My Sports News Digest

For a brief time, it appeared that coming home to PPL Park Stadium was just what the Philadelphia Union needed to bring together a mixed team of old and new players. On Sunday, March 18, 2012, the Union faced the Colorado Rapids at home to kick off the 2012 season in Philadelphia. Though the team members were not playing perfectly, the team was holding down the fort and keeping the game even at 0-0. Again, as with the loss against the Portland Timbers which opened the season, the Union fell apart in the second half.

During the first half of the season opener, the two teams both played well, but not spectacularly. The Union had never defeated the Rapids before, so this was never expected to be an easy game. The Union fans noticed that there were some pretty big missed calls on the part of the referees. In the second half, the Rapids got on the board first, but then lost a player. Despite the fact that the Union had a one man advantage, the Rapids managed to score another goal. After falling behind 2-0, the Union did finally manage to get a goal thanks to Lionard Pajoy. The Union could not get another one so the game ended with the Rapids getting the victory by a score of 2-1.

One area of concern for Union fans is that Danny Califf, who has been with the Union for three season, was not a starter. Califf had started every game during his career with the Union, but was sidelined due to being injured, according to Peter Nowak. To treat the injury, he was said to have received an injection in his knee. Strangely, Califf has indicated that he was not injured and that the last time he had an injection in his knee was on March 5.

As a fan, I am of course disappointed that the Union lost in the first home game of the season. I expected a lot from the team after the team had a good run last year and even made the playoffs. The sold out stadium was full of fans that were cheering on the team, so the loss was not due to a lack of support. I don’t think the loss would have been as disappointing if it hadn’t slightly mirrored the previous loss. It seems the team needs to work on closing games and scoring, which are continuing issues from last season. Perhaps it is now even more prominent because the team gave away its top scorer for an international roster slot that it has yet to use.

Kristin Watt lives in central Pennsylvania and has no local major league sporting teams in the area. She has chosen to adopt Philadelphia’s teams, including the Philadelphia Union, as her own home teams. Philadelphia is close enough to make a daytrip out of a game and still not have to get a hotel room.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

MONTREAL – A huge crowd is expected for the Montreal Impact’s first home game in Major League Soccer and coach Jesse Marsch said Friday he wants his club to seize the moment.

A gathering of 60,000 fans or more is expected at Olympic Stadium as the expansion squad gets to make a first impression on a city that seems anxious for a glimpse at North America’s top pro soccer league and a team Marsch and the club’s front office have put together.

The Impact will also be seeking its first MLS goal and league points when it faces the Chicago Fire on Saturday afternoon.

“With a big crowd, everyone wants to show well and show what kind of team we are,” said Marsch, the former MLS midfielder who left a job as assistant coach with the U.S. national squad to become the Impact’s head man.

“But this is being a pro. It’s dealing with moments like this. In my career, I loved these kind of games. These are the kind of games you die for. You don’t get many of these in a career. I think our group recognizes that and we’ll be ready to capitalize on it.”

The Impact made its MLS debut last week in a 2-0 loss to the Whitecaps in Vancouver in which the club showed plenty of energy but little cohesion or scoring touch. Montreal hopes the boost from a big crowd plus an extra week of working together will make a difference against a Chicago side playing its first game of the season.

Team president Joey Saputo and his staff have done their work, plastering posters and billboards around the city and running ads in the media to trumpet the team’s arrival. As of Friday, about 54,000 tickets had been sold and the club hopes a good walkup will push the attendance over 60,000.

Extra bleachers at field level were put in this week as the team tries to break the local record for a pro soccer match of 58,542. That mark was set in a 1981 playoff game by the defunct Montreal Manic of the North American Soccer League, coincidentally against a team from Chicago.

Montreal might even have a shot at Vancouver’s Canadian record for a pro match of 60,342 against Seattle in 1983 at B.C. Place.

The Impact won’t reach the overall record, however, as 71,617 took in the soccer final at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, as East Germany downed Poland 3-1.

Still, it will be packed and noisy in the domed facility.

“There will be emotion in the game,” said Marsch. “That’s a good thing but also something we’ll have to control.

“There’s also going to be the noise factor. Each individual on the field is going to have to be aware of how they’re fitting in the group. If they can’t yell at a guy, we have to be looking around and making sure there’s good balance.”

It may also be a first game for veteran striker Bernardo Corradi, who signed this week after a two-week trial. His international transfer papers came in Friday, making him eligible to play.

Marsch did not announce his starting 11, although from practice it appeared identical to one used last week in Vancouver. That had Justin Braun and Sanna Nyassi as forwards in a 4-4-2 formation.

Although Marsch would not confirm it, Corradi is expected to be among the 18 players dressed and may be used as a substitute in the second half. The veteran of more than 200 Serie A matches in Italy has not played a match since last May, although he had been training with third division club Monza before joining the Impact.

“I haven’t been involved in a game in months, so it’s good – a nice feeling inside,” the 35-year-old Corradi said.

The six-foot-three striker could bring a new dimension to a Montreal offense that is short on true strikers. Corradi is what Marsch calls a target striker, who can hold onto the ball until teammates join in the attack or turn and score himself.

“He slows the game down,” said Marsch. “And he’s clever and smart in and around the box. And he can score goals.”

The Impact should have veteran Donovan Ricketts in goal, with Josh Garner, Tyson Wahl, Matteo Ferrari and Jeb Brovsky on the back line. Justin Mapp, Patrice Bernier, Felipe and Davy Arnaud are in the midfield.

Their chief task will be to stop the Fire’s long balls over the middle to speedy forwards Dominic Oduro and Patrick Nyarko.

Montreal was burned on just such a goal last week when the Whitecaps’ Sebastien Le Toux scored only four minutes into the season opener.

But the home opener will likely be more about energy and emotion than tactics.

“The crowd is a huge boost,” said Gardner. “It’ll be tough on teams coming in here.”

Added Arnaud: “It’s a big advantage, but we have to take advantage of it. We’ve already got a game under our belts and they’re coming into our place and we’ll have a lot of people behind us.

“It’s a good nervous. Everyone feels that because you want to succeed and do well for the club. If you don’t feel it, you need to do something else because you don’t care enough. But as soon as the whistle blows, we’ll all be ready.”

MONTREAL – Matteo Ferrari would rather ponder the record crowd expected for the Montreal Impact’s home opener than the expansion club’s forgettable debut match in Vancouver.

Coming off a 2-0 loss on the West Coast that included a costly gaffe by the veteran defender, the Impact now look forward to playing the Chicago Fire on Saturday in their first home opener as a member of Major League Soccer.

“We know it will be a really good atmosphere, lots of fans,” Ferrari said Tuesday. “We’re happy for that because we need the fans with us like, as we say in Italian, a 12th man on the ground.”

The club announced this week that 46,500 tickets have been sold thus far and that 2,000 seats have been added to the layout at Olympic Stadium to raise capacity to more than 58,500. The club hopes to top the local record of 58,542 who turned out for a North American Soccer League playoff game of the defunct Montreal Manic against the Chicago Sting in 1981.

Laying down the artificial turf at the Big O began Monday and is to be completed in time for an open house practice that is expected to draw thousands on Thursday evening.

It promises to be a positive week for the new team and should help drive home coach Jesse Marsch’s message to his charges to put the Vancouver game behind them and look to the future.

It was a first MLS game for several players, including Ferrari, a former Inter Milan defender who spent the last two seasons with one of Turkey’s top clubs, Besiktas.

“I liked the ambience in Vancouver,” he said. “But when you lose you’re not happy.

“We know we can do better. After the first goal, we continued to play, to try to find our game and I think we did a good job. We made a couple of mistakes and allowed two goals. But it was the first game.”

The Impact looked to be doing well to open the game, but the Whitecaps showed their ability to strike suddenly when Eric Hassli headed a pass in to Sebastien Le Toux to open the scoring only four minutes in.

Ferrari was the goat in the second half when he allowed Camilo to jam on the brakes and cut inside to get a second goal that sank any Montreal hopes of earning a first MLS point.

“We lost a ball in our attack and they made a counterattack,” said Ferrari. “For sure, I can do better in this situation because I permitted Camilo to come inside when maybe it was better to stay there and don’t permit him to kick with the left foot.

“But I lost my control and slipped. Unfortunately, we gave up a second goal and it was difficult for us mentally. But still, we had two chances after the second goal. That’s a good sign.”

Unfortunately for the Impact, pre-season concerns of a lack of finish up front were evident as they created some chances, but couldn’t get a first MLS goal.

Forward Sanna Nyassi used his speed to open some space, but didn’t prove a dangerous shooter. The other starting forward, Justin Braun, was hardly noticed.

Their best chance came from captain Davy Arnaud, but his header was deftly headed away by South Korean international fullback Lee Young-Pyo.

“You start to worry when your team isn’t creating chances and you’re not getting into position to score, but we had a decent number of chances,” said Arnaud. “It’s not something we worry too much about because we have guys on the team who are capable of scoring goals.”

One answer could already be in camp – Ferrari’s former Italian national squad teammate Bernardo Corradi. The 35-year-old has been working himself into shape while the team decides whether to sign him.

Marsch said the Impact were “getting close to making a decision” on Corradi, who in training is the team’s most impressive-looking striker.

However, even if he was signed right away, it would take time for the former Udinese forward’s international transfer papers to come through. Playing this week is not in the cards.

“He’s a little different from what we have,” said Marsch. “He’s more of a target forward who can hold balls up and then bring the team into the game.

“And he’s clever around the goal. He’s still getting himself fit and sharp.”

Marsch said he will consider changes to his starting 11, but since he is seeking consistency, there shouldn’t be many. Some fans and media have pushed for forward Eduardo Sebrango to start, but the 38-year-old has not been fully fit. He was not among the 18 players who made the trip to Vancouver.

On Tuesday, he was one of a handful to leave the pitch early after being banged up in training, none of which looked serious. It got to the point that Marsch and two of his assistants donned singlets to fill out the numbers for scrimmage.

Marsch said the team that is in only its eighth week together since the start of training camp was not as bad as the 2-0 score in Vancouver would indicate, on defense or on attack.

“There isn’t any sense of panic,” he said. “We just need to be sharper.

“That was a game where in general I felt we weren’t sharp. Part of it is nerves, giving up an early goal. It was the first time we’ve been on the field together in a meaningful match. There were good things, but there are also things to work on.”

MONTREAL – Matteo Ferrari would rather ponder the record crowd expected for the Montreal Impact’s home opener than the expansion club’s forgettable debut match in Vancouver.

Coming off a 2-0 loss on the West Coast that included a costly gaffe by the veteran defender, the Impact now look forward to playing the Chicago Fire on Saturday in their first home opener as a member of Major League Soccer.

“We know it will be a really good atmosphere, lots of fans,” Ferrari said Tuesday. “We’re happy for that because we need the fans with us like, as we say in Italian, a 12th man on the ground.”

The club announced this week that 46,500 tickets have been sold thus far and that 2,000 seats have been added to the layout at Olympic Stadium to raise capacity to more than 58,500. The club hopes to top the local record of 58,542 who turned out for a North American Soccer League playoff game of the defunct Montreal Manic against the Chicago Sting in 1981.

Laying down the artificial turf at the Big O began Monday and is to be completed in time for an open house practice that is expected to draw thousands on Thursday evening.

It promises to be a positive week for the new team and should help drive home coach Jesse Marsch’s message to his charges to put the Vancouver game behind them and look to the future.

It was a first MLS game for several players, including Ferrari, a former Inter Milan defender who spent the last two seasons with one of Turkey’s top clubs, Besiktas.

“I liked the ambience in Vancouver,” he said. “But when you lose you’re not happy.

“We know we can do better. After the first goal, we continued to play, to try to find our game and I think we did a good job. We made a couple of mistakes and allowed two goals. But it was the first game.”

The Impact looked to be doing well to open the game, but the Whitecaps showed their ability to strike suddenly when Eric Hassli headed a pass in to Sebastien Le Toux to open the scoring only four minutes in.

Ferrari was the goat in the second half when he allowed Camilo to jam on the brakes and cut inside to get a second goal that sank any Montreal hopes of earning a first MLS point.

“We lost a ball in our attack and they made a counterattack,” said Ferrari. “For sure, I can do better in this situation because I permitted Camilo to come inside when maybe it was better to stay there and don’t permit him to kick with the left foot.

“But I lost my control and slipped. Unfortunately, we gave up a second goal and it was difficult for us mentally. But still, we had two chances after the second goal. That’s a good sign.”

Unfortunately for the Impact, pre-season concerns of a lack of finish up front were evident as they created some chances, but couldn’t get a first MLS goal.

Forward Sanna Nyassi used his speed to open some space, but didn’t prove a dangerous shooter. The other starting forward, Justin Braun, was hardly noticed.

Their best chance came from captain Davy Arnaud, but his header was deftly headed away by South Korean international fullback Lee Young-Pyo.

“You start to worry when your team isn’t creating chances and you’re not getting into position to score, but we had a decent number of chances,” said Arnaud. “It’s not something we worry too much about because we have guys on the team who are capable of scoring goals.”

One answer could already be in camp – Ferrari’s former Italian national squad teammate Bernardo Corradi. The 35-year-old has been working himself into shape while the team decides whether to sign him.

Marsch said the Impact were “getting close to making a decision” on Corradi, who in training is the team’s most impressive-looking striker.

However, even if he was signed right away, it would take time for the former Udinese forward’s international transfer papers to come through. Playing this week is not in the cards.

“He’s a little different from what we have,” said Marsch. “He’s more of a target forward who can hold balls up and then bring the team into the game.

“And he’s clever around the goal. He’s still getting himself fit and sharp.”

Marsch said he will consider changes to his starting 11, but since he is seeking consistency, there shouldn’t be many. Some fans and media have pushed for forward Eduardo Sebrango to start, but the 38-year-old has not been fully fit. He was not among the 18 players who made the trip to Vancouver.

On Tuesday, he was one of a handful to leave the pitch early after being banged up in training, none of which looked serious. It got to the point that Marsch and two of his assistants donned singlets to fill out the numbers for scrimmage.

Marsch said the team that is in only its eighth week together since the start of training camp was not as bad as the 2-0 score in Vancouver would indicate, on defense or on attack.

“There isn’t any sense of panic,” he said. “We just need to be sharper.

“That was a game where in general I felt we weren’t sharp. Part of it is nerves, giving up an early goal. It was the first time we’ve been on the field together in a meaningful match. There were good things, but there are also things to work on.”