Record: 4-8-3
The Philadelphia Union suffered a disappointing tie after dominating the game (again) versus the New England Revolution last Saturday. Philadelphia went up somewhat early in the game with a beautiful, potential goal-of-the-year shot by All-Star Sebastien Le Toux that curled into the top right corner of the goal finishing off a 10 consecutive pass drive. In the second half, a free kick from distance received the benefit of a crazy bounce to tie the game up. The Union had some chances late in the game to take the win but, in my opinion, were unwilling to take one-touch shots which allowed defenders to respond and stifle those chances.
Philadelphia actually gained a point on the wildcard race, narrowing it to an 8-point deficit (2 wins and 2 ties) but they need to be getting wins from games they dominate if they expect to make a legitimate playoff run. The team still has 15 games remaining (9 at home) and other teams with more points have played as many as 4 additional league games, but it feels like time is running out.
Tonight, the Union play the Columbus Crew who sit with a commanding 7-point lead on top of the Eastern Conference (19 points on top of Union). From this strong of a team, a tie would likely be a satisfactory result rather than disappointing, but a win at home could breathe new life into this team and into these fans. Columbus is coming off of a surprising 3-1 loss so they won’t be taking anybody lightly, but Philadelphia has been playing up or down to their competition’s level all year so it could all come down to who makes the fewest mistakes and who capitalizes on more of their chances.
While the above is part of my continual coverage of the team, I pledged a player analysis for those who want a primer on the Philadelphia Union. As promised, here we go position-by-position:
Part I: Forwards
Easily Philadelphia’s strongest group, the forwards for this team (a.k.a. strikers) are the Union’s competitive advantage in most matches.
Sebastien Le Toux:
The Union’s sole representative to the All-Star Team and starter for that team, this 26-yr-old Frenchman has become an incredibly popular and productive star for this expansion team. He doesn’t really play forward anymore, instead becoming an attacking center midfielder so that he, Alejandro Moreno, and Danny Mwanga can all play together, but writing the midfield section will be crowded enough without adding Le Toux. I went into depth on Sebastien in my last article for several paragraphs so I won’t repeat myself here (you’ll just have to check out the end of my last article). Since that was written, Le Toux netted yet another goal (and an extremely pretty one at that) against New England bringing his goal total up to 8 and his goal/assist combo total up to 15 in his thirteen games played. It was also announced today that Le Toux received his green card and now qualifies as an American player (teams are only allowed so many international players).
Alejandro Moreno:
One of the more seasoned vets on the team at age 31, this Venezuelan is a solidifying presence up top. A perfect example of why the practice of judging a striker’s ability based on the number of goals they score is lunacy, Moreno has helped create dozens of opportunities to score but hasn’t found the net himself. What Moreno does so well is protecting the ball from defenders while the rest of the offense sets up and then makes pretty passes into the box. He stands at second on the team in assists with 5 but has really done a fabulous job creating pressure on defenses. His only downside is his tendency to dive and exaggerate fouls. As the MLS doesn’t engage in this hideous soccer habit as much as other leagues, this sometimes makes opposing players quite frustrated in him (and a little harder for me to cheer for).
Danny Mwanga:
2010’s first overall draft pick, this Congolese striker has really blossomed into an outstanding player and very possible Rookie-of-the-Year candidate. He struggled early in the season, looking lost and without confidence in many of his touches, but he has demonstrated why team manager Peter Nowak worked so hard to convince Danny to register with the MLS instead of Europe’s farm leagues (and therefore be picked first by Philadelphia). Despite only seven starts (twelve appearances), he has already netted 5 goals and 3 assists including two stoppage time goals which, combined, have given the Union four additional points in the standings. Le Toux’s move to center midfield from forward had everything to do with Mwanga’s emergence and the team’s need for them both to start. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this 19-yr old eventually turn into a star with the U.S. National Team since his green card qualifies him to play for America. One nice bonus to Danny is that since he is a ‘Generation Adidas’ player (program designed to help keep top American youth talent in America), his salary doesn’t count against the team’s cap.
Jack McInerney:
2010’s seventh overall draft pick, Jack is the youngest member of the team at the age of 17. It was my perception that Jack is a longer-term project at the forward position, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t contributing now. While only banking one start this season, Jack has seen ten appearances with the team. He is often used off the bench when the team is tied or behind as an offensive spark given his speed, energy, and will to battle for the ball. I don’t think he has enough experience and composure yet for starts after seeing New York’s offsides trap catch him time and time again in a non-MLS U.S. Open qualifying match earlier in the season. Jack has one goal in his 240 playing minutes, albeit a meaningless end-of-the-game goal, but carries high hopes to be an offensive threat as a role player and possibly a future starter. Like Mwanga (and midfielder Amobi Okugo), McInerney is a ‘Generation Adidas’ player and his salary does not count against the cap.
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