EPJr

Major League Soccer has unveiled the official logo for MLS Cup 2009, the League's 14th championship game. The marquee matchup will take place on Sunday, November 22 at 8:30 p.m. ET on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field, the home of Seattle Sounders FC. The game will be televised live on ESPN.

EPJr

http://www.philadelphiaunion.com

EPJr

sights and sounds from 5/11




http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1030359

EPJr

2,000 seats section for Sons of Ben Supporters Group is sold out

http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/1135/182...Davis_Podcasts

According to Nick (Philly CEO and co-owner), the SoB supporters' section (2,000 strong) is already sold out. Other stuff from the Glenn Davis Podcasts:

* Sons of Ben had an influence on the Union colors and crest and likely the "Join or Die" phrase in latin.
* Sons of Ben get their own entrance on the North East side of the stadium.
* Sons of Ben get their own 2,000 seat section which they will control, separate from other sections.



The supporters section (its back to the river) will be 2000 strong and only those signed up the Sons of Ben will get tickets. $125 discount on season ticket will be worth it to the team owners. It costs $125 more to seat at the other endline. I believe the awesome atmosphere created will help with ticket sales and give the team a true home field advantage.

EPJr

http://www.sonsofben.com/

The Sons of Ben (SoB) is an independent fan club for the Philadelphia Major League Soccer (MLS) team. The Sons of Ben group was created in January 2007 by soccer fans from Philadelphia and its greater metropolitan area, using such existing MLS fan clubs as the Screaming Eagles, Empire Supporters Club, La Barra Brava, Texian Army, and Section 8 Chicago as models. The name of the club alludes to Benjamin Franklin, who was one of the most well known Founding Fathers of the United States and a particularly iconic figure of Philadelphia.
Bryan James, Andrew Dillon, and Dave Flagler founded the Sons of Ben supporters club on January 17, 2007, Benjamin Franklin's birthday. Philadelphia soccer fan, Ethan Gomberg, suggested the name. SoB is the first Philly MLS supporters club. The club uses the colors blue and gold, from Philadelphia's city flag, but may assume the official team colors when they are announced.

The Sons of Ben began during a flurry of rumors regarding Major League Soccer's negotiations with investors regarding a team located in the Philadelphia region. The group has more than 2,500 members and ran a season ticket drive, attracting 2,800 requests. Both state and county governments have agreed to partially fund the Rivertown project along the banks of the Delaware River in Chester, Pennsylvania. This mixed-use development will be anchored by a 20,000-seat soccer-specific stadium (Chester Stadium) just south of the Commodore Barry Bridge. On February 28, 2008, Philadelphia was confirmed to be the league's 16th team, meaning that their initial goal has been accomplished. The Sons of Ben refocused their efforts on the most important mission of any supporters club: supporting the local team. The team will begin play in 2010.

At the "Meet the Owners" event held two days before the official MLS press conference in Chester, the Sons of Ben wore nametags with handwritten numbers intended to read 2010. The number was mistakenly interpreted as "ZOLO" by team co-owner Nick Sakiewicz. This led to the Philadelphia MLS team being referred to as the "Zolos" in a series of inside jokes by the group. The Philadelphia MLS team's ownership group, Keystone Sports & Entertainment LLC, designed a specific entrance and a 2,000-seat section of Chester Stadium for the Sons of Ben in recognition of their loyalty.

EPJr

Philadelphia will introduce Peter Nowak as its first head coach at a press conference on Friday, sources with knowledge of the hire told Soccer By Ives on Wednesday. Nowak, the only man to ever win an MLS Cup as a player and head coach, is leaving his post as U.S. national team assistant coach to take over as head coach for the Union, which is set to begin play in 2010.

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_b...ead-coach.html

NOWAK AND GROS REUNITED WITH UNION
Philadelphia Union Communications

Gros to help Nowak develop framework for future

CHESTER, PA (June 11, 2009) – Philadelphia Union Team Manager Peter Nowak reached back for one of his former players to help build the club’s soccer operations by selecting Mechanicsburg, PA native Josh Gros as Team Coordinator. Gros, 26, will be responsible for organizing all matters involving Union players, both on and off the field.

EPJr

Portland so close to MLS their fans can taste it


Portland so close to MLS their fans can taste it
(Seattle Soccer Examiner)

You might think Sounders FC would want the whole region to themselves like the Mariners have for pro baseball and the Seahawks have with the NFL. Soccer, though, is a tribal game that thrives on rivalries ("derbies") and the ability of fans to travel to away matches in support of their clubs. Village against village.The entry of either Vancouver or Portland or both would be a boon for Sounders FC fans, too. Close rivals and a return of the historical derbies that began in the 1970's when all three clubs played in the old North American Soccer League.


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http://www.examiner.com/x-413-Seattl...s-can-taste-it

EPJr

Portland Timbers Army
http://home.comcast.net/~kurtds2/Timbers_Army.html


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbP3x...eature=related


http://www.ptosc.com/

EPJr

Portland Deal Finally Done At Last!


Timbers Army has new reason to cheer. The long sometimes frustrating and difficult road to PGE Park renovations to accommodate MLS has finally come to an end. With a great outcome.

Courtesy of the The Oregonian: Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson, Mayor Sam Adams and Commissioner Randy Leonard emerged from their final negotiating session just before 2 p.m. today after finalizing a $31 million deal to renovate PGE Park for the team's 2011 Major League Soccer debut.

And just in time.

The City Council's 2 p.m. meeting includes measures that would exempt the project from the city's competitive bidding requirements and give Paulson and his company full authority to hire designers and builders for the project.

The long-awaited deal scales back the changes from what was previously envisioned by $6 million to fit within the available budget. The details on the changes are not yet available.

EPJr

Vancouver so close to MLS their fans can taste it


Vancover so close to MLS their fans can taste it
(Seattle Soccer Examiner)

You might think Sounders FC would want the whole region to themselves like the Mariners have for pro baseball and the Seahawks have with the NFL. Soccer, though, is a tribal game that thrives on rivalries ("derbies") and the ability of fans to travel to away matches in support of their clubs. Village against village.The entry of either Vancouver or Portland or both would be a boon for Sounders FC fans, too. Close rivals and a return of the historical derbies that began in the 1970's when all three clubs played in the old North American Soccer League.

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http://www.examiner.com/x-413-Seattl...s-can-taste-it