(MLSsoccer.com)

The news coming out of the Union’s camp Wednesday was mostly bad. One guy’s got a broken nose, another’s facing a broken streak, and a third appears ready to break into the lineup.

In the same breath John Hackworth used to diagnose Antoine Hoppenot as having a nasal fracture, he said the rookie forward should be healthy enough to play Sunday, when the Union (7-11-2, 23 points) host the Chicago Fire (10-7-5, 35 points).

On the other hand, Jack McInerney is expected to miss the weekend match because the Union will not appeal his one-game suspension via red-card sendoff in Montreal. So McInerney’s run of eight starts in nine matches since Hackworth took over as interim manager, including six in a row, will come to a close.

Finally, there’s Bakary Soumare. The centerback (pictured), who has yet to play with the Union since signing in late June, is poised to debut for the club against his former side, the Fire.

Got all that?

If you didn't, all of it will be in Thursday's Delco Times. Stay tuned.

 

One last thing before: Hoppenot trained with the Union Wednesday, their first day back after two idle days, and he reported no ill effects from the broken nose he incurred from a headbutt by Montreal’s Nelson Rivas.

The way the whole thing went down was surreal, said Hoppenot.

“When the ball is in the air, you’re jockeying for position and arms get tangled and it gets a little physical,” Hoppenot said, recounting the foul in the 68th minute of the Union’s loss. “…And I guess, while shaking him off, he hit the ground kind of hard and that triggered something in his head where he had to headbutt me.

“I see he’s coming at me and I’m like, ‘He’s not going to do anything stupid,’ and then he headbutts me in the face.”

If not for the broken nose, that's almost laughable.