Philly Sports Weekly Recap (July 1st-7th)

PHILADELPHIA, PA - It was a busy first week in July in Philly sports, from superstar signings to All-Star selections, and even some “Sell The Team” chants for one unlucky club, we’re diving into it on this edition of Philly Sports Weekly Recap.

Phillies - (3-3)

It was a nice week for the Phillies who went out on an Independence Day week roady, taking on the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves - each in a three game series.

The team got the week started with back-to-back wins in Chicago. During Monday’s 6-4 victory, the club saw Trea Turner blast two home runs while Michael Mercado impressed in his first career MLB start. A rallying win on Wednesday followed as Alex Bohm and Rafael Marchán homered to pull the Phils over the Cubbies and win the series. Before heading down south however, the Phils dropped a 4th of July stinker in a 10-2 loss to the Cubs.

The team was nonetheless able to put that behind them Friday night in ‘the A’ as they took down the division rival Braves 8-6 with another two home run day from Trea Turner whose batting .400 this week with a 1.200 OPS. The final two games of the series weren’t as great as Ranger Suárez and Michael Mercado both laid stinkers while the offense fell silent making for lackluster games.

Despite the rough ending to the week on the field, the club saw a franchise record seven players be selected to the All-Star game in Texas this year. Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Alec Bohm, Matt Strahm, Jeff Hoffman, Zack Wheeler, and Ranger Suárez all were selected to take part in the mid summer classic and represent the Fightin Phils.

Before the All-Star break the Phillies will need to handle two west coast opponents who head to CBP this week in the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics. The Phils get started Tuesday evening against LA for a 6:40 PM first pitch.

Union (0-1-1)

With bad times mounting, the Union were in for yet another gloomy week of Soccer.

The epitome of the Union’s struggles during the 2024 season may have come to a climax on Wednesday, with the club’s embarrassing 4-3 defeat against Chicago Fire, who before the game were ranked around the bottom of the MLS table. After getting out to an early 1-0 deficit, the Union came roaring back with goals from Chris Donovan, Daniel Gazdag (PK) and Jack McGlynn to make it 3-1. The club continued to play a strong second half until the Fire struck in the 82nd minute to make it 3-2. Then again in the 89th to tie the games and finally in the 92nd minute Hugo Cuypers scored the winning goal for Chicago to complete the miraculous comeback. 

Following Wednesday’s defeat, the draw that came in Chester on Saturday night may have been a sight for sore eyes. Despite the offensive halt, homegrown keeper Andrew Vincent Rick held one of the league's top clubs in New York Red Bulls to a 0-0 shutout. The shutout was the first for the 18 year old.

The Union now look ahead to Saturday’s matchup with Toronto FC as the “Sell The Team '' chants from the riverside stands grow louder and louder with each passing day. The club will attempt to pick up their first win since a 2-1 decision against Nashville SC all the way back on April 6th.

76ers

The offseason is in full swing in the NBA and the Sixers are seemingly on top of it all, with some huge moves to bolster the roster coming in the past week.

The headline of course was the acquisition of nine-time All-Star Paul George. The guard/forward signed a four year $212 million dollar contract with the Sixers - pairing him with the likes of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. While injury concerns have plagued George in years past, the 34 year old played 74 games for the Clippers last season while averaging 22.6 PTS, 5.2 REB, and 3.5 AST with a 47.1 FG%. The superstar out of Fresno St. looks to be the missing piece in the Sixers long search for a third star.

Another signing that will undoubtedly make a huge impact on the club is Caleb Martin. Martin, a graduate of the University of Nevada was a crucial member of a playoff club down in Miami for the past few seasons. Notably averaging 10.0 PTS, 4.4 REB, and 2.2 AST for the Heat last year. Martin will fill in nicely in the Sixers backcourt with Tyrese Maxey and should serve as the clubs sixth man come opening night.

One of the most under the radar signings for the Sixers however may have been Andre Drummond who is coming for his second career stint in Philly. After spending the last two seasons with the Bulls, Drummond will rejoin the 76ers who traded him as a part of the Ben Simmons deal in 2021. The now 30 year old UConn men averaged 8.4 PTS and 9.0 REB for the Bulls in 2023-24. The 6 '11 big man looks to retain his role as Joel Embiid’s best backup during the process era.

Another signing that was outshined by bigger acquisitions was the re-signing of Kelly Oubre Jr who returns to the 76ers on a two year $16 million dollar contract. Oubre averaged 15.4 PTS and 5.0 REB in Philly last year and should fill out the starting lineup barring Eric Gordon’s status come the regular season.

Buddy Heild was added to the list of Sixers who won’t be returning next year when the Sixers flipped him in a sign-and-trade deal with the Golden State Warriors this week. Hield, who struggled in his short time in Philadelphia will join a depleted Warriors squad while bringing back a 2031 second round selection (via DAL) from GSW.

Fans do have one thing to be excited about this week as the club turns their focus to the Summer League, which gets underway Monday night when the Sixers take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at 7:00 pm on ESPN. Jared McCain, Ricky Council IV, and Adem Bona round out the current roster participants. While some may be familiar with the likes of Tony Bradley, Jeff Dowtin Jr, Justin Edwards, RJ Hampton, Romeo Langford, and Justin Powell who all are getting a chance in the Summer League for the Sixers. David Jones, Keve Aluma, Darius Days, Max Fiedler, Judah Mintz, Jordan Tucker, and Jaylen Sims round out the roster.

Flyers

As the offseason trudges on in the NHL the Flyers bolstered the roster with a few moves.

The club awarded defenseman Egor Zamula with a two year extension Sunday afternoon with $1.7 million in AAV. Zamula, a top young defenseman for the Flyers totaled 21 points for the team in 2023-24. Zamula has 25 points over 92 games in four seasons for the Flyers and has been a promising blueliner for the club since being signed as a UDFA in 2018.

The club continued with the extensions as they decided to keep forward Bobby Brink around for another two seasons. The contract is worth $1.5 million in AAV. Brink spent the majority of the 2023-24 season with the Flyers while totalling 23 points with 11 goals. Look for Brink to be a top-6 or top-4 forward for the Flyers in 2024-25.

The Flyers have signed forward Jett Luchanko to a three year entry level deal. Luchanko was the Flyers first rounder in this year's draft, going 13th overall to the Orange and Black. He collected 74 points with 20 goals for the Guelph Storm in the OHL last season. Look for Luchanko to make an immediate impact for AHL Lehigh Valley in 2024.

Eagles/Wings - Two teams in the heat of the offseason right now with not much at all to report on.