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Tuesday night I had the chance to have an impromptu chat with Scott Kessler, lead writer of Brotherly Game, the SB Nation Philadelphia Union blog via instant message. We had a chance to discuss the match this Friday at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, and I also asked him about a number of the Union's key players.
I'm posting the first half of our conversation here, and Scott will be posting the second half on Brotherly Game.
Much thanks to Scott for taking the time to chat with me.
On to the conversation;
The Daily Wiz: Obviously a huge match this Friday with Sporting sitting at 40 points, and
Brotherly Game: I don't think that Peter Nowak will return to a more defensive line up after the first victory in eight games.
A very young, attacking side beat the
The Daily Wiz: The victory over
Brotherly Game: Pfeffer was good for his 63 minutes in the spotlight against the Crew. At 16 he's already showing why Union assistant John Hackworth thinks that Pfeffer is a future star.
His ceiling will be based upon his growth physically over the next couple of years. The midfielder's only real problem right now is his size. He's a little small right now, but that's to be expected of a 16-year-old.
More questions and answers after the jump...
The Daily Wiz: I saw that the MLS website named four Union players to their '24 Under 24' list, which is quite impressive. Surely this bodes well for the future of the Philadelphia Union. Out of the four that made the list, which player are you most excited about?
Brotherly Game: I'd say Danny Mwanga, but he's become very indecisive when on the ball.
Jack McInerney is an enigma for me. Sometimes he's too small, other time's too indecisive, then he'll be excellent.
As for Freddy Adu, not much to say about him yet.
I'd say Torres has opened some eyes late this season. He was definitely Man of the Match against the Crew.Problem is that he was unable to break into Nowak's side for much of the last two years
The Daily Wiz: Speaking of Freddy; do you feel like Nowak has changed the dynamics of the team to accomodate Adu since his arrival?
Brotherly Game: He has and hasn't. At times Adu is played centrally, where he should be to utilize all of his abilities, but at other times he's pushed out to the wing. That's just a waste of him and his salary.
Brotherly Game: What is going on with the KC attack nowadays? Seems like it's all over the place in regard to personnel.
The Daily Wiz: I think Sporting Kansas City coach Peter Vermes has had a hard time deciding who to start at the center forwar position in regards to Teal Bunbury and C.J. Sapong. It seems like that's the position he's had the hardest time making a decision on.
Teal shows flashes of brilliance, but he's very inconsistent, while C.J. has been consistent all season, but he perhaps doesn't provide as much potential as a leathal goal scorer.
Personally, I think Vermes should start Sapong. At this point his work rate is better, and just overall I feel he has done more for the team.
Brotherly Game: Speaking of Sapong, what did you think of his ode to Hope Solo?
The Daily Wiz: Haha. I thought it was great. I don't think most guys would have had the courage to even attempt it, even if it was somewhat of a joke. I think CJ wanted it to come across as a complete joke, but I think he was probably a little serious about it deep down. It's crazy how much attention that video received online. Definitely good press for Sporting Kansas City though.
Make sure to head over to Brotherly Game to see the rest of our conversation.