Doopcast - Philadelphia Union

So… Jim Curtin… Tactical genius.  San Jose were THE hot team in MLS, so naturally a bloody awful Union side stood no chance against a team that had won the last four games, including beating the seventy three  Designated Players that LA has.  So what was it?  A free-roaming Barnetta carving open defences with trickery and speed, a daring false nine combined with a double pivot and zonal pressing?  Fluid / total football?  Nah mate...  Just chuck it in the box for the big lad. Only this time instead of the slender, toned Sapong it was the slightly fuller figure of one Conor Patrick Casey.   I guess it’s true what they say… Girth really does make a big difference in the box...

The DoopCast is all about that cup, bout that cup, no playoffs.

Oh LeToux LeToux, He’s Frencher than me or you, And even Drogba too, Four from five will do.   M’Bolhi M’Bolhi, He’s madder than you or me, He’s headed off to Turkey, Goodbye from Philly. Don’tletthedoorhityourassonthewayoutRais...

Part two covers that thrilling three-three rematch on a sultry Sunday night.  There's also Off The Post and a head-scratching Who Are Ya?

Part one of this episode considers the Orlando game (if you could call it that) and the Open Cup semi-final against Chicago.  Part two will have the league game, Off The Post, and Who are Ya?

As we get down to the nitty gritty in the east, The Union’s results aren’t so pretty... not in the least, Now Sheannon’s gone and with him the BOOM, The spectre of more losses surely does loom, With barely a dozen league games games left, Will the trophy cabinet again be bereft? Will Barnetta bring back smiles to us all, Or will Sack Curtin become the call? Hey, we’ve still got the cup, Or is that just something else to cock-up? Let’s see what the lads have to say about it all.

Blimey… DoopCasts are just like SEPTA buses… What’s that you say?  old, slow, and emitting noxious substances?  No…. I mean you wait forever and then two or three come all at once…. It’s been quite a week with all that fuss over Caitlyn Jenner… and after the Toronto game I have to agree that the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage did go to the wrong person, surely CJ Sapong deserved it as he gamely played on after taking a size twelve right in the swingers.  I don’t think Ryan Howard has hit balls any harder than that.  Who Are ya is back, and Off the Post and despite (predictably) no Union player making the “Marketing personalities of the league to a national sponsor scrimmage”  erm… I mean the All-Star Game, there is news of the U bringing home a championship…. of sorts….

The second half of the catchup.  Next week we will cover TFC - we promise!

Time to play catchup again - we will be back to one match, one episode with the Toronto game.

Covering the visit of those ever-so-loely Third Rail types to PPL, plus Who Are Ya? and Off The Post with Dr. Carr.

Sorry for being absent for so long but it wasn't through lack of trying. Here is the first of a two part catchup episode.

Pfeffer once again proved that he should be seeing more time on the field and less on the bench with a finish cooler than the other side of the pillow to send us home singing songs of joy and not of protest.

Hi folks, it’s Richie here with a brief but important message.    A  very serious issue that is exceptionally near and dear to the DoopCasts heart is one you probably haven’t heard of, Leukodystrophy.  This Saturday, May 16th you can come out and support the cause simply by taking a walk.  It is taking place in Fairmount Park and it promises to be a glorious day - go to huntershope.org for details.  If you can’t make it out but would like to donate just go http://www.thecalliopejoyfoundation.org/

  Maybe the Sons of Ben movie has had an adverse effect on the U, because it looks like we are swiftly turning into a mockumentary like This is Spinal Tap.. How else to explain the bizarre series of injuries and circumstances that have afflicted all the goalkeepers?  After all, the goalie is to a soccer team like a drummer is to a rock band…unfortunately Nick Sak seems to be playing the Malcolm McClaren to the Union’s Sex Pistols as it’s Anarchy in the PA...

Take me to the away game, Take the bus with the crowd, Buy me a winger and a left back, I don’t care if big Jim gets the sack, So it’s boot boot boot out M’Bolhi, That whole episode was a shame, And it’s 1, 2, 3, goalies are out, And Nick Sak’s to blame.

This time the Union made like a doctor dispensing medicine while doing a handstand… and flipped the script by pulling off a late win.. and you know I think I heard Dr. King as I was walking out of PPL saying “Three at last, three at last, Thank Nogs almighty, three points at last….” The River End joined Ayuk in flipping out after Noggy’s last minute strike grabbed the points like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a nerdy goalkeeper’s hat - and I guess that in the post match interview JP must have been hungry because he apparently ordered a Big Mac and cries… aww…. bless…

  It seems M’Bolhi the goalie had the wrong idea of what holy week was - no, Rais, it doesn’t mean you keep goal as if you are made out of holes.  Though to be fair the defence on set pieces was shakier than a Parkinson’s ward during an earthquake, and predictably… as if they had been given a passing grade by Philadelphia Licenses and Inspections, the Union collapsed with disastrous results, but on the bright side at least Mike Lahoud now has something even more embarrassing than that terrible hairdo for us to talk about...

So it’s another week of misery in Unionville, although as it is Easter I suppose you could say that the Union were just doing their bit by serving up a tragedy when it comes to crosses, and despite being Muslim I think I did see Mbolhi paraphrasing Jesus on the cross saying, “my defenders, my defenders... why have you forsaken me?” Now we’re no Indiana here at the DoopCast and we want to recognize Passover is also here but I think Fred needs to get down the Yeshiva and study some more because Adonai freed the Jews from bondage with ‘a mighty hand’ and not a dainty slap from a wooly glove.  Sadly there was to be no stemming the red sea of red cards as the Union blew it in the windy city.

No elbow room at PPL Park.   What was he thinking?

It was inevitable - here is my entry for 'A Song for Fernando'.   We thought we had the win in sightOn Friday night, Fernando.     He was scoring goals for you and me, almost got three, Fernando.Though we never thought that we would lose, there was the ref.  If you can score two goals again, you’ll be my friend, Fernando.If you can score two goals again,you’ll be my friend, Fernando.