As expected, the Philadelphia Union have finalized a friendly with La Liga power Real Madrid, but the schedule domino effect is far-reaching. The Seattle Sounders were set to host Philadelphia on July 23, but thanks to the now-finalized friendly, that date will have to be changed. Instead, the Union will travel to Seattle on Oct. 8 for a late-season matchup.
The details, provided by Philly.com, include an interesting tidbit about further, non-MLS, schedule implications.
The Union had been scheduled to play Seattle at Qwest Field on July 23. That game has been moved to Oct. 8, and a college football game at Qwest scheduled for that date has been shuffled.
The football team is Central Washington University, who play an annual game at Qwest Field. It's unknown what Central will do or where they'll play as rescheduling college football games can be a bit of a pain. The football game may have to take place on Friday or come at a completely different location.
As we said yesterday, this whole saga is a bit of a joke. Ignoring the league table for a friendly and shuffling everything this late in the game, is a tad-bit annoying. It will end up working, but the Sounders could ill-afford to turn their already crowded late-season schedule into a jam-packed schedule. With an MLS playoff run and CONCACAF Champions League berth all set for the fall, it's shaping up to be a hectic few weeks.
For more on the Sounders, head on over to SB Nation's Sounder at Heart.