Dave Knittel

Founder @TheSoccerTavern | Formerly @Fan_Futsal & @BTSoccerPod | soccer scarf aficionado | Union, LFC & USMNT

[Tom Bogert @tombogert]

The Philadelphia Union didn't want to lose Kai Wagner this winter but club honored a promise from previous sporting director Ernst Tanner to Wagner that the club would let him go for a bid north of $2m

When it was possible Union could bring him back... club jumped all over it

[Sebastian @WhyNotSebastian]

The most depressing thing about loving soccer in the USA is seeing the pattern of everyone not care, then misunderstand, then get hype, then clown on soccer once the USMNT lose, then just move on.
Repeat every 4 years.

[USMNT_STAN @StanUsmnt]

I’ve heard people say “well we don’t have an open system in basketball and we’re still best in the world.”

Guys, in a little over 30 years foreign players went from almost no nba players and getting ran off court with our best to:

-8 straight foreign MVPs
-since 2021 first team all nba has been 21/30 foreign spots
-college bball recruiting has shifted to be a race for the best 20 year old euro players

If you don’t think their approach to development on all fronts including club structure and professional league structure impacts this you’re crazy.

[GOLZ @golz_tv]

Hérculez Gómez has called out the major American networks for overhyping the USMNT 👀

He was speaking on ESPN FC show tonight, where he reacted to the Americans’ 4-1 loss to Belgium in the World Cup.

“That's a problem in this country. You're listening to people who are saying, we can go all the way and the U.S. can win the World Cup,”’Herc said.

“There are major networks saying these things. Why not us? Now, the coach can say it, absolutely, because he's the coach and he has to motivate his players.

“But you have a responsibility if you got a microphone in front of you to at some point in time just be realistic with the people.

“Belgium is a team that is on the cusp of that elite level around the world, but not one of those elite teams. They're not a France, they're not a Spain, they're not a Portugal.

“And in this year, [we played them in] two games, aggregate scoreline of 9-3 on home soil?

“I went out and I said this team could play against Belgium physically, that they would give them fits. Where we mistook our evaluation of this team was psychologically and mentally, what they would do if they faced adversity. They weren't ready for the moment.

“They weren't ready for it in 2022, and we said they were still green. They weren't ready for it here. And it's not debutantes like Alex Freeman who weren't ready.

“It's the likes of a Christian Pulisic, a Sergiño Dest. It's your most important players, a 39-year-old Tim Ream, if you will, your team captain.

“In the biggest of moments, you can't allow those players to have bad performances mentally. Because on the field, some things may not go your way.

“But from the opening minute that Matt Reese was tested, they were in a shell. And psychologically, they were already beaten.

“The U.S. men's national team beat themselves today. Belgium is a very good team and tactically took it to Mauricio Pochettino and his players.

“But this team, this Belgium team that we saw in this tournament, is not four goals better than the U.S. men's national team. The U.S. men's national team gave them those four goals today.”

[Aaron West @oeste]

a poor performance is one thing, a scared one is another. embarrassing showing.

[Big Cat @BarstoolBigCat]

Shout out FIFA. I think we can all agree FIFA is a great organization that always does the right thing and in no way is this about it directly benefiting USMNT

[Merriam-Webster @MerriamWebster]

That was not the definition of a red card.

[USMNT_STAN @StanUsmnt]

Just watched our third WC win in 19 days… we had 3 WC wins in the last 24 yrs.

Just watched our 10th WC goal in 19 days… we had 8 in the last 12 years.

Just watched our 2nd WC shutout win in 19 days… we had 2 in the last 24 yrs.

What a time to be a USMNT fan!!

[Barstool Sports @barstoolsports]

MALIK TILLMAN FREE KICK STUNNER

YOU CAN’T STOP WHAT’S COMING 🇺🇸

[MLS Moves @MLSMoves]

BUT THIS WASNT EVEN A CARD!!! Make it it make sense

[Pardon My Take @PardonMyTake]

Build the statue of the flight attendant that wouldn’t let Baloguns mom on the flight

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[Pardon My Take @PardonMyTake]

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[Lauren Vidas @BroadAndMarket]

Philly has played the long game on the World Cup. The folks running the show didn’t look at it as a one time money grab, but rather a way to build trust & goodwill as an international destination. Free transit, free fan fest, tailgating allowed. Fans over funds will win the day.

[Jimmy King @Jimmyking35]

People said there wasn’t enough room for soccer in a 4 for 4 city, that no one would care about the World Cup except a few foreigners. But Philadelphia is the best sports city in the world, and so this doesn’t surprise me one bit

The Philadelphia Union really need to figure out a way to make the most of this moment the city is having around the sport of soccer

[AO @AmericanOutlaws]

Yall heard that?

[Philadelphia Union @PhilaUnion]

From the Philly steps to the world stage 🇿🇦

[Marcus Chairez | US/SC @USSoccerColl]

Philadelphia operates on a low budget with arguably the best academy in the country, and their best runs have come from unearthing undervalued talent and building teams greater than the sum of their parts. Carnell wasn't particularly interested in playing young players, which is a strange fit for a club whose clearest competitive advantage is producing them.

The path forward seems almost too obvious: commit fully to a youth-first model, trust the academy, and build around it. Instead, the Union have spent years stuck in the middle: just short of a power, not all in as a development club. That half-measure approach is exactly why they keep coming up short.

[Philadelphia Union @PhilaUnion]

4 former Homegrowns are heading to the World Cup! 🥹🇺🇸

#DOOP

[Charles Erb @charlescerb]

The good news for the Philadelphia Union:

- Milan Iloski is a legitimate striker and a guy you can build your attack around.

- Cavan Sullivan really is extremely promising.

- So is Frankie Westfield.

The bad news is, uh, everything else.
#DOOP

[Joe Tansey @JTansey90]

FT: Inter Miami 6, Union 4

The Union enter the World Cup break with an MLS-worst 7 points from 15 matches.

They have 1 win, 10 losses, 4 draws & 0.47 points per game.