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Union-Revolution 5 things: Back to MLS grind after Open Cup exit

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Union vs. New England Revolution 5 p.m. on FS1

Fresh off a gut-wrenching end to their 2017 U.S. Open Cup, the Union (5-7-4) return to MLS play to host a team in the Revolution (5-7-5) they could end up battling for one of the final Eastern Conference playoff spots.

Here are five things to know:

1. Bruised but not beaten Recovering from games four days apart is always a difficult task; recovering from a grueling 120-minute knockout game that ended with a brutal shootout loss to the nemesis New York Red Bulls is even tougher.

But although head coach Jim Curtin said he felt like he and the players let down the fans, hes confident that theyll be up for a quick turnaround.

We will have some fresh legs, Curtin said. With the competitive roster, we have guys we plug in and dont really miss a beat. Thats a strong thing to have. Were a real balanced team and its a group Im confident will be fresh. Even the 120-minute guys are feeling pretty strong and ready to turn it around and go again.

Indeed, four regular starters goalkeeper Andre Blake, defenders Oguchi Onyewu and Ray Gaddis, and midfielder Ilsinho didnt play at all vs. the Red Bulls on Wednesday and another (Chris Pontius) only played 15 minutes.

And as for the guys who went the full 120 minutes, Curtin is feeling good about their effort and recovery, specifically pointing to attacking midfielder Roland Alberg.

It was his best game in a Philadelphia Union uniform, the Union coach said.

2. Gold Cup absences Theres good news and bad news on the international absence front.

The bad news? The Union will be without captain Alejandro Bedoya, whos currently with the U.S. national team leading up to start of the Gold Cup next weekend. And the Union are 5-1 in the last six games Bedoya has started.

The good news is Blake, who was dealing with a minor rib injury, is set to make one final start in Philly before joining Jamaica for the CONCACAF tournament. And hes coming off a monster performance in the Unions 1-0 win over D.C. United last weekend.

The Revs, meanwhile, will be without striker Juan Agudelo (U.S.) and midfielders Kelyn Rowe (U.S.) and Gershon Koffie (Ghana). All three were part of Saturdays U.S.-Ghana friendly, though only Rowe got into the game, earning his first USMNT cap.

3. All eyes on Jones With Bedoya gone and Warren Creavalle hurt, 20-year-old midfielder Derrick Jones has a big opportunity in front of him as a starter for Sundays game and potentially a few more after that.

In Jones last start, he was shown a red card that led to a 2-0 loss to the Red Bulls on June 18. But he said hes learned from that experience and is eager to temporarily take the spot of a player like Bedoya.

I look up to him every day in training, on the field, in games, Jones said of the Union captain. He tells me to play my game, keep doing what Im doing.

Curtin said the first half of the season has gone well for Jones, who began the year of a starter before transitioning to a reserve role. But he expects more from the promising young homegrown.

This is a big time for him now with Ale being out for these next two games, the Union coach said. Hell have his hands full. But his fearlessness is what [sporting director Earnie Stewart] and I love in him and its what we see every day in training. We know hell be up to the challenge.

4. Players to watch Revolution: New England is missing some key players with Diego Fagundez suspended and others injured on top of the Agudelo, Rowe and Koffie international absences. But in striker Kei Kamara, the Revs still have a marquee veteran striker who can turn a game on its head.

Union: This could be an important game for Ilsinho, whos dealing with a calf issue but figures to start at the No. 10 attacking midfield role. And he may need to have a big game to keep that spot, considering Alberg is coming off such a good game and Adam Najem an up-and-comer at the No. 10 spot had an excellent performance vs. the Red Bulls four days ago, according to Curtin.

5. This and that In their Open Cup game Wednesday, the Union finished with 27 shots but only scored once, leading Curtin to have the players work on finishing during practice this week.

Maurice Edu, who hasnt played an MLS game since Sept. 20, 2015, participated in training this week but still has no timetable to return.

The Revs have yet to win on the road this season, going 0-6-3 in nine matches.

The Union are 2-0-1 in their last three meetings with the Revs, outscoring them 8-1.

With seven assists, Revs midfielder Lee Nguyen is tied for third in the league.

Goalkeeper Ryan Meara stopped Fafa Picaultand Felipe did the rest, catapulting the New York Red Bulls over the Union in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16, 1-1 (5-3), in added extra time penalty kicks on Wednesday night at Red Bull Arena.

Its devastating for the guys, Union manager Jim Curtin said to reporters. I couldnt be prouder of the group in terms of the effort we put in. I thought we showed a lot more fight, a lot more heart, a lot of grit, balls, guts, whatever your adjective is, we had more of it.

Roland Alberg and Chris Pontius kept pace with the Red Bulls early in penalties, but a heroic diving stop by Meara on Picault was the difference. Red Bulls veteran Sacha Kljestan gave his club the 4-2 lead but was matched by rookie Marcus Epps, opening the door for Felipe to finish the contest.

I missed, Picault said to reporters. I shot it and he made a good save. It hit the post and thats it.

Despite guessing correctly on nearly all of the Red Bulls attempts, Union backup keeper John McCarthy was unable to make a stop. Meara finished with one.

After qualifying but losing in the tournaments title game in 2014 and 2015, the Union failed to make it out of the quarterfinals last season. This year, the club, which defeated the Harrisburg City Islanders in its first match, wasnt able to survive the Round of 16.

Meanwhile, the Red Bulls advance to face the New England Revolution on July 13 at Harvard Universitys Jordan Field. The Revolution defeated D.C. United, 2-1, on Wednesday.

Trailing by one and after nearly 90 minutes of futility, Alberg and the Union hit gold in the 86th. Launching a long-ball pass into the box, Jack Elliot stunned the Red Bulls back line as the volley landed at the feet of a nearly offside Alberg. The Union No. 10 turned and fired off a shot that beat Meara far side to lock the match at 1-1.

Roland Alberg put in an incredible shift in terms of work rate and effort, Curtin said. Character to come back, this group has that.

But that wasnt the only scoring chance for the Union. Despite shaky defense early, the Union owned the games first great opportunity, when Picault, whose finish was suspect all game, broke free on a breakaway in the 18th minute. His low shot was sloppy and body-stopped by Meara to keep the game scoreless.

We had them on the ropes in their building and we didnt quite finish them off, Curtin said.

It was one of 27 attempts on goal throughout the contest for the Union.

We created enough to win, Curtin said. We should have won tonight.

While the Union missed chances, the hosts took control. In the 41st minute, Bradley Wright-Phillips pounced on a Josh Yaro turnover and slid a centering pass to Kljestan, who easily placed his shot through McCarthy and in for the 1-0 advantage at the half.

We have to regroup and refresh, said Curtin, whose club is set to face the New England Revolution on Sunday at Talen Energy Stadium. This is why our sports science department gets the big bucks. Well be ready to go.

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CHESTER, Pa. -- Sportsmanship isnt dead. In the 74th minute of Saturdays 1-0 Union win over D.C. United at Talen Energy Stadium, Luciano Acosta knocked midfielder Haris Medunjanin out of bounds. Trekking in from midfield, referee Sorin Stoica immediately threw up the red card to eject the United's Acosta from the match. Moments later, play restarted with Acosta still in the game. "All I know is I saw the red card, turned around and next thing I know is hes still on the field," Union center back Oguchi Onyewu said. The red card was pulled for what Stoica believed was Acosta kicking Medunjanin. Unaware that the referee could even rescind the card, the Union man honorably disputed the kick and Stoica pulled the ejection. "I rescinded the card because [Medunjanin] stated that he was not kicked after the play, which was the initial decision I made," Stoica told a pool reporter. Medunjanin explained his side. "I saw the red card and spoke with Acosta and he was saying that he didnt kick me," he said. "I said I didnt feel it also. I went to the referee and he said, 'did he kick you?' and I said, 'no he didnt kick me, I think it was just a push.' Thats why it was no red card for me." He then took a shot at New York Red Bulls player Felipe, who drew a red on the Unions Derrick Jones last Sunday in what the club believed was a dive. "I hope Felipe was watching from last week," Medunjanin said. "I wish he could say the same. I think you need to be honest and I felt like it was just a push."

Union manager Jim Curtin, who admitted he may not have been so honorable in Medunjanin's position, was proud of his player.

"Its not a red card, and I have to give a lot of credit to Haris," he said. "Hes a person that I respect a great deal. Its an incredible act. I think its something you could show to not just young kids but also a lot of the adults that play in professional soccer because what he did is very honorable. Its the right thing to do." While fair play Medunjanin gained respect from Curtin and United coach Ben Olsen, who called him a classy player and classy human being, he was grilled by his teammates, who found the scenario humorous. "I dont know whose team Haris is on, I really dont," Onyewu said jokingly. "I dont know if Haris and the referee or Haris and Acosta are actually best friends, I dont know. Maybe they are going out later tonight and they didnt want any bad tension?" They also found it perplexing.

"I didnt think that was possible, Medunjanin said, a sentiment echoed by Onyewu. The referee chose to do it so you need to respect that. I can talk now and be honest. Maybe if it was a draw, it wouldve been a little different." But it happened and Medunjanin can walk away with three points and an unofficial award for being a class act.

"Everybody said thanks for the fair play, Medunjanin said. Nice gesture of you and thats it. The coach came over to speak with me and I said, 'no problem this is football. We fight for the three points, but we need to be honest.'"

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Union-Revolution 5 things: Back to MLS grind after Open Cup exit - Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia

DEL STONE JR. @DelSnwfdn

Social skills for the modern age we all need to work on:

1. The queenly wave (the hand moves side to side from the wrist, the arm does not move as the muscle action is discreetly concealed by arm-length white satin gloves).

2. The recovery from the discovery of not being invited (suppress the widening of the eyes, the doleful down-register of the voice, that momentary ache in your gut when you realize you were not cool enough to be invited to a,b,c. ... whatever event/party/witch burning).

3. The silent belch (a hitch in the breath followed by a peristolic contraction of the diaphragm and the subtle release of Cheeto-scented breath).

4. Like envy (So-and-so likes everything whatitz posts but rarely likes anything you post and do you really care - OF COURSE you care, at least enough to start plotting vengeance).

5. Work on your selfie mug expression the eyes widened in surprise and the mouth an excited I found Waldo O, or the eyes half-lidded, a Marilyn Monroe smile as you peek over a pair of Ray Ban Aviators. Maybe you could pencil in a mole beneath your eye. You think?

6. Learn how to use Photoshops teeth-whitening feature. Either that or stop chewing tobacco.

7. The fear you will traumatize young children by posting photographs of yourself online. Get over it. You are beautiful, even if youre ugly. I know this.

8. Demand the first right of refusal. You dont really want to go to that school play, but you do want to be asked. See Item 2.

9. Work on your general knowledge. Of course you know everything there is to know about 13 Reasons Why, but do you know what year the Magna Carta was issued by Jay-Z?

10. Learn how to properly grip your mobile phone. NO, you do not pick it up with your thumb and forefinger as if it were a dead rat (it is very much alive, unless youve depleted your battery). Nor do you hold it with your fingers touching the screen leaving a crime scene smear of fingerprints. You should hold it with the back of the phone in the palm of your hand and the screen facing forward, as if it were your personal force field against the world. And this is most important: DO NOT PUT IT DOWN, EVER. Not even when youre in the bathroom. Have a bowl of rice handy for when you drop it in the commode.

11. Communicate the fact that you dont actually want to receive telephone calls. Sure, you own a mobile phone. But that doesnt mean you want people calling you. They can text, email, Instagram, Snapcrap or use any number of vacuous social media platforms to communicate with you short of calling, because you are a proud sociopath of the Digital Age and the words interpersonal communication are NOT in your lexicon.

12. Work on your righteous wrath. Everyone online is consumed by righteous wrath, whether theyre sincerely angry or not. You see, its all an act and you are expected to play along. You must be angry about various causes, which leads me to

14. Yes, I skipped 13. Thirteen is bad news. But not this: Pick your causes. Here are some correct causes: reforestation, fighting hunger, saving animals, late-night comedy. Here are some incorrect causes: National Socialism, anything fried, movie cigarettes, the knockout game.

15. Work on buying local. If you can find a T-shirt, or a car, thats made locally, be sure to let us know. Then go on social media and crow about it.

16. The road rage mobile phone fake-out. Somebody does something crazy in traffic. In the past you would have simply returned the favor, resulting in a multi-county high-speed chase ending in a roadside beating and possible structural damage to surrounding fences/road signs/store fronts. Theres an easier way. Hold up your phone, as if youre taking a photo of the offenders vehicle. Then pretend to dial 911 and talk to an imaginary dispatcher as youre gesturing at the offenders vehicle. Then, put down the phone and give an evil smile to the offender. They will drive away and leave you alone.

Contact online editor Del Stone Jr. at (850) 315-4433 or dstone@nwfdailynews.com. Follow him on twitter at @delsnwfdn, and friend him on Facebook at dels nwfdn.

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DEL STONE JR.: Social skills for the new millenium - The Northwest Florida Daily News

Mexico will face Portugal to try to get their second ever third place in a Confederations Cup and the first one after it changed titles from the King Fahd Cup in 1997. Mexico and especially Juan Carlos Osorio need a result after a very disappointing loss to Germany in the Semifinals. Portugal are also looking for a result but will be without their superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who left to meet his new twins boys born to a surrogate mother. Mexico will be without Marco Fabian, who joins the already injured Carlos Salcedo and Diego Reyes. Both teams faced each other in their debut, where they tied 2-2 in which so far has been Mexico's best game of the tournament.

Juan Carlos Osorio's tenure has been rocked hard after another terrible result in a knockout game, losing 4-1 to Germany. While this game was nowhere near as bad as the 7-0 loss to Chile in the Quarterfinals of the Copa America Centenario, this defeat also came against a German team that is considered a B team, although Joachim Lows side has a lot of players that went to the Euros last year. This view could also change if the Germans are able to defeat Chile in the Confederations Cup final. Yet for it to change, a good performance is needed in the third place game for Mexico. In a way this game has a lot of risk but little reward. However, a third place finish is nice against a Portugal team that is still very solid.

While Portugal will be missing Cristiano Ronaldo, they are still a good team and might be favored over Mexico. Their more defensive style could benefit a Mexican team that has struggled in defense all tournament. While it's true that Mexico had their best game against Portugal, they still only got a tie and it only came in the final minute of play. Mexico will really need to improve as they look to start to wash away the sour taste that another lopsided loss at the big stage gave to the Mexican fans.

Date: Sunday, July 3

Time: 05:00 AM Pacific, 07:00 AM Central, 08:00 AM Eastern

Venue: Otkrytiye Arena, Moscow

Television: Telemundo (US-Spanish), Fox Sports 1 (US-English), UnivisionTDN (Mexico), TDN (Mexico), SKY Planeta Ftbol (Mexico), Sky HD (Mexico)

Streaming: fuboTV (Free trial + monthly subscription), Fox Sports GO, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo

Listings via LiveSoccerTV.com.

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Mexico vs. Portugal live stream: Start time, TV channel, and how to watch Confederations Cup online - FMF State of Mind (blog)

Mexico has never won a knockout game in either of the two global soccer tournaments put on by FIFA, the World Cup and the Confederations Cup, when that tournament was notstaged on its home soil.

El Tri won its only World Cup round of 16 game in 1986, when it hosted. And it managed to win the 1999 Confederations Cup when it came to Mexico, claiming a semifinal victory over the United States in extra-time, and then outlasting Brazil 4-3 in a slugfest final. When Mexico put on the World Cup in 1970, it stumbled in the quarterfinal, which was the first knockout game then.

On Thursday, it kept the ignominious streak going with a 4-1 defeat to Germany in the semifinal of the Confederations Cup in Russia. Leon Goretzkas goals in the sixth and eighth minutes doomed Juan Carlos Osorios team to a ninth straight lost knockout round game in an intercontinental tournament on foreign soil. Timo Werner and Amin Younes made things worse in the second half, rendering Marco Fabians blast from distance fairly meaningless.

So Germany advanced to Sundays final against Chile, which is aiming to lift a trophy in a third consecutive summer, after claiming the 2015 Copa America and the 2016 Copa America Centenario. Die Mannschaft may think twice about the implications of winning, however. Because the defending world champions must know that no team has won the World Cup after taking the Confederations Cup home the summer prior.

As for Mexico, its disappointment will be exacerbated by the knowledge that this was Germanys B-team. Manager Jogi Loew left his first string at home, opting to use the tournament to test out younger and fringe players who might fill out his World Cup roster next summer.

This will once again call into question Osorios position in charge of Mexico. When El Tri was hammered 7-0 by Chile in the quarterfinals of the Copa America last summer, he only just clung on. He has a strong record in qualifying and this was just the Colombians second competitive loss. Yet his is one of the most closely scrutinized jobs in international soccer.

This might be the blow that does the American-educated Osorio in. If confidence has eroded that he might get his team to that elusive fifth game at the World Cup next summer, his days are surely numbered.

It didnt take long for Germany to decide Thursdays game and possibly Osorios fate. In the sixth minute, Goretzka made a trailing run, found space at the edge of the box and cleanly one-timed the ball behind Guillermo Ochoa:

Within another two minutes, Goretzka was dispatched through the line and beat Ochoa one-on-one:

Mexico finally woke up after Werner almost made it three but was denied point-blank by Ochoa. And for much of the way, El Tri was actually the more dangerous side. Giovani Dos Santos and Javier Hernandez had credible chances, but neither could breach Marc-Andre Ter Stegens goal.

Mexico dominated possession to the tune of 70 percent at some points and outshot the Germans 24-12 in an end-to-end affair, but before it would finally get on the scoreboard, Werner had scored his third goal of the tournament. Before the hour, Jonas Hector was played through, and he found the wide-open Werner beside him for the simple tap-in:

Raul Jimenez headed off the bar for Mexico and Rafa Marquez failed to score on two promising headers of his own. So by the time Fabian scored with a dazzling long shot from a free kick in the 90th minute, it was far too little and much too late.

Besides, Younes was gifted a simple fourth goal in injury timeon another pitiless German exploitation of Mexicos undermanned three-person backline.

Even Germanys reserves are capable of winning a major(ish) international tournament. And in Mexico, the inquisition over its failures in the key games begins anew.

More from Yahoo Sports:

Leander Schaerlaeckens is a Yahoo Sports soccer columnist. Follow him on Twitter @LeanderAlphabet.

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Mexico gets knocked out ... again. By German B-team in Confederations Cup this time - Yahoo Sports

Germany's impressive attacking performance earned a comfortable win over Mexico and a spot in the Confederations Cup final. Germany's impressive attacking performance earned a comfortable win over Mexico and a spot in the Confederations Cup final. The FC crew have a heated debate in reaction to Mexico's rout defeat to Germany in the Confederations Cup semifinals. John Sutcliffe believes Mexico will feel they failed to prove themselves to the world's best after their Confed Cup exit. The FC crew answer your tweets on Germany's Confederations Cup squad, Juan Carlos Osorio's future with Mexico and much more.

SOCHI, Russia -- If anyone needed a barometer of how Mexico's 4-1 loss to Germany in Thursday's semifinal of the Confederations Cup was received back home, the country's greatest player, Hugo Sanchez, provided it.

The former Real Madrid striker talked about the structure of the Mexican game, the lack of autonomy of the league, national team and federation, and said those factors keep Mexico from making a jump to the next level. Sanchez added that teams such as Spain and Chile have been given the time and have had a consistent project behind them in order to achieve international success and join the elite.

In case anyone needed reminding, Mexico has struggled when confronted with elite-level competition. It's difficult to remember the last time El Tri defeated a top-quality opponent in a major tournament. Last summer, Mexico lost 7-0 to Copa America champions Chile, and world champions Germany swatted Mexico away on Thursday.

Indeed, Mexico has never won a knockout game in a World Cup outside the country, and its last such win came in 1986.

Sanchez, a former manager of the Mexico national team, went on to blame those who installed current manager Juan Carlos Osorio. Sanchez doesn't agree with Osorio's philosophy.

"We don't have the style to think that [things] will change between now and the World Cup," lamented Sanchez on ESPN. "Osorio is stubborn. He keeps his rotations, center-backs [play] as full-backs, forwards as wingers, and that will not help make the most of football in Mexico in the league and with the national team."

But while Sanchez may not agree with Osorio's philosophy -- and may still eye the job himself (if the power structure in Mexican football changes) -- he would surely accept that the Colombian deserves time and space to continue the process that hasn't yet helped El Tri reach new heights, but certainly hasn't been any worse than past performances and has shown some promise.

The victory of this so-called Germany reserve side, however, was decisive.

"We went up against the world champion, and it's been useful for Mexican football to know where we are," said Javier Hernandez after the game.

It was a key statement. The match summed up where Mexico is at. El Tri were handsomely beaten by a Germany side featuring a number of players who won't be featuring next year at the World Cup.

But Mexico wasn't without its merits in the game. El Tri had more than 60 percent of possession, had 26 shots (to Germany's 12), drew 17 fouls and forced keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen into seven saves compared to Guillermo Ochoa's three.

These statistics perhaps don't mean much in the emotional sense when you lose 4-1, but they do highlight that Mexico has a style. El Tri's real problem is depth of the player pool compared to the top nations. Not having injured defensive duo Diego Reyes and Carlos Salcedo meant Miguel Layun had to move over to the right and center-back Oswaldo Alanis came in at left-back. It left Mexico weak on the left side, something Germany exploited ruthlessly.

The world champions, on the other hand, are showing at the Confederations Cup and the European Under-21 Championship that every position is well-covered both now and for the foreseeable future.

"This was for us a 10-year plan," said Germany general manager Oliver Bierhoff on Thursday. "You can't change it in one or two years. Now you have to work with the players you have. It's good to have long-term investment, and every country that wants to improve the players has to do that."

What Osorio has at his disposal is significantly weaker than Germany manager Joachim Low's arsenal, as Thursday's game highlighted. Playing more Mexicans in Liga MX, and then exporting them to the best leagues in the world, is the most accessible path.

"The league is fundamental [to the growth of the Mexican game]," said Hernandez. "More than anything, for them to give opportunities to Mexican players like I got."

With many of Mexico's 18 first-division teams fielding about five or six foreigners in each starting 11, the opportunities for Mexicans are limited.

Osorio can't do too much about that, and the way his side came together in the Confederations Cup was positive. The worry is that in key games Mexico haven't been up to the test, although that is historical and not just down to Osorio, of course.

Mexico can ill-afford to change things up one year from the World Cup. Sanchez may not particularly like Osorio's style, but he is right in ascertaining that if Mexico is to step up and make the leap to the elite in the future, someone needs time overseeing the project.

Tom Marshall covers Liga MX and the Mexican national team for ESPN FC. Twitter: @MexicoWorldCup.

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Humiliation vs. Germany reveals how tall Mexico's task is at Russia 2018 - ESPN FC (blog)