sean Johnson picked up the shutout in net for Chicago. Scottish international Shaun Maloney came off the bench for the Fire, but left in extra time after taking a knock.

Colorado Rapids 4 Colorado Springs Switchbacks 1

Rookies Dominique Badji and Joseph Greenspan each scored goals while Dillon Serna had two and an assist as the Rapids routed the Switchbacks 4-1. Greenspan was making his first appearance for Colorado while Badji had lost his starting spot and had been seeing only limited minutes in recent matches.

Real Salt Lake 2 Seattle Sounders FC 2 1

Real Salt Lake rallied from a 1-0 halftime deficit thanks to goals by Joao Plata and Javier Morales. Playing without regulars Kyle Beckerman, Nick Rimando, Jámison Olave or Tony Beltran and only getting five minutes from Álvaro Saborío, RSL got strong performances from its reserves and advanced to the 5th Round for the first time since 2013.

Portland Timbers 3 Seattle Sounders 1 (a.e.t.) 

In last year's quarterfinals, Seattle knocked off Portland 3-1 in extra time behind goals from Kenny Cooper and Marco Pappa. The Timbers returned the favor this year though as Rodney Wallace and Maximiliano Urruti scored after regulation guaranteeing a new U.S. Open Cup Champion in 2015. Seattle fought valiantly despite going a man down in the 69th minute when Brad Evans picked up a second yellow card, eventually drawing even behind a goal from Obafemi Martins, but they couldn't conjure up enough magic to knock off their rivals. Matters were made that much more difficult when they were reduced to seven men in extra time following subsequent ejections of Michael Azira and Clint Dempsey, AND an injury to Martins who left the match on a stretcher. Diego Valeri also scored for the Timbers as he made his return from injury.

San Jose Earthquakes 2 Sacramento Republic 2, San Jose Wins 6-5 in Shootout

In a rematch of last year's 4th Round match-up won by the Quakes, Sacramento looked to be on their way to a revengeful upset only to surrender a pair of goals to Chris Wondolowski in a six-minute span to force overtime. Still, Sacramento had their chances in extra time, AND had a chance to win in PKs, but Bryan Meredith made a huge save at 3-3, the Quakes made their final 3 kicks to win the 8-round shootout, 6-5.