There’s no word yet if the newest Sixers arrival will become a fan of the local team in his new home city. But Cavan Sullivan, the Union’s Bridesburg-bred teen phenom, is not shy about hoping it happens. So when he scored a goal in the Union’s 2-0 win over CF Montréal on Saturday at Subaru Park, he uncorked a celebration he’d been planning ever since James signed in Philadelphia.
Team photographer Kim Ahrens was keeping a bottle of chalk powder on the nearby sideline. Sullivan ran over to her, got the bottle, poured a handful of powder into his hands, and blew it up into the air — a tribute to James’ famed routine that he does before tipoff of all of his games.
Unfortunately for Sullivan, the breeze blowing in off the Delaware River meant there wasn’t as much of a cloud as James often creates in arenas. But the message was sent, and Sullivan talked about it after the game.
“I was waiting to do that for a while,” he said. “I just kept missing out on it, or I was away. Tonight, great crowd, I figured it was the perfect time.”
Indeed, while this was Sullivan’s third straight game with a goal — and seventh goal in all competitions this year — the last two were in road games, at Austin and Red Bull New York. This one was his first at Subaru Park since James picked Philadelphia as his final professional home.
“Got to get him to strike the drum, maybe follow me back on Instagram,” Sullivan quipped, his priorities clearly in order. But then again, James knew where to find Folarin Balogun on social media right away when he scored for the U.S. in the World Cup against Bosnia & Herzegovina, then did James’ “Silencer” celebration.
“We saw him shout out Balogun in the World Cup, so that sort of made me think of it,” Sullivan said.
LFG!!!!!! THE 🤫 HAS 🛬 at the World Cup! Helluva goal there Young 🤴🏾! 🫡. GO 🇺🇸 https://t.co/8wb2t2F6oq
Thankfully, Sullivan did not follow the rest of Balogun’s footsteps on Saturday by committing a red card-worthy foul against Montréal. But perhaps they’ll be able to swap LeBron stories if they’re both called up to the U.S. squad at the end of this month.
And perhaps, once James arrives in town later in the fall, he’ll decide to accept the invitation.
“This place is dope — environment like you’ve never seen before. No arena is like Subaru Park,” Sullivan said, laughing. “So yeah, pull up if you want to watch good soccer with Philly kids. It’s a nice culture around here.”
Goals from Danley Jean Jacques and Cavan Sullivan propelled the Union to a 2-0 win over CF Montréal on Saturday at Subaru Park. But while the result provisionally put the Union (7-6-10, 27 points) above the playoff line at the final whistle, it was a pretty ugly contest for most of the night.
The tone was set just two minutes in, when sloppy defending let Montreal put the ball in the net too easily. Fortunately for the hosts, they were let off the hook because former Union winger Fabian Herbers was offside in the buildup.
There was sloppy attacking, too, including Bruno Damiani missing three should-have-scored chances: two in the first quarter-hour and a wide-open look in first-half stoppage time.
45+1' | Huge missed opportunity from Bruno Damiani
The Union's best attacking moments in the first half have come from the right with Frankie Westfield. Beautiful ball played across the 18-yard-box for Damiani and again he misses wide.
In between, the game looked like one between the 12th- and 14th-place teams in the Eastern Conference, instead of one with the home team on a seven-game unbeaten run in league play.
The scoreless first half wasn’t caused by Montréal jamming the Union up, as it has a long history of doing to teams across MLS. This time, the Union did it to themselves: six shots, just one on target, and a 78% pass completion rate.
Jean Jacques finally broke the deadlock in the 58th minute with a goal that was no prettier than the rest of the game, but got the job done. Kai Wagner swung a free kick over the 18-yard box from the right flank, it was headed around a few times, and eventually the ball fell to Jean Jacques to push home in traffic.
Danley Jean Jacques gets Philadelphia's go-ahead goal! 👊
But the Union nearly threw away the lead eight minutes later. Neil Pierre put his hands into Hennadii Synchuk’s back, Synchuk went down in the box, and referee Chris Penso promptly called a penalty kick. Synchuk stayed down for a while, so the officials had plenty of time to review the call, and they judged it fair.
Ezekiel Alladoh (left, center) and Danley Jean Jacques celebrate Jean Jacques’ goal in the second half of the Union’s game against vs. CF Montréal on Saturday.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
If you believe in the “ball don’t lie” theory of sports, you’ll appreciate what happened next. But even if you don’t, you’d find Prince Owusu’s penalty attempt shocking. He tried to chip it, and failed so badly that Andre Blake barely had to move to catch the ball.
Damiani sent Iloski on a breakaway after a nifty passing sequence through midfield, only for Iloski to try and fail to dribble around Montréal goalkeeper Sebastian Breza. Fortunately for the Union, Breza spilled the ball, and Sullivan was right there to pounce and hit a first-time shot.
Sullivan celebrated by receiving a bottle of chalk powder, taking a handful, and throwing it in the air LeBron James-style.
In the 82nd, Richter moved to close the game by sending in Alejandro Bedoya and Ezekiel Alladoh for Cavan Sullivan and Iloski. Malik Jakupović was the last sub, replacing Damiani in the 90th.
They did the job, and the Union could move on to a quick turnaround for their next game: Wednesday at home against FC Cincinnati. That will be the first really good team the Union have faced since Inter Miami.
The spotlight keeps growing on Cavan Sullivan, Neil Pierre, and the Union’s push for a playoff berth. But interim manager Ryan Richter remains steadfastly unmoved.
“I’m not just saying this when you guys ask,” he said heading into Saturday’s home game against CF Montréal (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). “The reality is, there’s too much work to do on a game-to-game basis to worry about the big-picture stuff, and where we’re at in the league, and what the next 10 games might look like. There’s too much to focus on today, and what we want to see out of training, and the environment that we want to create to get the best out of the guys — and I really mean that.”
Richter proved his sincerity when asked if the team would get a boost in spirits from rising above the playoff line. The Union enter the weekend in 12th place in the East (6-10-6, 24 points), but just one point back of ninth-place Orlando. Toronto and D.C. are also on 25 points, while eighth-place Red Bull New York is on 26, and seventh-place New York City FC is on 28.
The three teams beneath the Union — Atlanta, Montréal, and Columbus — are on 21, 21, and 20 respectively. And no one expects Columbus to remain in the basement, having just signed former NYCFC winger Santi Rodríguez.
Though the Union are on a seven-game unbeaten run in league play, Ryan Richter (left) knows there’s still a lot of work to do.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
“It’s not important to me,” Richter said. “There’s no psychological bounce of being above that line. … There’s too much to focus on here that takes all the attention away from what-could-be types of things.”
An eight-point difference from seventh to 15th makes for a pretty big traffic jam. It probably won’t clear up any time soon, with 12 games still to play in the last two months of the season and a two-week FIFA international window in the middle. It’s so much congestion that there will be a full round of games during the first weekend of that FIFA window, a practice the league used to swear off.
That includes the Union’s quick turnarounds to their next two games: Wednesday at home vs. FC Cincinnati (7:30 p.m., FS1, Apple TV), then the longest road trip of the year to play San Diego next Sunday (9 p.m., Apple TV).
But a team can make its situation worse by not doing what it should. That certainly applies to Saturday’s game at Subaru Park. Not only is Montréal beneath the Union in the standings, but it played a Canadian Championship cup game in Vancouver on Wednesday. Another midweek game awaits next Wednesday, at home against Charlotte.
MLS’s schedule flip next year will fix much of this, because the league won’t have to jam games in places to make room for breaks during major tournaments. Until then, Richter offered sympathies to the visitors.
“It’s a tough week for them,” Richter said. “I don’t want to say it’s a break for us, but it makes it a tough week for them, playing in Vancouver. And sometimes you need these breaks in your schedule. But we know that doesn’t mean it’s going to be an easy game.”
Nor might it be the easiest to scout from film. Montréal is still integrating its two big summer signings, former Colorado Rapids winger Dante Sealy and Chilean legend of many big European clubs Alexis Sánchez.
Though Sánchez has only played as a substitute so far, the 37-year-old is one of those players who could pull a rabbit out of his hat at any time.
Alexis Sánchez (right) has played for a slew of big clubs in his career, including Spain’s Barcelona, England’s Arsenal and Manchester United, and Italy’s Inter Milan.Graham Hughes
“For us, it’s a little unpredictable what kind of lineup they’ll go with,” Richter said. “We’ll see where Alexis Sánchez is exactly fitness-wise: if he’s ready to start a game, if he’s available for that. But they’ve added some quality pieces, so it’s a dangerous team.”
The Union have filled the role of technical director in their front office for the first time since Chris Albright’s departure.
Roberto Giménez, who was the club’s head of academy scouting from 2021-24, has returned to Chester and been hired for the new title. He spent the last two years as U.S. Soccer’s talent identification manager for the West Region.
“Roberto has a strong understanding of our club, our identity, and strategy, and our approach to identifying and developing talent,” Union sporting director Jon Scheer said in a statement. “His time with U.S. Soccer has broadened his perspective on best practices across the landscape, while allowing him to collaborate with club and federation leaders domestically and internationally. … We are excited to welcome him back, as he will play an important role in advancing our sporting strategy across every level of our professional player pathway — from the academy through Union II and into the first team.”
Union sporting director Jon Scheer.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
That work has been done by a range of people in recent years, especially Scheer before he was promoted to the top job. His previous title was head of academy and professional development.
Now the front office’s leaders are Scheer, Giménez, assistant sporting director Matt Ratajczak, and director of scouting Chris Zitterbart.
The standings
Since it’s September, it’s time to start looking at the Eastern Conference standings. Here’s how the bottom end stacks up heading into this weekend, with eight teams separated by eight points.
The first standings tiebreaker is total wins, then goal difference.
7. New York City FC: 7-8-7, 28 points, +5 goal difference
With all the craziness in the soccer world, it can feel like there isn’t much good news out there. But this week, American fans are finally getting some.
MLS announced Wednesday morning that all 27 of its U.S.-based teams will compete in the U.S. Open Cup next year, returning the league to full standing in the national championship after three years of acrimony.
The league was in a protracted argument with U.S. Soccer, which runs the Open Cup, over a variety of factors from a lack of marketing to travel costs, revenue splits, and stadium standards.
The dispute led the nation’s top circuit to withdraw many of its clubs from the tournament from 2024-26. There were attempts to send reserve teams, and to exempt teams in the Leagues Cup and/or Concacaf Champions Cup in the name of schedule congestion. The Union were one of those teams this year.
Cavan Sullivan (left) in action in the U.S. Open Cup last year.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
None of it held water with fans who value the Open Cup’s special place as the only American soccer competition in which teams from every level can play against each other, similar to England’s FA Cup and other national cup tournaments around the world.
Fans also value the Open Cup’s over 110 years of history, much of which was created in Pennsylvania. The state ranks No. 3 all-time for most Open Cup winners. Its famous teams down the decades include the Bethlehem Steel dynasty of the 1910s, and Philadelphia’s Ukrainian Nationals, German-Americans, and United German-Hungarians.
A program from the 1977 U.S. Open Cup final soccer game between Philadelphia’s United German-Hungarians and Los Angeles Maccabee, with Larry Sullivan in the German-Hungarians’ lineup, displayed at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco, Texas.Jonathan Tannenwald
Larry’s son Brendan also played in the Open Cup in the 1990s, making three generations of the family to take part in the tournament.
In recent times, the Union have made three Open Cup finals: 2014, 2015, and 2018. But they haven’t yet joined their predecessors in lifting the trophy. Fans will hope the Sullivans and the club’s other academy products finally break through next year.
A pair of tournament rules changes could help the Union’s odds. Game-day rosters will expand from 18 to 20 players, and MLS teams can pick their squads from a wider range of first-team and reserve-squad prospects.
Next year’s Open Cup will be played in the midst of MLS changing its schedule to a winter-centric one. The Open Cup will change some too, though it will remain based on the calendar year for now.
Nashville SC won last year’s U.S. Open Cup.Eric Gay
MLS teams will enter the tournament in the round of 64, which will be played in July — during MLS teams’ preseasons for the 2027-28 campaign. Notably, all MLS teams will be at home for that round, which will help with advance ticket sales.
David Applegate, U.S. Soccer’s director of competitions told the Sports Business Journal that the governing body agreed to change its take of revenue to a flat fee instead of a percentage.
The pre-set home games will annoy fans of lower-division clubs hoping for upsets. But a reward will come after that: any lower-division team that makes the round of 32 will have priority to host. And there should be some lower teams still alive at that point, since having 27 MLS teams in a round of 64 means there won’t be a MLS team in every game.
The round of 32 will be played in September. The round of 16 isn’t set yet, but the remainder of the tournament is: quarterfinals in late November, semifinals on Dec. 1, and the final on Dec. 15. That could make for a cold title game, since it’s on a Wednesday night. But it could also be memorable.
“The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is one of the most powerful platforms we have to showcase what makes American soccer special,” U.S. Soccer chief operating officer Dan Helfrich said in a statement. “When you bring various levels of the soccer community together, you create a connected, competitive environment that moves the sport forward and gives fans the drama of knockout soccer.”
It took just one moment for the Union’s 3-1 win to live up to the billing, from the player who stood atop the marquee.
Cavan Sullivan’s sixth goal for the Union’s first team was easily his most sensational: a perfect jumping trap of Danley Jean Jacques’ cross-field pass, a cut left into the 18-yard box, and a lashing shot to the far post.
It sent jaws dropping from North Jersey to Chester and well beyond, perhaps even to his future home at Manchester City. (Or at least it would have when they woke up Sunday morning over there, as it was just before 2 a.m. in England when the play happened.)
“This was the first moment of a really special individual play for one of his goals,” interim Union manager Ryan Richter said. “So that was cool.”
The trap alone was a special play, and Richter rightly insisted that the pass was its own highlight. Jean Jacques hit it inch-perfect into open space on the right flank.
Sullivan then brought the ball down before it could hit the turf, with the kind of first touch that makes soccer scouts worldwide swoon. All the more when it’s done by a 16-year-old — and yes, with an extra layer when that teen is an American. The world has gotten used to this country winning men’s World Cup games, but it’s sometimes still surprised when a Yank shows such skill.
There was no guarantee a goal would follow, though, not least since Sullivan had passed up a chance to fire from atop the box in the first half. This time, he charged past Dos Santos and shot before a sliding Ronald Donkor could get there.
“The first half, I didn’t think that he was at his best: A couple opportunities where he had a chance to make a play that didn’t come off in the way that you know he can, and then a couple defensive lapses, I thought … [where] he got outplayed a little too bit too easily,” Richter said. “But the second half, he fixed what he needed to fix, and he got going in the game.”
Then came a moment where Richter could watch just like the rest of us.
“The goal that he scored, it’s what he’s capable of doing,” he said. “In these one-v-one situations, he’s different, and we want to give him the freedom to express himself. And honestly, he has gained the respect of his teammates, that they also give him the freedom that he can go in these moments, because they know that he can create something out of it.”
The drumbeat has grown louder for Sullivan to earn his first senior U.S. national team call-up for the four-game friendly run in September and October. Indeed, quite a few observers think Mauricio Pochettino should call up Pierre and Westfield, too.
Pierre has turned just as many heads in the know as Sullivan lately, and turned more with his latest goal Saturday — his fourth in nine Union first-team games this year.
“He’s growing every week, and you guys are watching the same thing I am: he looks like a top center back in this league,” Richter said. “He has to keep pushing, and keep his feet on the ground, and focus in the right way, and become the best center back in this league. That should be his target — but that’s a day-to-day thing that he has to keep pushing to get better and better.”
Westfield, meanwhile, has become the leading candidate to be the starting right back on the 2028 Olympic team.
Andrew Rick and Quinn Sullivan could also merit consideration, given their past work for Pochettino and Rick’s potential to make the 2028 squad.
Asked whether Cavan should get the call, Richter answered promptly: “That’s not my job to influence that one way or the other.”
The Union could soon see Mauricio Pochettino (right) call up a new generation of their prospects, following in the footsteps of alumni like Auston Trusty and Mark McKenzie.Jonathan Tannenwald
But that doesn’t mean he isn’t allowed to, and he snuck in a little of it.
“If you’re watching the games — which, the national team staff, I’m sure they are watching these games — then he’s making a case for himself,” Richter said.
The squad should be announced in mid-September, which means the Union probably have three more games before then: Saturday at home vs. CF Montréal (now with Chilean legend Alexis Sánchez), Sept. 9 at home vs. FC Cincinnati, then the year’s longest road trip to visit San Diego FC on Sept. 13.
(And yes, this writer hears those of you ready to pounce on Richter saying “watching the games.” Four years into MLS’s streaming deal with Apple, no Union-related subject still draws more emails than the lack of games on traditional TV. So take note that the Cincinnati game will be on FS1.)
The two weeks left for the U.S. staff to judge the Union will go by quickly. But they’ve got plenty of evidence now, especially with Cavan Sullivan, Pierre, and Westfield.
So does ever more of the soccer world.
Lionel Messi scored four goals last night, but it isn't the biggest story in MLS this morning – not even on the league's own website.
The Union laid a 3-1 rout down on perennial rival Red Bull New York on Saturday in North Jersey, with a highlight-reel goal from Cavan Sullivan at the center of it.
Milan Iloski and Neil Pierre also scored to extend the Union’s unbeaten run in league games to seven, and edge them up to 12th in the Eastern Conference at the final whistle (6-10-6, 24 points). They’re now just one point back of ninth, the last playoff spot, now held by Toronto FC.
Neil Pierre (right) celebrates with teammates after scoring his goal.Philadelphia Union
As pretty as Sullivan’s goal was, Iloski’s opener had to be described as all goals counting the same, no matter how ugly they are.
Sullivan worked out of a jam to spring Danley Jean Jacques down the right flank, he hit a hopeful cross, and Iloski crashed into Dylan Nealis as both men went for the ball. Neither got it, and the prize bounced away to an unmarked Indiana Vassilev.
From there, Vassilev either woefully scuffed a shooting chance, or made it look like he did while passing back to Iloski. But the end result was Iloski gratefully tapping in from near the goal line.
Milan Iloski finishes off the sequence for @PhilaUnion! 🤩
Andre Blake made a fine save in the 31st, then got lucky when Ronald Donkor shot an easy rebound shockingly wide of the net. Blake made an even better one seven minutes later after Red Bull’s young phenom striker Julian Hall pushed off Nathan Harriel, and was lucky once again when Harriel got up just in time to block Jorge Ruvalcaba’s long-range attempt.
38' | Big save from Andre Blake
Red Bull play a long ball up top for Julian Hall (who gets away with a push on Nathan Harriel), who sees his shot saved by Blake. Jorge Ruvalcaba with the follow up shot, sees his effort headed away by Harriel.
The Union’s turn for a shocking miss came in first-half stoppage time. Iloski settled a bouncing ball and squared it through the 6-yard box for Pierre, but Justin Che beat him to it to clear off the line. The ball went back to Iloski, and his follow-up was blocked by a sliding Nealis.
The second half started with fireworks: Hall shot off the post with Blake stranded a mere 12 seconds after kickoff.
Nine minutes later, the big boom struck. Jean Jacques hit a superb cross-field pass to Sullivan on the right wing, he trapped it expertly, cut in, and lashed a shot to the far corner of New York’s net.
New York (7-10-5, 26 points) looked flattened at that point, and Pierre put them in an even deeper hole off a free kick play in the 65th.
Iloski hit the service from the left flank, Bruno Damiani jumped to flick it in the box, and Pierre crashed the back post — losing his footing along the way, but doing enough to slide the ball in. Red Bull goalkeeper Ethan Horvath, a former U.S. national team regular, could only stand on his line and watch.
Remarkably, that was the fourth goal in nine games for the 18-year-old centerback, who spent the first half of the year at Danish club Lyngby (in which the Union have an ownership stake).
The hosts got their goal in the 74th from one of the only veterans on the field for either team, 37-year-old striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting. He entered the game as a substitute at halftime, when New York manager Michael Bradley switched to a two-striker setup to match the Union’s usual setup.
But that was all Bradley’s players could muster. Instead, it was the visitors celebrating not just a win, but one of the most comprehensive performances of Ryan Richter’s tenure so far.
Union fans know well by now how forgiving an MLS season can be. But that doesn’t mean it forgets.
The team’s progress since the World Cup break will hit a milestone at Saturday’s visit to Red Bull New York: it will be the teams’ first meeting since the 3-1 Union win on July 22 that started their six-game unbeaten run in league games.
Extending the streak would bring another round of good headlines, especially if Cavan Sullivan and Neil Pierre lead the way again. But a win wouldn’t bring the milestone fans really want, getting into a playoff spot. Though it could tie the Union (5-10-6, 21 points) with ninth-place Orlando City, the Lions would keep the lead on the first standings tiebreaker of total wins.
In a way, that frees interim manager Ryan Richter to focus on the day-to-day, as he prefers. He knows as well as anyone how far the team still has to go — even as he knows how far it has come in the last five weeks.
Cavan Sullivan (left) battling Red Bull New York’s Matthew dos Santos when the teams met at Subaru Park last month.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
“On one hand it feels like that was 20 games ago, and then on the other it feels like it was yesterday,” Richter said Thursday in his weekly news conference.
“I’ve learned a lot about the guys — I hope they’ve gotten to know myself and the staff, and how we’re operating through a season when you’re actually playing a lot of games. And I know I’ve learned a lot about the guys, and seen the good side and the bad side of them, and just appreciate the way that they’ve continued to work, and stay focused, and be honest in conversations over this really busy last couple of weeks.”
A look forward finds an equally unclear horizon. Usually when the season hits the end of August, the conversation starts turning to the playoff race. But the World Cup break means there are still 13 of the 34 games left to play in just over two months, with the regular season concluding on Nov. 7.
“You guys know my outlook on this,” Richter said. “The position the team’s in, the position that I’m in myself, I’m not worrying about 10 games from now. I’m excited for the game this weekend and putting all our energy into that, and trying to prepare the guys the best way that we possibly can so that they can be successful.”
The headlines are already touting Red Bull-Union as Julian Hall vs. Cavan Sullivan.
If it was up to me, it would be Adri Mehmeti vs. Cavan Sullivan – yes, I think that highly of Mehmeti.
I asked Ryan Richter his opinion of Mehmeti, and got plenty in the answer:
The Union loaned forward Stas Korzeniowski to Rhode Island FC of the second-tier USL Championship for the rest of the year on Thursday.
A 23-year-old Penn product in his second year as a pro, he has made nine appearances for the Union’s first team this year, and scored two goals in the early-season Concacaf Champions Cup rout of Trinidad’s Defence Force FC. He has spent the rest of the year with the Union’s reserve squad in MLS Next Pro, scoring seven goals in six games.
The state of the first team’s depth chart means Korzeniowski was stuck between sitting on the first team bench and playing for the second team at a level he’s probably better than. Going to the USL Championship for a few months will let him play in between the two.
Stas Korzeniowski celebrates after scoring a goal for the Union against Defence Force FC in the Concacaf Champions Cup back in February.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
Last year, Loïs Boisson captured the hearts of her native France and tennis world with a stunning run to the French Open semifinals at Roland Garros.
Though she hasn’t reached those heights since, she’s still well-known around the sport. So when her name showed up as a late entry into the Ennoble Care Philly Open tennis tournament this week at Penn, it created some buzz.
It isn’t just another week for tennis players. The U.S. Open starts Monday, so it’s an important time to get ready for the big stage. There are a few events out there to play in, from a women’s tournament in Monterrey, Mexico to the U.S. Open’s flashy mixed doubles showcase. The latter has some of the sport’s biggest stars: Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz are playing together, as are Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic.
The Philly Open is a lower-level event than any of those, at the WTA’s 125 tier compared to the Monterrey event’s 500. Traditionally the players in a 125 tournament aren’t so well-known.
But this one has had an unusually strong field. Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro made the round of 16 at Wimbledon last year, and has reached the third rounds of the French and U.S. opens in the last two years. Ashlyn Krueger made the Wimbledon round of 16 this year, the 22-year-old’s best finish yet at a major.
Loïs Boisson was one of the recognizable names in the Philly Open field.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Then there was the headline attraction, 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens. She has fallen to No. 240 in the world rankings since suffering a long-term foot injury last year, and arrived in town after making the third round at the high-profile Cincinnati Open.
Unfortunately for local fans, Stephens lost her first-round match, Boisson took a medical retirement after losing the first set of her opener, and Bouzas Maneiro and Krueger lost in the second round.
They still chose to come to town, though, which means they chose to drop down — because that’s what it is for players like these — to a 125. Why do it?
Making the rounds of the tournament over the first few days, one thing came up repeatedly: Philadelphia’s proximity to New York. Spare the “sixth borough” jokes this time, because it’s an asset. Players can spend the week here, then get in a car or train and make a short trip to Manhattan.
Ashlyn Krueger won her first-round match on the Philly Open’s first day, but lost in the second round.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Those in Monterrey, meanwhile, are looking at a four-hour, nonstop flight if they can get it, or a connection through Mexico City or somewhere else.
“Honestly, leading up to the U.S. Open, it was important for me to play in a tournament closer to New York than some others,” Bouzas Maneiro said, “so I decided to play here in Philadelphia to get into a bit of a rhythm.”
The geography angle was an intentional play by the tournament’s organizers, including the Philly Sisters group that helped bring the Unrivaled basketball showcase to town in January.
When the WTA 250 event in Cleveland that had this week for the last five years stopped, the Philly Sisters jumped at the chance to bring something here at the same time. But they already had the attention of Cleveland’s tournament director, Alex Guthrie, who is now the director of the Philly Open.
Some of the crowd that came out to watch Sloane Stephens in the Philly Open’s featured match Monday night.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
“We had a lot of discussions going on behind the scenes last year, and we were looking to get into a new market,” he said. “And Philadelphia, obviously being such a big market, but also so close in proximity to New York for the U.S. Open, and then pair that with the amazing facilities here at Penn, it made a lot of sense to explore this even further.”
The sense that Philadelphia could work was also helped by some history on the circuit. There was a WTA stop in New Haven, Conn., from 1998-2018, and a men’s ATP event with it from 2005-10. When the Connecticut operation folded, there was a one-year stop in the Bronx in 2019, then Cleveland took over in 2021 after the world came out of the pandemic.
The Philly Open now has a three-year contract. That gives some runway to potentially scale it up to a 250-level event, which the local organizers would like. But there is a lot of work to do.
“We definitely have to raise a lot more money: The cash prize, the infrastructure requirements,” Guthrie said. “We would have to build an even bigger stadium court, and then add a lot more things like a bigger television production, more stands on the secondary court, etc. So there’s even more requirements at an elevated standard.”
The temporary stands built at Penn’s outdoor facility for the Philly Open’s main court.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
The stadium court this week seats around 1,200 spectators, with one big side of temporary stands across from fixed seats at Penn’s Hamlin Outdoor Tennis Center. The second “show court” has another 100 or so fixed seats on one side, but just a few portable bleachers and chairs on the other.
There’s definitely room to expand, since the Hamlin Center has 12 outdoor courts. Just three have been used for competition this week, with seating over three others and the rest serving as practice courts. The nearby indoor facility could be used for practice if more stands are built.
How to raise the prize pot? A boost in corporate sponsorship would help, of course, and the big-city backdrop means officials shouldn’t have to look far.
“It’ll cost more, but I think that’s the goal,” Philly Sisters vice president Ashley Lunkenheimer said. “Then we’ll have more people coming, and we’ll have a more mature opportunity, so people will know about it and say, ‘That’s the tournament I don’t want to miss — this is my chance to see these women up close,’ and in a way [that is] more affordable, and yet still some of them will be at the U.S. Open the following week.”
A view across the outer courts of the Philly Open, with the small amount of seating in the middle and along one side.Jonathan Tannenwald
Guthrie added “The infrastructure here would allow us to one day run a 250 here, if the opportunity became available.”
The decision will be up to the WTA, and it only grants so many sanctions for 250 tournaments each year. Topnotch already owns one for a 250 event in Memphis in late July, so at least it’s familiar to the tour. WTA officials have been in town this week to see the setup in person.
The tour’s top official isn’t one of them, but she needs no introduction to Philadelphia. Valerie Camillo spent five years as one of the highest-ranking figures at Comcast Spectacor, including as president and CEO of Spectacor Sports and Entertainment, and head of business operations for the Flyers and Xfinity Mobile Arena. She became chair of the WTA last November.
The players’ experience matters a lot too, and that seems to have been going well. Bouzas Maneiro said “the facilities here are very good,” praising the gym and practice court facilities in particular. She also has taken some time to enjoy the vibrancy of summer in Center City.
Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in action during her first-round match on Monday.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
“I like having lots of coffee shops nearby and places where I can spend some time,” she said. “The hotel’s location is excellent, and it’s close to the venue, too … I think the tournament is very well organized, and I’m getting a really good vibe so far.”
Guthrie called this first edition “an exploratory year for us and for the WTA in many ways,” and said he believes it might be a few years before a 250-level sanction opens up. But he didn’t rule it out either.
“I would venture to bet this will be a 125 next year, but you just never know in tennis,” he said.
WASHINGTON — When the New York Liberty waived Betnijah Laney-Hamilton earlier this month, it caused quite a commotion around the WNBA.
The transaction wasn’t too much of a surprise, since her playing time had fallen sharply from years past. But the 32-year-old with roots in the Philly area was a Liberty fan favorite, and a key piece of the team’s long-awaited first title in 2024.
Now the rest of the league had a shot to sign a former WNBA and FIBA world champion, All-Star, and first-team all-defense player with a reputation as a great teammate.
It turned out that the moving van didn’t have to go too far. The Washington Mystics won the race to claim her, jumping at the chance to add a veteran to a team full of young promise.
“The transition’s been pretty easy, just in terms of how everyone’s embraced me and just made it easy,” Laney-Hamilton said. “It’s nice always being able to be close to home, where my family can get here and everything.”
Washington has been the biggest surprise in the league this year. On a circuit full of sizzling stars, the Mystics have a lot of good players, but not a household name yet. Still, they started the week in seventh place, and clinched a playoff spot Sunday night with a win in Portland.
From there, they could look down at Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale’s Dallas Wings in eighth, and two marquee squads already eliminated from playoff contention: Nneka Ogwumike and Cameron Brink’s Los Angeles Sparks, and Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas’ Phoenix Mercury.
The feed inside and the finish 🤝
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton finds an open Lauren Betts in the paint for two
The Mystics still have a ways to go until they’re real contenders, and they showed it in last Friday’s loss to the first-place Minnesota Lynx. Though Washington battled gamely throughout, the decisive moments were the little things down the stretch: a missed shot here, a turnover there, a basket conceded on a break the other way.
Perhaps those things will come in time for former college greats like Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen, and Lauren Betts as they develop in the pros. Coach Sydney Johnson can hope Laney-Hamilton’s presence alongside the team’s other veterans, Shakira Austin and Michaela Onyenwere, will help the process go even faster.
“She’s hit the ground running here,” Johnson said. “They really respect her, they look up to her, they understand her playoff experience. She speaks with a high level of command with the players and coaches.
For now, Johnson is simply thrilled to have her, and he does not take her easy integration for granted. Sometimes, a veteran’s arrival to a new team can upset existing chemistry. That hasn’t happened here.
Sydney Johnson is a leading WNBA Coach of the Year candidate thanks to the Mystics’ rise this season.LM Otero
“We are about toughness and togetherness,” Johnson said. “When you watch her, you watch her career, it’s pretty clear that she’s as tough as nails out there. You see her interacting with her teammates on the court, and then all the intel behind the scenes, she’s an outstanding person and a giver — she’s really giving to her team. So we felt like we got a steal, we really do.”
Laney-Hamilton in turn praised her new teammates for “the energy, the intention behind everyone.” And she called Johnson “great,” helping with the transition then being clear about his expectations.
The Mystics are spending this week on the west coast, with two games to come at Phoenix and one at Los Angeles before the WNBA pauses at the end of the month for the FIBA World Cup. When the season resumes, there will be just four games left to jostle for playoff positioning.
Whatever happens along the way, it’s clear those expectations Laney-Hamilton mentioned have changed, thanks to her arrival.
As the Union and Austin FC traded wayward scoring chances down the stretch Saturday night, both teams’ fans probably assumed the other would find the net and take away a win.
The number of opportunities that piled up was in part a reflection of the 98-degree heat at the 8 p.m. kickoff in central Texas. But the fact that neither team found a winner reflected that for all Austin’s firepower and all the Union’s momentum, they both entered the night with 5-10-5 records.
You read here heading into the weekend that the Union still aren’t a good team quite yet, and that still stands for the moment. A game where substitutes Ezekiel Alladoh and Agustín Anello had more impact on defense than offense is proof.
But that doesn’t mean the night was all bad for Ryan Richter’s squad, which now stands 5-10-6 (21 points) and three points below the playoff line. It ended in a 1-1 tie, and the unbeaten streak is now six games heading into Saturday’s visit to Red Bull New York (7:30 p.m., Apple TV).
“It got a little wild at the end both ways,” Richter said afterward. “I think both teams could have probably gotten a goal, but the way they pushed through and were able to get a point in this game — we’re always going for the win, but for a week like this, two games on the road [and] home to Miami, to come without losing a game and and five points, that’s OK.”
Two players stood out above the rest: Andre Blake and Neil Pierre. Blake made five saves, including a spectacular one in each half to deny what looked like certain Austin goals.
Pierre took the headlines even from Cavan Sullivan, who scored his fifth goal of the year with a rare header. While the 5-foot-7 Sullivan jumped for his goal, the 6-foot-7 Pierre rarely had to leave his feet to stuff the box score: five clearances, three tackles, three blocks, three interceptions, 10 defensive recoveries, five duels won from seven contested, and 38-of-41 passing.
The scouts who’ve been watching Pierre, whether from European club suitors or the U.S. national team, will feast on all that.
Neil Pierre on the ball during Saturday’s game.Philadelphia Union
“I thought he was our best player,” Richter said of the 18-year-old centerback. “The amount of shots that he blocked, times he stepped out of the [defensive] line, big clearances that he made, some of the interceptions that he had, he had a really solid game. So it was another good step for him.”
Everyone knew how hot it was, even fans who watched from air conditioning on their couches. MLS made a smart decision in advance to delay the kickoff by half an hour, but even that only moved the thermometer from 101 to 98.
It also put a spotlight on Richter’s decision to start the same lineup that started against Miami on Wednesday, and 10 of the 11 who started the previous Sunday at New York. He knew that was a risk, even if it’s becoming increasingly clear that at a lot of positions, the Union’s starters are a lot better than the backups.
“It made it a hard decision, definitely,” Richter said. “I couldn’t sleep between Wednesday and today, trying to think what was the right decision to go with. But I decided to trust the guys to turn around again, and I think they did a good job in that.”
Ryan Richter (left) talking on the sideline with Quinn Sullivan, who was one of the Union’s substitutes in the game.Philadelphia Union
He was satisfied with the subs, too, including Anello and Alladoh. The defensive plays in question came in the closing minutes: a risky but successful sliding tackle by Anello, and Alladoh’s bodying of former U.S. national team striker Brandon Vázquez on a break into the box.
“That was a pretty key play in the game,” Richter said of Alladoh. “I have to look exactly where he started when he started that run, but to make it all the way back … that’s all you can ask, is this kind of commitment. Anything to do to win a game, that’s what these guys did on this play.”
Both Union strikers also had scoring chances that they didn’t convert, including Anello’s shot off a last-minute free kick that was blocked. But two players who don’t get much playing time were able to offer something from the opportunity they got.
“‘Augie’ has been really patient with his role so far, you know, and tonight he came in and and he did a really good job,” Richter said. “This is what you can do, is make a case for yourself by being dangerous in these moments and looking like you can be the difference.”
Huge transition moment from Austin here, which is broken up by the hustle by Ezekiel Alladoh.
He's not been great in the attack for the Union for the most part this season, but this hustle to track back from offense to help out defensively when the Union were exposed will for… pic.twitter.com/6ScDvnIgF9
Asked if he wants to see more from Anello, Richter dialed things back a bit.
“It’s not always going to come, of course,” he said. “When you sub in and play 20 minutes, you shouldn’t expect a goal every single week. But if you look dangerous, you’re getting opportunities, getting into the positions, putting the work in defensively, the goals will come.”
If they do between now and November, this Union team could be even more interesting down the stretch.
