Thursday Afternoon Union Freekicks: Read Up, Lots Of News Today

Ruiz dismisses rumors of transfer to Veracruz | MLSsoccer.com
NEW YORK – In the series of rumors about his imminent departure from Philadelphia Union to leave the club Veracruz second division in Mexico, Carlos Ruiz stepped in to clarify and refute his alleged transfer. (Actual article is in Spanish)

The Philly Soccer Page " KYW Philly Soccer Show: Brian Carroll

On this week’s Philly Soccer Show podcast, KYW’s Greg Orlandini and the PSP’s Eli Pearlman-Storch are joined by the Philadelphia Union’s Brian Carroll.

SOCCER: Williams jumps right in to spark Union defense – pottsmerc.com

CHESTER — In recent weeks, Los Angeles had to put a defender in goal when its starting goalkeeper sustained an injury and its backup earned a red card.

Afternoon Delight; Midterm Marks | Union Dues

The Union have reached the halfway point and are still topping the East with a few games in hand. It’s easy to say the team is much improved over last season, but here are my grades for the first 17 (+1) games of the season…

Touch-ing Solo – lines " Unholy Union – The fan blog for Phi. Union

Congrats to the USA Women’s National team on making the Women’s World Cup Finals.  They’re facing off against Japan on Sunday.

New York Red Bulls Sign Hamburger SV Goalkeeper Frank Rost – Once A Metro

Hamburger SV goalkeeper Frank Rost signs with the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer.

A look back at the 2010 Union friendly match while we prepare for the 2011 event in August | PennLive.com
My personal opinion is that Sainey Touray will earn time with the Union at some point in the season. His speed and touch make him worthy of a look from the Philly staff. Angulo is another guy who may be on their radar. Although not as fast as Touray, Jose has more strength and is harder to knock off the ball. There are plenty of other guys who may get a shot. Time will tell.

Carmichael Native Okugo Playing in MLS – Carmichael, CA Patch

"My time in Carmichael was good; I developed some good friendships," Okugo said in a phone interview from Philadelphia with Carmichael Patch. "Jesuit and Rio helped me continue to do well in school."

Soccer has arrived in America, so stop pretending it hasn't – Less Is More blog – Boston.com

If you follow sports and you ask the question "when will soccer arrive in America?" then you've clearly had your head in the sand for the last decade. Soccer has arrived and it's been here for a few years now….

Q and A with Whitecaps’ Jordan Harvey
GOAL!: Another check mark in your favour. So, now that we’ve got someone who was on the inside, let’s settle something. The second game of the season in Philly, what were the defenders saying in the locker room? “Kick Eric Hassli until he snaps?” JH: No, there was nothing like that. It just kind of happened like that. I don’t remember [Hassli’s] first [card] but I remember the second. It was a tough break. I thought it looked like he was going to get a red card the whole game and it finally happened. But there was no, ‘Go after this guy.’

Everton FC goalkeeper Tom Howard is looking forward to USE pre-season tour ‘homecoming’ – Everton FC News – Everton FC – Liverpool Daily Post

The encounter with Philadelphia Union should be particularly poignant for the 32-year-old USA international keeper, because the club’s chief executive officer, Nick Sakiewics, coached Howard during the early part of his career in the US. Howard said: “Nick brought me through the ranks while I was a youngster. I’m friends with many of the coaching staff at Philadelphia Union and one of my best friends, Danny Califf, plays for them.”

Positives outweigh the negatives for Revolution

So the Revolution can take something from both halves, both positive and negative, heading into Sunday’s league match with the Philadelphia Union, which New England coach Steve Nicol described as "huge" following Wednesday night’s friendly loss.

Chaves, Birchall suspended – latimes.com

San Jose Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop also received an additional $500 fine for conduct unbecoming of a professional when he was dismissed from the sideline during a match with the Philadelphia Union on July 9. The fine is in addition to the automatic one-game suspension and $500 fine that comes with being dismissed from the match, bringing his total in fines to $1,000.

Eskandarian: Academy "extremely excited" about Everton match | Philadelphia Union

MLS Cup champion and two-time MLS All-Star Alecko Eskandarian joined the Union as Youth Technical Director on June 15. After a month on the job…

Wambach propels USA into title game | Philadelphia Daily News | 07/14/2011

MOENCHENGLADBACH, Germany – Abby Wambach sure knows how to deliver. A goal, a promise and soon, she hopes, a World Cup title.