What a turnaround - Union vs Saprissa
A rollercoaster of emotions encapsulated in a 90 minute match.
Hi all!
Playing in Saprissa was never going to be easy, but I genuinely do not believe that anyone expected the match to go the way it did. It took one of Carranza’s best-ever performances for the Union to lead the side to an advantage going into Subaru Park. So, how did it happen?
Here are the rosters from CONCACAF:
To no one's surprise, after all the praise from Curtin, Lowe, Sullivan, and Carranza got the nod. However, one interesting piece from this roster: Carranza is listed as Italian. When I spoke to him last fall, he mentioned that he wouldn’t mind representing the European nation, however, I had no idea that he had a passport with them. Perhaps that is what he did this summer when he stopped in Italy during the offseason.
Let’s get THAT (own) goal out of the way. What a head-scratcher this was. Hopefully, this is Glesnes getting it out of his system and the rest of the season is a lot more low-key.
Carranza was brilliant, scoring three goals to propel the side to a lead ahead of next Tuesday’s match in Subaru Park. Here is what the Argentine (or Italian?) said after the match:
"We didn't play a great first half; however, we came with a better mentality during the second half. It is a very difficult place to play; people do not stop cheering. It is beautiful... Nothing is done yet; we are going to work hard to finish the job at home and make it through to the next round."
One thought - Curtin warned fans and press about “La Cueva de Monstruos” and what the environment at the stadium can do to opponents. Here is what he said ahead of the match on Monday:
"I have been in this stadium before when it goes crazy early. Back in my Chicago days, we had an early red card, and it becomes, I'll just say, very difficult to play once the crowd gets going, and there is no stopping that momentum."
About Curtin, did you notice his new look?
Well, I got some information after speaking to Commonwealth Proper.
Jim has undergone a rebranding. In partnership with Commonwealth Proper, Craig Arthur von Schroeder, CEO, and founder, and lead tailor of the custom garment company, has assisted in outfitting Jim for tonight's match and future matches throughout the season. With this suit, it's all about the details. You'll notice the iconic colors on the buttons of the suit jacket, as well as on the shirt, and the incredible "JMC" embroidered on the custom dress shirt. I spoke with Scott Crossin, Chief Marketing Director of CMMP, and there is so much more to come. I look forward to sharing the story throughout the year.
Bonus: CMMP and the Philadelphia Union are both celebrating their 15th anniversary.
After the match, here are the most interesting bits from the coaches:
Curtin shared his thoughts on the night that Carranza had, one that led to the Argentine (or Italian) earning the Man of the Match award. Here is what he shared:
"It is a special night for him; he is a pure goal-scorer... he does a lot of the dirty work for the team as well... but when you score goals in the big games, and this was a big game tonight, the world is watching. Anytime you have a night like this, I'll just say, a lot of scouts and eyes are on him. I hope that this is just the beginning for him this season... Julián really led the line well for us tonight and scored three really good goals."
Vladimir Quesada of Saprissa shared the following about the score heading into Subaru Park on Tuesday:
"The score is not in our favor; we are disappointed. This group of players is used to winning and winning it all. They prepared for this tournament with lots of hopes and dreams. But yes, we are very disappointed; we are feeling hurt because we lost and we do not like to lose. We lost in our home in front of our fans, my apologies to them. They were with us all along. We do believe that the series is not over.
The scoreline, 3-2, thanks to the second goal, keeps us in the fight, and I believe that we can do it. That's what we spoke about in the locker room. And yes, I repeat, we are sad, we don't like to lose, let alone in our stadium in front of our fans... This matchup doesn't end here. After the match this weekend against Guanacasteca, we will take time to correct things for the match at Subaru Park. We think that we can do it."
The Union now turn the page and focus on the home opener against a rejuvenated Chicago side that features a $12 million striker, a former LAFC midfielder, and got rid of former Union striker Kacper Przybylko, shipping him off to Switzerland.
The match kicks off at 7:30, and I hope to meet/see as many of you there as possible.
Extra pieces of info since I last wrote to you:
According to MLS, season ticket sales for the 2024 season are up 15% compared to 2023, with ticket revenue up 25%.
StubHub also shared that sales of MLS tickets have increased significantly, seven times larger than in 2023. League sponsorship revenue is up 18%, while clubs' sponsorship revenue is up 15% year over year.
Additionally, per Sportico, the Union's MLS franchise value is up 29% since 2021.
One last statistic, MLS online sales have increased by 44% from last year, with site traffic up 102% compared to last year.
Finally, John Hackworth, former Union Manager from 2012 to 2014, has been elevated to Technical Director of St. Louis City, their first. During his time with the Union, he held a variety of roles, including Coordinator of Talent Management, Assistant Manager, Interim Manager, and ultimately Head Coach in 2012. Under his coaching tenure, he had a record of 32-42-28.
He joined St. Louis City SC in 2021 as the Director of Coaching, and in 2022, he served as an interim head coach for their MLS Next Pro side for the first half of the year. Hackworth will also add the scouting department and player acquisition responsibilities for the first team and City2.
Congratulations, John!
Video Credit: CONCACAF, PHILADELPHIA UNION, TUDN
Love the suit, Jim. Are you channeling Diego Simeone?
That IS interesting--Italian, huh?