Young Union Players Shining For the United States U20 Team
The Union are starting to play very well. They have not lost an actual MLS match since early April. And that was a 1-0 loss to the best team in the MLS, FC Cincinnati. They are 4th in the Table in the Eastern Conference right now, but within striking distance to move up to 2 soon if they keep winning. But it is not just in the MLS we are seeing them shine. Because two young Union players are shining on a different pitch too.
The U20 Mens World Cup is currently underway. And Team USA is not doing too bad for itself. They just advanced to the Quarter Finals after beating New Zealand 4-0 on Tuesday. And behind that success so far, there are two Union players helping them get this far. Defensive Mid-Fielder Brandan Craig, and Mid-Fielder Jack McGlynn. Both guys have started every game so far for Team USA. Craig has taken that one step further. He has played every single minute for Team USA so far. Attacking Midfielder Quinn Sullivan is also part of the team, but has not seen the pitch as much as his two Union teammates.
Craig even got involved with the scoring vs New Zealand. It was his well-placed Free Kick that led to Rokas Pukstas goal in the 82nd minute.
This is the 4th time in a row Team USA made the Quarterfinals. Their next match will be the winner of Gambia vs. Uruguay. That game takes place on Sunday at 5 pm on FS2. If they win that, it will be the first time they made it to the Semi-Finals since 1989.
It is certainly good to see two Union players contributing on that National Stage. Maybe one day we will get to see them contributing in the Actual World Cup. But for now, we get to see them shine on both the U20 team, and of course the Union themselves.
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7 Philadelphia Athletes Who Have Proven Themselves, And 7 Who Haven't
Joel Embiid- Not Proven
There is a lot good to say about Joel Embiid. In terms of talent, you could argue he is one of the most talented guys to every play in Philly period, let alone just the Sixers. 3 straight seasons as an MVP finalist, and he won it this year. And before the Celtics series, many would have said he was the Philly athlete they trusted the most. But there is no ignoring what happened this season. When the lights shined the brightest, he could not live up to the lofty expectations.
15 points in an elimination game. The biggest dropoff in scoring in the playoffs by an MVP ever. He let his team drop 2 straight games after they led 3-2. It was unacceptable. Enough with the excuses. Joel Embiid needs to step up and get the job done the next time he gets the chance. Until then it will be hard to forget how badly he played when it mattered most.
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Carter Hart- Unproven
Carter Hart was supposed to be the next great Flyers goalie. And so far, he has kind of lived up to it. Hart has played well, considering everything else around him. The defense in front of him in his young career has been putrid. Hell, the whole team has been. This is not a, he has not done well enough thing. But more of he has never had a chance to live up to the hype. He looked decent in his one taste of the playoffs. Had a save percentage of .926 in 14 games.
Hopefully, soon enough he will get more of a chance. Ideally, Keith Jones and Danny Briere will finally build a good team around him, and give him a chance to grow into the guy promised as a generational goalie. We need to see it before we say he has proven anything though. We have seen goalies carry their teams in the playoffs. Can Hart do that? We don’t know yet.
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Zack Wheeler- Unproven
Going into the World Series last season, Wheeler felt like the sure thing. But now? It’s a bit questionable. He was not as bad as Nola in the World Series. It would be hard to be worse. But his 5.23 ERA was still bad. His first start was a blowup. The 2nd start was better, but he couldn’t get through 5 innings. Not good enough from an Ace. To make it worse, he has been a bit shaky this season, even if he has turned things around recently.
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Darius Slay- Unproven
We all love Slay. Him coming back, is a good thing. Between him and James Bradberry, they were one of the best, if not the best, cornerback tandem in the league. But the defense is a big reason why they lost the Super Bowl. In fact, it is the reason they lost. And Slay was getting picked on a little bit. You could say the same about James Bradberry, but Slay is the one who is the team leader and the most recognizable face on the defense. The defense needs to be better next time. Starting with him.
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Tyrese Maxey- Unproven
Maxey is still young, so he deserves a bit of a break. We have seen him show star potential in the playoffs in the past. But we have also seen him disappear in games too often. Maxey looked great in games 5 and 6. But was a non factor in games 2, 3, and 4. Embiid and Harden rightfully took most of the heat for the Playoff collapse.
Going forward, Maxey needs to be more reliable. It doesn’t need to be a 30pt night like in game 5. But can he average 20 pts a game in the playoffs like he does in the regular season? They are going to need him to. The excuses that he is young and inexperienced won’t fly past this season. With a larger role likely coming for him, he needs to step into it if the Sixers are going to fix this.
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Trea Turner- Unproven
Trea Turner is certainly a star. He has been the best SS in the MLB at times. But he has yet to really prove he can be the guy when it counts here, or elsewhere. His first season here has been a disaster so far. it looked like things were turning around in June. But in July he went right back to swinging at every pitch out of the zone. To make it worse he is even hurting them in the field. They need him to be a star. So far, he hasn’t even been good.
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
