“A Ginger in Dallas” or “Please Pass the Sunblock”

It’s hard to believe it has been 6 years. 6 years with Sons of Ben. 6 years of my life spent with all of you. 6 years of work, of great times, of pain, of unbelievably memorable moments. 6 years. And now? Now, my run comes to an end….sort of.

On May 13th, I’ll be starting a new job with Apple in Dallas, TX. Relocating for a job is something we’ve never done before but my family and I are very excited for our new, upcoming adventure and the opportunity that this presents. It also means saying “goodbye” to a lot of friends, family, and a way of life we’ve loved for so long. The great thing is that in this day and age in which we live in, “goodbye” is never really “GOODBYE”. Between Facebook, Twitter, Skype, email, text messages, and every other online method, we’ll be around.

While my family and I will be moving to Texas, I will still be actively involved in helping run Sons of Ben throughout the remainder of this year. Many of the day to day activities that go on behind the scenes will still be happening just like normal but the on site efforts will be handled by members of the current leadership. A top priority now will be the work on a full transition plan to help identify the future leaders of the group going into the 2014 season. The current leadership has been amazing this year and I can’t thank them all enough for all of the support they’ve given me and for all of the hard work they’ve done this year for Sons of Ben. I’ve always been a big proponent of ensuring that those that help lead this group are the people that have dedicated their time to help support it and these men and women have exemplified that philosophy. Volunteerism is a major part of our organization so if you aspire to help lead Sons of Ben in some capacity some day, please, follow their lead: volunteer and be active.

On a more personal note, I can’t tell you how much fun I’ve had over these last 6 years with Sons of Ben. From the moment I joined, I knew we had something special and it’s continued to be just that. I don’t want to rehash our history over this time but I am very proud of what we’ve accomplished thus far. We’ve had great times together for sure as well as suffered through some not so great times. 2012 absolutely sucked to put it bluntly. It’s a year I’m still trying to forget as I’m sure you all are. However, from what I’ve seen so far this year, it looks like the doldrums of the previous year have passed and we’re back to having fun both in and out of the stadium. This is what Sons of Ben was always about: Supporting the U, having fun doing it, and enjoying each others company. There will always be things we need to improve and build on but I have no doubt that Sons of Ben will continue to grow and become an even more dominant voice in MLS and most importantly, for the Union. It’s all because of the passion you put into it and I’m thankful to have to have been a part of it all this time.

I’m not going to get into thanking individuals here. There are way too many people that I need to say thank you to and I much prefer to do that in person. This upcoming game against Seattle on Saturday will be my last, for awhile at least. I hope to share a beer with many of you, sing with you, and just have a blast before I head out.

Lastly, in 2014, the Union will be playing FC Dallas in Frisco, TX. That’s where we’ll be living. I really, REALLY, hope you ALL make the big road trip for that game!

Sincerely,

Matt Ansbro
President
Sons of Ben

Optimism for 2013, Stache Bash, Bigger/Better Tailgates, and more…

In just a few short days, our boys in blue will return to our home, PPL Park. And just as they will return, so shall we. Returning with a renewed focus and optimism that the doldrums that were our collective 2012 are long since passed.

In just under a month, we all begin anew. We begin with the first big event of the season, Stache Bash. We begin with a brand new tailgate experience. We begin with MORE Tifo. But, most importantly, we return as always: Faithful to the End.

Excited? You better be. Here’s more on some of the exciting plans for the start of the 2013 season.

2013 Members Scarf Competition

Here’s your chance to design the next great SoB Members Scarf. This is an open competition that anyone can enter. The submission deadline Friday, February 22nd at 5pm. If you’re interested in submitting a design, check out the competition page for more details.

2013 Stache Bash

Another Union season kicks off, and we are ‘Stache-ing it up again and raising money for Help Kick Hunger. The ’13 Bash will feature music acts, Bevan McShea and Philly’s first and only Union themed band, Bearfight. We will once again have the Stache Bash raffle, and our friends at Bark tees have the official Stache Bash tee shirt and hoodie for sale. What better way to kick off our awesome new tailgate area than a huge party, live music, friends, & charity.

Also, be sure to bring your canned goods to the tailgate. We will be collecting and donating them after the event has concluded.

Tickets to Stache Bash tailgate are $10 for SoB members and $12 for non-members. As an added bonus, we have something special planned for the menu.

It’s an all Philly tailgate!! We’re talking Philly Cheesesteaks, Chicken Steaks, and Veggie Steaks. We’re also going to have hoagies, Philly pretzels, Tastykakes, and a lot of other traditional fare.

And there is one other big thing at this tailgate but you’re going to want to keep reading to find out.

New Tailgate Area

THE BEER IS BACK!!!

As it was mentioned above, we will be utilizing our NEW tailgate area which is directly behind the River End along the river walk. On top of giving us the ability to FINALLY provide beer again at every tailgate, it will allow us to party together as a group like we once did, drink some killer beers, eat some rocking food, and when the times dictate, hold some really special events.

The best part about getting the beer back to the tailgates is there is no price change. The tailgates (beer, food, and all) are the same price as it has been in previous years: $10 for members / $12 for non-members.

The bottom line is we’re getting the band back together and the pre-game hype up is back for good! It’s time to have some fun before the games again and this is the spot where it all starts.

We’ll have more information on the setup of the new tailgate area out to everyone before the season begins

A Note from SoB VP Corey Furlan

As I take some time to reflect back over the last few months, I would like to take a moment to share with everyone what this group has meant to me personally over the past 6 years. It has been an absolutely incredible journey, filled with many ups and downs. I remember not too long ago, when there was a few of us sitting around at McGillan’s talking about this “dream” to have a soccer team of our own in Philly. Now we stand here 2000+ members strong, after our third season of this dream come true. I would like to thank each and every one of you for helping to make this group what it is today. (Continue reading….)

The Sons of Ben came about at an ideal time for me personally, I was going through a multitude of personal issues and SoB filled a huge hole in my life and helped push me into a positive direction. It gave me something to focus on and helped me learn a lot about myself and what I am capable of. That is something that I will be eternally grateful for. This has truly been a blessing for me and I appreciate each and every one of you who has touched my life in one way or another. The reason that I say that is I would like to ask everyone to look at this group as more than just a supporters group but a family.

I know towards the end of last season, there was a lot of negativity amongst the group and frankly I was super negative as well. I think that a lot of this was due to the frustration that came from the selling of some fan favorites and of course the losing. This negativity caused me personally to be on the brink of walking away from all of this. I was done….burnt out and crispy. After having some time to think about everything, I came to the realization that this is more than winning and losing. This is about being a part of something bigger than oneself. This is about supporting each other even when times are tough. For these reasons, as well all the aforementioned meanings of the Sons of Ben to myself, I would like to challenge myself and all of you individually to make this season the best ever. Win, Lose or Draw…the SoB’s mantra of Ad Finem Fidelis should ring true. Faithful to the End!!

I would like to put out a call to arms for development of committees for Tifo and Capo Crew. I would like to ask people to get involved and make a difference. I look at our group as having the potential for greatness. We are very good at what we do and I want to ask every ones help to make us the BEST!! Stay tuned for the information on how and when to sign up and get involved. Sons of Ben need you to go from good to great! Help us accomplish this mission.

See everyone on March 2nd 2013!!!

Photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union

Bet you didn’t see that coming.

Two draft picks that surprised many, and the winding down of Freddy Adu’s tenure with Philadelphia Union — all in one day.

Since everyone wants to talk about it, here’s some reaction to the Union’s draft day to drive the conversation some more.

The Anding pick: Huh?

This one came out of left field. We all expected a left back. And maybe we got one — who many didn’t project as a left back.

The word on Anding is he was one of the fastest, if not the fastest, players at the MLS combine. And he’s left-footed. And he was a pretty good forward in college. There’s not much more than that to go on.

If Anding is to become a left back, he is now what you call a project. He has minimal experience there. As a left winger, he may slide in more naturally, but even then, he may be more used to collecting crosses than sending them in.

Of all the Union’s moves Thursday, this is the biggest head-scratcher. It’s not that conversions from forward to fullback are unheard of. After all, a certain Union right back known for his runs down the flanks once played striker. But Sheanon Williams converted to defender at a younger age than Anding.

Several other actual left backs were available, including Bucks County native and former Reading United player Greg Cochrane, who went to the Los Angeles Galaxy with the 38th pick. The Union must have had a good reason for passing on Cochrane. He has practiced with the Union and played for Union assistant coach Brendan Burke, so it’s not from lack of familiarity.

The Union must really like Anding’s potential, and the one thing you can’t teach is speed. Union manager John Hackworth has praised his character, and that does matter. But at least as important is what he can do on the field. If he’s a left back, we may not see Anding on the field with the first team all season.

Stephen Okai: Working the draft perfectly

A basic premise of all professional sports drafts is this: If you know you want a player but think you can get him in a spot lower than your draft position, trade down.

The Union did that perfectly. They wanted midfielder Stephen Okai, the NAIA player of the year and former Reading United player, and they knew nobody else was going to snatch him first. So they traded down, got two additional picks in the Supplemental Draft (effectively the amateur draft’s third round), and still got Okai. That is exactly how you work the draft.

As for Okai himself, the pick looks really good for this reason: In a league where the scouting of amateur players isn’t anywhere near as comprehensive as it is in basketball, football, or baseball, the Union have seen a lot of Okai at a high level of competition. No, not at the University of Mobile, where he played his college soccer, but with Reading United, the Union’s Premier Development League affiliate.

The Union are so high on Okai they legitimately think he could start this season. But it’s worth noting he was the only player drafted for whom a biography was not prepared for the MLS website before the draft. Just an oversight, or did everyone else rank him that low?

Philadelphia might have just gotten a steal. Or they may have reached for a guy other teams were low on for a reason. If former Reading United star Ray Gaddis is any indication, then it’s probably of the steal variety, and I think that will probably be the case.

Bidding adieu to Freddy Adu

So is Adu finally on the way out? Probably.

Could he sit out the season? Doubtful. He’s not that dumb, and he is too good a player to do that.

Adu is on the outs with Hackworth not so much for what he’s done on the field, but what he’s done off it. Few can deny Adu’s talent. His goal numbers are fine, but the assists haven’t been there. You can attribute that as much to poor finishing as you can to Adu himself, as the video below shows. (Thanks to Gordon Strachan for the link.)

What’s been clear, even if the specifics aren’t always, is that there has been friction off the field between Adu and the coaching staff.

Plus, even if the Union’s finishing was subpar most of 2012, Adu’s salary is still too high for his performance. Anyone who’s seen him stepover three times into defensive oblivion knows that. The Union never should have given so high a salary ($400,000 base, $512,000 average per year counting bonuses) to a player who last played in Turkey’s second division. If Adu was making half that, he would be worth it. But he’s not.

The two sides haven’t discussed publicly whether the Union have been trying to renegotiate his salary downward. If so, that’s exactly what they should have done. Adu has not been an on-field failure with the Union. He simply hasn’t matched his inflated salary.

If Adu genuinely thinks he will never get an extended opportunity to play the No. 10 position with the Union, it’s not surprising that he would want to force his departure. When he joined the Union, he was told he would play there, but Peter Nowak and later Hackworth never gave him more than a game here or there at the spot. The blame for that could fall more on Nowak than Hackworth. It’s absolutely fair for a replacement manager to delay key position changes till training camp, and swapping Michael Farfan and Adu full-time could have disrupted instead of improved the club. On the other hand, it would have been nice to know before going into an off-season with the matter unsettled on the field.

In an ideal world, Adu would have renegotiated down to a salary budget hit under $280,000 under the premise that he would get his chance at CAM, while Farfan returned to the right wing. Yes, that’s leaving a lot of money on the table, but the last thing Adu needs is another public knock against his character. What he needs is to play well without any off-field drama.

Adu’s controversial departure isn’t good for him. And if he sits on the sidelines all year while collecting paychecks from the Union, it’s even worse, both for him and the Union.