Ives Galarcep is reporting that the Philadelphia Union have lined up Peter Nowak to be the clubs first ever head coach/manager. Nowak is a proven MLS head coach, has a league title on his resume (DC United, 2004), and is a solid hire for the 2010 expansion side.

I'm no Union fan, and I expect those that are will be happy with the choice, but color me just a little disappointed.

Don't get me wrong, there's absolutely nothing wrong with Nowak, and Philadelphia is certainly better off bringing in someone who knows the league and its quirk. This move is right along the same lines as Seattle's hiring of Sigi Schmid, in that the club gets a proven winner who understands player acquisition rules and the league's style of play.

But with all of the rumors that have been swirling around Philly's manager hire in recent weeks, it's a little disappointing to see the club bring in a name that has been here before. Mentions of Sven Goran Erikson, as ridiculous as they were, had me hoping for a "big splash" kind of hiring. The more publicity the league gets abroad, the better; a big name like Erikson would get the foreign press talking about the league, which always tends to bleed over just a bit to our own mainstream media.

Philadelphia and Nick Sakiewicz did the right thing. They moved for a man with credentials and experience in Major League Soccer, and there are not too many guys out there with that type of resume.

Good for Philly; you'll just have to excuse my disappointment.