Nick Sakiewicz

The Philadelphia Union is getting hitched to Bimbo. No, the team has not signed a promiscuous, dull-witted semi-celebrity to play midfield. The soccer club is poised to announce a major sponsorship deal that will stamp the routinely mispronounced name of the giant Mexico-based baker onto the front of the team jersey. The four-year, roughly $12 million agreement with the U.S. arm of Grupo Bimbo S.A.B. de C.V. represents a victory for the Union, which has labored to sign a shirt sponsor that is iconic, well-financed, and regionally based.

The U.S. women's soccer team will play China in an exhibition May 27 at PPL Park in Chester, in preparation for the London Olympics. "We are pleased to welcome back the U.S. women's national team to PPL Park," said Nick Sakiewicz, CEO and operating partner of Keystone Sports and Entertainment. "This is the third time that we have hosted a U.S. Soccer match and we are proud to be one of the final stops for the [women] before they head off to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

The Philadelphia Union, the expansion Major League Soccer club set to begin play next year, has hired John Hackworth as coach and youth development coordinator. Hackworth comes to the Union from the United States Men's National Team that recently qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa. "He [Hackworth] has proven his ability to nurture young players and that talent will be essential in our plan to develop them into successful professionals," said Union coach Peter Nowak.

Major League Soccer and the NBC Sports Group have agreed to a three-year media rights agreement that begins at the start of the 2012 MLS season. The deal calls for 45 MLS games and four U.S. men's national team contests to be televised live on both NBC and NBC Sports Network each season. NBC Sports Network is the newly named cable channel that will be rebranded from Versus on Jan. 2, 2012. Each season NBC will broadcast two regular-season MLS games, two playoff games, and two appearances by the U.S. men's national team.

John Hackworth is no longer the Union's interim manager - he's taken a step up, with the team's announcement Thursday that he's been named manager. The terms of his contract were not released, but a Union source said that Hackworth was committed through the 2014 season. Hackworth, 42, had been an assistant coach since the team's inception. He was hired by the Union in 2009, and the team began Major League Soccer play in 2010. Hackworth replaced the fired Peter Nowak on an interim basis on June 13. The Union are 5-6-2 under Hackworth, and 7-13-4 overall this season.

The Union will host English Premier League club Everton on July 20 at PPL Park. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Everton features U.S. men's national team goalkeeper Tim Howard and Australian international Tim Cahill. Five-time FA Cup champions and winners of nine top flight league titles in England, the Blues are currently in seventh place in the Premier League, just five points behind Liverpool F.C. PPL Park is the Toffees' first stop on their United States tour. The team also visit D.C. United on July 23 at RFK Stadium.

The Union will host Bundesliga club FC Schalke 04 on May 9 at PPL Park, the Union announced. Schalke is among the most popular teams in Germany and features stars as Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, currently ranked second in the Bundesliga in scoring, Spanish legend Raul and U.S. national team midfielder Jermaine Jones. The team is in third place in the Bundesliga and is just one win away from a top four finish and a spot in the Champions League next season. "Over the last two years we have hosted top English, Mexican, Spanish and Scottish clubs to play the Union," said Nick Sakiewicz, Union CEO and operating partner.

Union president Tom Veit is exiting stage left for a new role behind the scenes. Veit is stepping down and will take over as a consultant to the team and to Union CEO and managing partner Nick Sakiewicz. Veit, who joined the team as a consultant through his Tampa, Fla.-based company, The Solutions Group, was appointed team president in April 2009. "I love Philly, but I am a Florida guy and Tampa is my home," Veit said. From Tampa, Veit will act as a liaison for the Union in upcoming and ongoing deals, most notably talks of bringing Villanova football to PPL Park, the Union's 18,500-seat facility in Chester.

A City Hall press conference on Tuesday involving Mayor Nutter, and officials from Major League Soccer and the Union has prompted speculation that the Union could be hosting the 2012 MLS all-star game. MLS and Union officials would not comment, but in addition to Nutter, MLS Commissioner Don Garber, Chester Mayor John Linder and Union CEO and operating partner Nick Sakiewicz will be among attending the press conference. An official for MLS said on Monday that the date of the all-star game has yet to be released.

As the Union's chief executive officer and operating partner, Nick Sakiewicz gets to pull rank, which might explain why he will be in the starting lineup for Friday's inaugural River Cup Challenge, 6:30 p.m. at PPL Park. This unique event will pit the Union management in a benefit soccer game against the Sons of Ben supporters club. To the victor goes the coveted River Cup. But as Sakiewicz points out, the true winner will be Chester United, a soccer club the Union started for the youth of Chester, which has approximately 600 members.

John Hackworth is no longer the Union's interim manager - he's taken a step up, with the team's announcement Thursday that he's been named manager. The terms of his contract were not released, but a Union source said that Hackworth was committed through the 2014 season. Hackworth, 42, had been an assistant coach since the team's inception. He was hired by the Union in 2009, and the team began Major League Soccer play in 2010. Hackworth replaced the fired Peter Nowak on an interim basis on June 13. The Union are 5-6-2 under Hackworth, and 7-13-4 overall this season.

FORMER UNION manager Peter Nowak endangered his players, created a hostile work environment and was insubordinate to his superiors, according to his letter of termination, a copy of which was obtained by the Daily News. The letter from Pennsylvania Professional Soccer LLC also claims that during his time as manager, Nowak showed little regard for player safety, specifically noting that he directed "strenuous training activities" in excessive heat, denying players access to water.

BAD TIMING has rarely been so perfect. A black cloud swept in from the south Tuesday, when it was revealed that former Union team manager Peter Nowak filed a wrongful-termination lawsuit in federal court. Nowak is claiming the club still owes him not just a very large chunk of his six-figure salary, but payment of severance monies he is yet to receive since being dismissed from his responsibilities on June 13. According to the suit filed in the U.S. District Court, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Nowak, who resides in Florida, was contractually obligated to the team through Dec. 31, 2015.

MISSOURI AND Pennsylvania. First St. Louis, followed by Kansas City — both vs. Philadelphia. Twice the two areas have placed competing bids to Major League Soccer. Both times, Philly has won. The first was in 2009, when it was between St. Louis and Philadelphia to become MLS' 16th franchise. A year later, the Philadelphia Union made its debut. This year, Kansas City threw its name into the ring for Livestrong Sporting Park, just over the Missouri River, to host the upcoming MLS All-Star Game, as did Philadelphia.

THINGS WOULD have been less confusing had Philadelphia Union CEO and operating partner Nick Sakiewicz simply said team manager Peter Nowak got canned on Wednesday because the squad hadn't performed up to expectations. That's an easy concept to grasp. After making the playoffs last season, the Union is 2-7-2 and in next-to-last place in the MLS East with eight points. Fans wouldn't need more justification than that for the sacking. But Sakiewicz made a point to emphasize at a hastily called news conference that the Union's record did not factor in the decision to remove Nowak, the only manager the third-year franchise has had. In fact, Sakiewicz said he was pleased with the way the team has performed and attributed its record to the cruelty of the sport.

The Business page would not be my first choice to learn about the fanaticism displayed by supporters of Philadelphia's sports teams. After all, you can see people wearing Flyers jerseys or driving cars with the Phillies' "P" on the front license plate. Team names are painted into lawns. I pass a custom minibus emblazoned with the "Eagles" logo sitting in a driveway when I take one of the younger Armstrongs to his violin lesson each week. But Philadelphia's deep identification as a rabid sports town brought about 120 businesspeople to the Four Seasons Hotel on Thursday to hear a panel of experts make the case that it's not all fun and games.

The Union will host Bundesliga club FC Schalke 04 on May 9 at PPL Park, the Union announced. Schalke is among the most popular teams in Germany and features stars as Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, currently ranked second in the Bundesliga in scoring, Spanish legend Raul and U.S. national team midfielder Jermaine Jones. The team is in third place in the Bundesliga and is just one win away from a top four finish and a spot in the Champions League next season. "Over the last two years we have hosted top English, Mexican, Spanish and Scottish clubs to play the Union," said Nick Sakiewicz, Union CEO and operating partner.

The U.S. women's soccer team will play China in an exhibition May 27 at PPL Park in Chester, in preparation for the London Olympics. "We are pleased to welcome back the U.S. women's national team to PPL Park," said Nick Sakiewicz, CEO and operating partner of Keystone Sports and Entertainment. "This is the third time that we have hosted a U.S. Soccer match and we are proud to be one of the final stops for the [women] before they head off to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

The Union are hours away from opening their 2012 Major League Soccer season, with 13 fresh faces collected during a newsworthy offseason. It's a group the technical staff believes will vault the club past last season's 11-8-15 record and its inaugural MLS Cup playoff berth. During the Union's inaugural season CEO and managing partner Nick Sakiewicz said it would take "at least three years to build a championship team. " Welcome to Year Three. But do the Union have the pieces to make a serious run?

Philabundance, a nonprofit organization that provides emergency food and services to area residents throughout the Philadelphia region, has named Michelle Hong chair. She is an attorney and director of wealth planning at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. New board members include: Bassam Awadalla, a consumer market executive at Bank of America; Dianne Elderkin, a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, L.L.P.; Joseph A. Tedesco, senior vice president and regional sales manager at First Niagara Bank; and D. Michael Wilson, president of FMC Corp.; and Aaron R. Krauss, a partner at Cozen O'Connor.