The Philadelphia Union are on the verge of finalizing a friendly with Real Madrid and if the reported date is accurate, it would have an affect on the Seattle Sounders schedule. The Union are scheduled to play the Sounders in Seattle on July 23, which happens to be the same date the proposed friendly is scheduled. If the deal goes through, the two sides would have to reschedule the game, likely much later in the season.
The report, citing sources close to the situation, comes from Philly.com.
A formal announcement could come later this week, but a soccer source indicated that the two are expected to meet July 23 at Lincoln Financial Field.
We've seen Sounder at Heart's Trophies not Friendlies campaign, but this is taking it to a whole new level. By scheduling a friendly on the same day as a league match, the Union are showing a complete disregard for the league schedule. It is, essentially, flipping a bird to MLS competition for a money grab and meaningless game.
And it hurts the Sounders, too. With plenty of competitions set to occur late in the season, including the end of the MLS schedule, the CONCACAF Champions League and the U.S. Open Cup, Seattle's schedule is already packed. If the Sounders are forced to squeeze the Union game into September or October, it creates a significant logjam, much to the detriment of the team.
While friendlies are nice and fun for the casual fan, there's so many things wrong with this particularly match, the biggest of which is the disregard for the league schedule. I'm sure the Seattle front office and Sounders' fans are none too happy with the news.
For more on the Sounders, head on over to SB Nation's Sounder at Heart.