UNION (4-2-3-1)

McCarthy

Fabinho-Edu-Marquez-Gaddis

Lahoud-Nogueira

Le Toux-Maidana-Barnetta

Sapong

Bench: Blake, Vitoria, Carroll, Wenger, Ayuk, Casey, Creavalle

Sporting KC (4-3-3) 

Melia 

Sinovic-Besler-Ellis-Myers 

Feilhaber-Mustivar-Nagamur

Nemeth-Dwyer-Zusi 

Bench: Kempin, Palmer-Brown, Abdul-Salaam, Quintilla, Peterson, Lopez

Preview 

- The question on all the Union fans’ minds was, as always, goalkeeping. And the answer is Andre Blake. The Jamaican’s 10-save performance vs. New England on the weekend was enough to sway Jim Curtin away from John McCarthy, who was in goal for the four games that led to the final. It’s just Blake’s fourth match with the Union this season and seventh consecutive match overall.

- The only other shock in the 18 is the exclusion of Fernando Aristeguieta. Curtin opts for extra defensive options, with Steven Vitoria preferred to Aristeguieta as the fifth international. There’s enough offensive cover with Andrew Wenger back to complement Eric Ayuk and Conor Casey.
- The rest of the Union XI is pretty standard for Curtin’s preferences. The attacking triumvirate of Tranquillo Barnetta, Vincent Nogueira and Cristian Maidana is intact. Michael Lahoud is preferred to Brian Carroll in the center of midfield.

- No surprises from Sporting KC either. Krisztian Nemeth returns to the lineup as a wing forward after three games out. Roger Espinoza’s injury strips some dynamism from the KC midfield, so it’s Paulo Nagamura out there next to Benny Feilhaber. Depriving Feilhaber space and time on the ball to distribute up top to Dom Dwyer, Nemeth and Graham Zusi will be key, and it largely falls to Lahoud to corral that. The bench, however, is fairly thin for SKC, with Jacob Peterson the biggest threat.

UNION (4-2-3-1)

McCarthy

Fabinho-Marquez-Edu-Gaddis

Carroll-Lahoud

Barnetta-Maidana-Le Toux

Sapong

Bench: Blake, White, Creavalle, Pfeffer, Fred, Hoppenot, Ayuk, Aristeguieta.

Fire (4-4-2)

S.Johnson

Jones-Larentowicz-Gehrig-Palmer

Accam-Cocis-Polster-Shipp

Maloney-Gilberto

Bench: Busch, Stephens, Watson, Nyarko, Igboananike, J.Johnson, Magee

Preview 

Live Stream:


- It’s a 50/50 split on the injury front. Maurice Edu shakes off his groin injury to earn a place in the starting XI, relegating Steven Vitoria to the stands (he’s not even in the 18, thanks to the limit of five international players in the lineup). Vincent Nogueira, however, fails his fitness test. That means the Union field the same front six as Saturday’s draw with Orlando City, with Brian Carroll and Michael Lahoud a rather conservative central midfield pairing.

- The glaring work-in-progress for the Union is in the midfield triumvirate. How much interchange is there between Cristian Maidana, ostensibly in the No. 10 role, and Tranquillo Barnetta on the left wing? How much less effective is that group without a credible threat from an attack-minded No. 8 (presumably Lahoud in this case)? And if that arrangement doesn’t work or doesn’t push the action as manager Jim Curtin desires at home against a Fire team winless in its last 19 games outside of Illinois, how quickly does he dial up a change, perhaps Zach Pfeffer in midfield or Fernando Aristeguieta up top with CJ Sapong moved to the wing?

- The Fire, MLS’s only winless team on the road this season, have all of their firepower back, and they have no shortage of attacking options, albeit ones with limited experience playing together. David Accam and Shaun Maloney are ready to go from the start, and Gilberto makes his debut with Maloney playing off his shoulder. Mike Magee, Patrick Nyarko and Kennedy Igboananike are late-game options aplenty off the bench. There will be plenty of interchanging to challenge Carroll and Lahoud: Harry Shipp spiriting in from the left wing, Maloney hovering behind Gilberto, Accam running toward the byline from wherever he pleases. The Fire are last in the Eastern Conference in goals scored by a wide margin, but they don’t have the injury excuse to factor in Wednesday.

- This is the Union’s ninth Open Cup match since the start of 2014. None of the previous eight have finished in 90 minutes. Six have gone to extra time, three have required resolution through penalty kicks and two were delayed by weather. The weather at PPL Park looks clear, so bet on extra time.

The Union's lineup vs. D.C. United Saturday and Columbus Wednesday,
a rare repeat XI for Jim Curtin. (MLSSoccer.com)

Jim Curtin hasn’t been one to make excuses this season. That doesn’t mean he didn’t have an ample supply at the ready.

We know that injuries have persistently befallen the Union this season. But the number of absences has really been remarkable.

And Saturday, that total will eclipse the amount of injuries from all of last season even before hitting the halfway mark of 2015.

First, consider the lineup changes. The Union have played 15 MLS matches. They’ve fielded 14 unique lineups. Not until the 3-0 win over Columbus Wednesday did Curtin pencil in the same starting IX for a second time this season (and it withstood all of 37 minutes). That’s what happens when you use three goalies, five center back pairings and flip briefly between 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2 formations.

The root cause of that upheaval has been the bevy of injuries sustained.

Note: Though MLS’s rules on injury reporting have improved significantly, they’re by no means standardized (and still voluntarily self-reported, which makes this database essentially nonviable), and the line between injured and unfit and eligible-but-overlooked is blurry. Antoine Hoppenot’s current hamstring issue, for which he’s still listed as questionable after being out then making the bench May 17 against D.C. United, is an example of one where the demarcations between fit and not selected aren’t clear. (As such, I don’t include injuries to Pedro Ribeiro and Richie Marquez to start last season and Eric Bird at the beginning of this season since they were likely to be absent even if healthy.) The numbers also don’t include the proportion of missed starts due to injury, like when Vincent Nogueira’s ankle knock allowed him to travel to Sporting Kansas City with very little real threat of playing. That means that numbers below are educated estimates, but the conclusion they illustrate even through the fuzziness is vivid.

By the best estimates last season, the Union lost 53 man games to injuries suffered by 14 players. They also suffered six one-game suspensions.

This season, through a mere 15 matches, the Union have lost 51 man games with injuries, affecting 14 players. With Conor Casey, Steven Vitoria, Andre Blake and Michael Lahoud not yet back to full fitness, they’ll certainly exceed last year's benchmark in Saturday’s visit from New York City FC. The 51 games through 15 matches puts them on pace for 115 man games lost over a 34-game campaign. That's in addition to nine game lost to suspensions, another figure that exceeds last season's.

Making things worse is how many different players have been bitten by the injury bug. It’s not as though one or two players have missed the entire season, skewing the number to the high side. Of the 11 players Curtin named in the starting lineup Wednesday, five had missed time this season, and the doesn't include the "play without training" plan that many, including Fernando Aristeguieta and Nogueira, were placed on of necessity at various points.

Here’s the grim reading of injuries:

2014 man games lost: Austin Berry 7, Danny Cruz 6, Sheanon Williams 5, Cristian Maidana 5, Conor Casey 5, Vincent Nogueira 4, Sebastien Le Toux 4, Ethan White 4, Zach Pfeffer 4, Brian Carroll 3, Fabinho 2, Michael Lahoud 2, Maurice Edu 1, Fred 1. Total: 53.

2015 man games lost: Andre Blake 10,* Steven Vitoria 6,* Michael Lahoud 5,* Conor Casey 5,* Antoine Hoppenot 5, Vincent Nogueira 3, Cristian Maidana 3, CJ Sapong 3, Raymond Lee 3, Sheanon Williams 2, Fabinho 2, Fernando Aristeguieta 2, John McCarthy 1, Ray Gaddis 1. Total: 51.

* absence ongoing

UNION (4-2-3-1)
McCarthy

Gaddis-Edu-Vitoria-Williams

Lahoud-Pfeffer

Sapong-Maidana-Le Toux

Aristeguieta

Bench: Blake, White, Fabinho, Carroll, Ayuk, Casey, Wenger

New England Revolution (3-5-2)

Shuttleworth

Farrell-Woodbury-Alston

Dorman-Jones

Rowe-Nguyen-Caldwell

Agudelo-Davies

Bench: Knighton, Tierney, Fagundez, Bunbury, Okoli, Hall, Neumann

Preview

- The Union make three changes from Thursday against New York City FC. Eric Ayuk and Andrew Wenger get breaks, while Vincent Nogueira’s right ankle apparently fails its fitness test. In steps CJ Sapong as essentially a wing forward, while Zach Pfeffer slots into central midfield in Nogueira’s stead. Also returning is Cristian Maidana, who’ll operate as the central prong of the midfield triumvirate.

- Fascinating XI from the Revs, who’ll go with a 3-5-2 (on the sheet at least) without Jose Goncalves and with three defensive-minded midfielders. It’s a very attack-minded squad overall, with Charlie Davies and Juan Agudelo pairing up top.

- The Union are going to face a battle trying to get through the Revs, who haven’t conceded a goal in 208 MLS minutes. That starts with making life uncomfortable for Jermaine Jones, who played 45 minutes last week in his return from offseason hernia surgery. The Maidana nod has to be due, in part at least, to Jim Curtin wanting to fill the space behind the forward line and occupy Jones, not letting him freelance and pick off long passes.

- The same duty is incumbent on the Union’s central midfield paring of Michael Lahoud and Pfeffer. Though Lahoud and Nogueira have played well of late, they’ve done so against a fairly flat midfield of NYCFC that is still trying to figure itself out. The Revs, with the interchanging of Kelyn Rowe and Lee Nguyen, are much more dynamic and can hit you from a much wider range of positions and angles.

- This is a big chance for Pfeffer. The debate still rages, even among those that have seen him play since he was a youngster, as to what his best position in the pro ranks is. He seems to bring more steel (and perhaps not enough creativity) to be an elite No. 10, but a deeper lying role that showcases his box-to-box ability may be for him, and this is a chance to show that.

For the better part of three months, the most notable date on the Philadelphia Union calendar has been the MLS Expansion Draft, the point at which the Union see if they lose anyone to the incoming MLS franchises, NYCFC and Orlando City. Full protection lists are due later today after the close of an eventful trade window, but here’s a look at who the Union should protect.

First, the Union have 24 rostered players to consider after Monday’s declining of options on five players, the announcement that Brian Carroll’s contract is up and the trade for C.J. Sapong and of Amobi Okugo. Exclude the two remaining Homegrown players (Jimmy McLaughlin and Zach Pfeffer) and Andre Blake, who is a member of Generation Adidas, and that leaves 10 players to be potentially unprotected.

Here are the players the Union likely will end up protecting, in no particular order:

1. Rais M’Bolhi
2. Sheanon Williams
3. Ethan White
4. Carlos Valdes
5. Ray Gaddis
6. Cristian Maidana
7. Vincent Nogueira
8. Sebastien Le Toux
9. Andrew Wenger
10. C.J. Sapong
11. Zac MacMath
The keepers: Read more »

Philadelphia Union (4-2-3-1)

MacMath

Gaddis-Valdes-White-Williams

Carroll-Edu

Le Toux-Nogueira-Cruz

Casey

Bench: Blake, Fabinho, Okugo, Lahoud, Fred, Brown, Wenger.

Montreal Impact (4-2-3-1)

Perkins

Krol-Ferrari-Lefevre-Miller

Larrea-Bernier

Romero-Felipe-Mapp

McInerney

Bench: Bush, Ouimette, Jackson-Hammel, Duka, Tissot, Nakajima-Farran, Mallace.

Preview

 - The Union waste no time inserting Carlos Valdes back into the lineup after inking him to a new deal Monday. The Colombian’s return to fitness was relatively simple, as he mentioned Monday that he’d been training for 10 days after a two-week post-World Cup hiatus. Who he’d be paired with seemed the bigger mystery as the week progressed, but Ethan White gets the nod with Austin Berry not making the 18. He's pretty far down the depth chart.

One of the other big decisions was whether Maurice Edu, after 45 minutes in Wednesday’s All-Star Game followed by a cross country flight, would get the nod. Perhaps that's why he's in a more attacking position, with Brian Carroll to do the dirty work of holding. I suspect Carroll is preferred to Michael Lahoud given the latter's lengthy international ordeal this week.

- Interestingly, the odd-man out, even with Cristian Maidana still nursing a hamstring injury that rules him out completely, is Amobi Okugo. The last time Okugo didn't start an MLS game when not suspended, Peter Nowak was the Union's manager.

- The debut of Rais M’Bolhi will have to wait another week as he’s not in the 18. Chalk up another start for Zac MacMath as he nears 100 league games.

- Expect Brian Brown to play a role in this one. Danny Cruz has been less than convincing than late, and if the Union are up after 60 minutes, Jim Curtin may want to get a break for Conor Casey with the Dallas U.S. Open Cup semi looming just 72 hours away.

- Frank Klopas has vacillated between using one striker or two in his preferred formation. This week, he’s settled on one away from home, making the decision between fired-up former Union player Jack McInerney and Union killer Marco Di Vaio. Di Vaio got the nod in the midweek CONCCAF Champions League game going 90, so McInerney gets his homecoming start. While the McInerney nod isn’t a shock, no Di Vaio in the 18 is a bit.

- All things considered, that’s a fairly attack-minded midfield from Klopas with Andres Romero, Felipe and Justin Mapp marauding forward.

Apologies for being a little delayed in posting this, but I wanted to make sure I went over it a couple of times to iron out a few slightly confusing details. You'll also find a bit of redundancy, which I can't really control. Here you go.

On the decision to fire John Hackworth:
Yeah, it’s tough. It’s always tough when you have a lot of respect for a person. John’s a great guy, first-class, been with us a long time. But I just felt at this point in the season, halfway through, we needed to make a change. We needed to make a change because first and foremost, I don’t know if any of you were at the game on Saturday, but it was an amazing environment, our biggest crowd of the season and we just had the best fans. And our fans deserve better results on the field. Unfortunately for John, he knows that it’s about results and this is a tough, tough business and you’ve got to make tough decisions. But really we have to go out and we’ve got to find a top, top-class manager that’s going to be able to deliver the results that our fans deserved.

On how long the search will take:
I don’t know. I know that the resumes are flooding in from all over the world. There’s a lot of people that love big markets and love to coach in Major League Soccer, so we’re going to be very careful and deliberate. Very strategic. And the most important thing is to find the right guy who can take this group of players, which frankly I still think is pretty good. I mean this is a team that a few games ago beat the defending champion in their home park. So let’s not lose sight of the fact that there’s a pretty good group of players here that need some direction and need some motivation to win a bunch of games in the remaining part of the year. But beyond that, we need a coach that is going to be able to take this team to an MLS championship.

On the timing during the World Cup break:
Well it certainly gives Jim Curtin a little breathing room and a little time to assess the situation and make whatever adjustments he needs to make. Jim’s been with the organization a long time. He knows our culture. He knows what we’re trying to do. He knows our fanbase. He’s a Philly guy. And he’s got sharp teeth. So I imagine he’s going to put together a plan and this time gives him that opportunity to do that.

On an audition for Curtin:
Pretty much every coach is an interim coach, isn’t he? If you really think about it in any sport. Jim knows what he’s getting into. He’s got an advantage over the many résumés that we’re going to look at, the many people we’re going to talk to, and Jim will have a solid kick at the can for this job.
Read more »

Yet again, this appears to be another week of tactical change for the Philadelphia Union. Facing a daunting task in needing to get a result in Montreal, manager John Hackworth is not only facing the prospect of reintroducing two players in Sheanon Williams and Fabinho back from suspension. He’s also having to cope with the loss of Michael Farfan to a yellow-card ban just as his form has improved, and the likely absences of Sebastien Le Toux (foot) and Michael Lahoud (ankle).

If Hackworth is looking for a reason to hope amid the changes, perhaps nothing provides more reassurance than the play of Matt Kassel last week against D.C. United.

Four days later, at his weekly press conference Wednesday, Hackworth was still extolling the virtues of Kassel, inasmuch as they served as an example for others to emulate this week.

“Matt Kassel’s performance in DC is probably going to go under the radar screen a little bit, but he deserves a ton of credit because he was so important to us battling back in that game,” Hackworth said. “He played at right back in the first half. He played kind of a hybrid left back/left midfield position in the second half. He got us to a point in the game where we could put Jack on the field and get a result. Guys like Matt and other guys are really valuable, and it’s just good to see that those guys are taking their opportunities at this time. We might have the same situation this weekend.”

Indeed, Kassel’s performance was important, if understated, in the Union salvaging a draw Saturday. It was in the game’s first minutes that Le Toux tweaked his foot injury, straining to make a clearance from a right-back position he was playing for the first time in his Union career. That’s when Kassel started warming up, and by the 16th minute the pain was too much for Le Toux to continue. Read more »

Philadelphia Union (4-1-3-2)

MacMath

Gaddis-Parke-Okugo-Williams

Carroll

Fabinho-Farfan-Cruz

Casey-McInerney

Bench: Nikolov, Kassel, Daniel, Kleberson, Le Toux, Hoppenot, Wheeler

Toronto FC (4-4-1-1)

Bendik

Bloom-Caldwell-Henry-Morgan

Rey-Russell-Hall-Convey

Osorio

Dike

Bench: Frei, Agbossoumonde, Elmer, Earnshaw, Bekker, Lambe, Wiedeman

- No real surprises for the Union today. Knowing the stakes and their need to take the game to Toronto, you’d expect them to deviate from the two holding midfielders they used successfully last week against Kansas City. Brian Carroll sits back in midfield by himself, but the attacking trio of Kansas City – Fabinho, Michael Farfan and Danny Cruz – is preserved. Jack McInerney comes in for Michael Lahoud to pair Conor Casey up top.
Read more »

It’s becoming apparent that the problems of the Philadelphia Union are myriad. It’s been 220 minutes since they last scored a goal. They have just three wins in their last 12, two coming against conference bottom dwellers Chivas and D.C. United. Since Aug. 1, their total of five points is second-lowest in MLS. For the first time since late May, they are saddled with a negative goal-differential.

Through it all, though, one area of the Union’s recent futility has stood apart: The midfield. And the possible solution, one that is looking manager John Hackworth squarely in the face, is one that will likely go unexplored.

Is Amobi Okugo the answer
to the Union's midfield struggles? (Times Files)

The problem
Just how difficult has it been for the Union midfield? Well, it depends on perception. Defensively, the Union have managed to recover from a rough start to the season to present pretty stout resistance to opponents. But the realization is setting in that such defensive solidity comes at a steep offensive price, and the Union have been woeful in that regard this season.

It’s easy to see tactically. The Union’s deficiency of midfield depth has caused them to play Sebastien Le Toux out of position all season. Danny Cruz’s performances have been inconsistent. Keon Daniel has struggled to grasp the notion of an “attacking midfielder.” Michael Farfan has constantly underwhelmed. And creative players like Kleberson and Roger Torres haven’t been able to get on the field for whatever reason.
Read more »

With eight games left in the MLS season, it might be a bit premature to say that the Philadelphia Union’s playoff chances withered and died in New England during a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of the Revolution Sunday night. But then again, it might not. And with the myriad problems exposed by the Revs in running absolutely rampant on the Union, there’s reason to think that this has the makings of a turning point for the worse in the Union’s season. A few reasons why:

- Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way: Yes, the Union should’ve been up 2-1 when Conor Casey had the ball in the back of the net only to be wrongly called for a foul on goalkeeper Matt Reis. But the fact that they rolled up and died in the face of that adversity and capitulated four more times in quick succession after that is a major problem that goes beyond officiating. And let’s be clear: The Revs scored five times only with so-so finished. They had another five or so golden chances where the proper final pass wasn’t picked out.

- In a match like this, the best the Union can do is quarantine the problem. They didn’t. Amobi Okugo’s pair of late yellow cards means he’s suspended for next week’s visit by Montreal (and maybe the week after for accumulation; I'd have to check on that). That’s Eastern Conference-leading MLS, fresh off a 5-0 shellacking of Houston, with MLS leading scorer Marco Di Vaio in form. The options to replace him include Sheanon Williams, who was absolutely terrible Sunday, both with turnovers and this recurring delusion with charging into the box like he’s a forward that leaves the defense exposed and outnumbered. And if Ray Gaddis isn’t healthy, then Matt Kassel plays defense? Or Aaron Wheeler? For a team challenging for a playoff spot, that’s sad. Read more »

Philadelphia Union (4-4-2)

MacMath

Gaddis-Parke-Okugo-Williams

Cruz-Farfan-Carroll-Le Toux

McInerney-Casey

Bench: Konopka, Fabinho, Lahoud, Kleberson, Fernandes, Hoppenot, Wheeler

Chicago Fire (4-4-2)

Johnson

Anibaba-Berry-Soumare-Segares

Nyarko-Larentowicz-Lindpere-Alex

Rolfe-Magee

Bench: Tornaghi, Jumper, Paladini, Pause, Duka, Amarikwa, Santos

- Similar situation for the Union with Danny Cruz on the left of midfield and Sebastien Le Toux on the right. Michael Farfan slots in centrally for the suspended Keon Daniel. We’ll see if the Union opt for a flat midfield four or more of a 4-1-3-2 with Brian Carroll as the lone holder. That may be an option to provide high, attacking pressure.

- Finally, it seems like the Union have a balanced bench. They’ve got a defensive option in Fabinho, they’ve got attacking midfield options in Leo Fernandes and Kleberson, the thunder and lightning forward tandem of Aaron Wheeler and Antoine Hoppenot and the long-missing defensive midfield option in Michael Lahoud. That’s what a professional bench should look like.

- The Fire’s recent goal-scoring success has been based largely on Mike Magee, but it’s also the spaces he opens for the likes of Patrick Nyarko and Chris Rolfe. The Fire benefit when the game gets stretched and they can counter attack, and they’ve already said they’re going to target Jeff Parke when they’re moving the ball in space. That puts a big onus on both Amobi Okugo to stay with Magee and the midfield to stop the runs of Magee and Nyarko before they become problems in the attacking third.

- I think the Union get a bit of a break with Dilly Duka starting on the bench. He’s been better of late and would stretch the field vertically and horizontally on the opposite wing as Nyarko, opening space for Rolfe and Magee.

- Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson is back in net after five games missed with the U.S. National Team at the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Paolo Tornaghi deputized admirably for him.

- The Fire have given up just two goals on crosses and three on corners. With big defenders like Bakary Soumare and Austin Berry, the Union better have a second plan to get the ball in the net.

I think we’ve let enough air into the Brek Shea-Matt Kassel kerfuffle, at least until the results of the scan on Shea’s knee due for Wednesday come back. While Shea’s unfortunate (and hopefully not too serious) injury is the most notable takeaway from Stoke City’s 2-0 win over the Philadelphia Union Tuesday, a few more thoughts.

- In translating success in the English Premier League to MLS, one thing quite literally stands out between the Union and the Potters: Height. The Union had 20 outfield players see the field Tuesday, nine of which were six feet or taller (and that includes borderline 6-footers Kassel and Leo Fernandes). Of Stoke’s 19 outfield players, 14 were six feet or taller. Only three of the Union’s 10 starters (barely-theres Kassel and Fernandes and 6-4 Aaron Wheeler) hit that threshold, while only three of the Stoke starters were under six feet. Look at the physicality of Stoke’s central defenders (Robert Huth at 6-3, 194 pounds and Ryan Shawcross 6-3, 168) and forwards (Cameron Jerome 6-1, 187; Kenwyne Jones 6-2, 187; Peter Crouch 6-7, 165). Perhaps the most daunting juxtaposition is between central midfielders. Stoke’s contingent includes 6-3, 165-pound Steven N’Zonzi and 6-1, 182-pound Charlie Adam compared to Michael Lahoud (5-9, 162) and Brian Carroll (5-10, 155). The Union have struggled this season against bigger, more physical teams (see Los Angeles and Dallas), and while manager John Hackworth didn’t see many lessons to be taken from Tuesday, he at least had some fun joking about the Union’s vertical challenges. “You can’t,” Hackworth said of the prospect of matching up height-wise. “(Chris) Albright said, ‘coach, who are we going to match up with?’ And I said, ‘You match up with the 6-7 guy, and Kassel, you match up with the 6-6 guy and then just go down the line from there.’ We didn’t know what they would roll out either, so it was impossible.”

Read more »

The math isn’t favorable for the Philadelphia Union.

No, this calculation has nothing to do with altitude or travel times or anything like that. It’s all about who’ll be on the field Wednesday night at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Could Antoine Hoppenot make his first MLS start
of 2013 Wednesday night against Real Salt Lake?
(Times Staff/ERIC HARTLINE)

In 17 matches this season, the Union have had 16 players start, tied for the lowest in MLS. Exclude goalkeeper Zac MacMath, and you’ve got 15 outfield players. Two of those players, Bakary Soumare and Gabriel Farfan, have been traded. Two (Keon Daniel and Jack McInerney) are on international duty, and two (Michael Lahoud and Kleberson) are likely out due to injury.

Do the subtraction and there’s one inequality that stands out for the Union: Nine players who’ve made starts in 2013 in line for 10 outfield starting spots Wednesday. It means someone who has yet to start this season will have to make their bow. So just who is that?

First, it’s worth looking at the stats for the Union in terms of games played. The Union have had 11 players start at least 10 matches; only Houston (11), FC Dallas (12) and New York (13) can say that. And the Union are tied with the Dynamo for least players to start a match at 16.
Read more »

When Union manager John Hackworth calls Toronto F.C. “sneaky good,” it’s a little difficult to peg just what he means.

Toronto midfielder Luis Silva may have a revamped
Philadelphia Union midfield to contend with Saturday.
(Associated Press)

On paper, the Toronto’s strengths lie at the front and back of the formation. Robert Earnshaw is a tremendous poacher who can make slumbering defenses pay early and often. Danny Califf and Darren O’Dea provide a balanced and seasoned central defense pairing, shoring up a massive weakness of last year’s hapless Toronto team.

But if there’s one area in which Toronto (1-2-2, 5 points) doesn’t jump off the page, it’s the midfield.

That works in the favor of the Union, which are still waiting from a stand-up-and-take-notice performance from its midfield. Even with a greatly improved Toronto team coming to town, this could be a chance for that performance.
Read more »

Philadelphia Union Starting XI (4-2-3-1)
MacMath
Williams-Okugo-Parke-Gaddis
Lahoud-Carroll
GFarfan-MFarfan--Daniel
Le Toux

Sporting Kansas City Starting XI (4-5-1)
Nielsen
Myers-Collin-Besler-Sinovic
Rosell-Nagamura-Feilhaber
Zusi-Bieler-Convey


Well, there are plenty of talking points with this lineup. Suffice it to say that surprises abound here in the first starting XI of John Hackworth’s first season opener. Where to begin?

Well remember all those stories about Amobi Okugo being in the midfield? Yeah, don’t worry about it. Appears he’s the choice to go with Jeff Parke in the center. Whether or not that’s a commentary on the fitness of Bakary Soumare will have to wait until after the game.

With Okugo in defense, it means Michael Lahoud will be pairing captain Brian Carroll in the center of midfield. Expect a lot of interchanging between Lahoud and Keon Daniel, as both are capable of filling their respective roles. Lahoud, as well as Ray Gaddis, are players that have impressed in preseason and forced their way into the side after perhaps being on the fringes when camp opened.

There are no surprises in Michael Farfan’s placement in the hole behind the central striker, but Gabriel Farfan, who deputized as a left back through most of last season, is a surprise inclusion in the midfield, his more natural position.

And for all the discussions of a 4-3-3 or a 4-4-2, the first Hackworth lineup of the season features a lone striker in Sebastien Le Toux, not Conor Casey or Jack McInerney. Guess that's what Hackworth meant when he talked about installing different systems this preseason.
 The bottom line about this squad: Sporting Kansas City is a very good team with an outstanding midfield. Bobby Convey, Benny Feilhaber and Graham Zusi are hard-nosed, creative players who can control a game. The Union’s starters seem like a lineup of speedy players designed to clog the midfield and counter-attack. Le Toux, as the starting striker, is poised for that purpose with his blend of speed and hold up play.

Somehow, thoroughly uninspiring just doesn’t quite say it all. Let’s put it this way: The Union were lucky that Columbus didn’t put up a football score – American football, mind you – Wednesday, such was the disparity between the two sides in the Crew’s 4-0 win at the Disney Pro Soccer Classic.

Some observations:

- OK, no one go for the lifeboats just yet. Manager John Hackworth had reason to field a young side (essentially the third team on the depth chart) in the first of three games in four days. But the Crew also didn’t play their first-teamers, and the result was still unduly lopsided. For guys fighting for possible MLS contracts, it was a disappointing, unspirited performance.

- Let’s get the positives out of the way quickly. Leo Fernandes was lively in the midfield, though he needs to work on hitting the target with greater regularity. Don Anding sent in a few dangerous crosses in the second half that no one seemed to get on the end of. And Roger Torres again sparked strong play when introduced in the second half. Yeah, that’s it.

- Now for reality. Another defensive unit, another poor showing. Eric Schoenle and Greg Jordan were burnt twice before Damani Richards came on to pair with Schoenle … and get burnt twice. They were completely overmatched. Eddie Gaven must have been salivating like a dog in a butcher shop when he entered at halftime, and he helped create two goals inside of eight minutes. Schoenle and a nothing-to-write-home-about Chase Harrison were beaten on the first goal by Ryan Finley, and the fourth goal was scored by Aaron Schoenfeld, left in acres of space at the far post on a cross. Poor. Read more »

As promised in my daily coverage, let’s start with highlights of that Carlos Valdes goal, plus a write up of the game so the Spanish speaking readers can correct my interpretation.


Here’s Valdes’ tweet from Sunday night as well.

Primero la gloria para Dios por esta gran bendición... y por supuesto agradecimiento para esta gran familia santafereña twitter.com/carlosvaldes5/…

— carlos valdes (@carlosvaldes5) January 27, 2013

Onto some impressions from practice today:

- Kind of hard to find fault with manager John Hackworth's delineation of players into squads for 11-on-11 mini-games. The first team reads:

MacMath

G.Farfan-Albright-Soumare-Williams

M.Farfan-Carroll-Okugo

Le Toux-Casey-McInerney

With the exception of perhaps Jeff Parke for one of the central defenders, I see this as a likely opening -day starting XI.
Read more »

(MLSsoccer.com)

Welcome to the final match of the regular season. Here's a look at John Hackworth's starting lineup for today's match against visiting New York Red Bulls:

• GK ... MacMath
• DF ... Gaddis, Okugo, Valdes, Lahoud
• MF ... Albright, Carroll, M Farfan
• FW ... Daniel, Cruz, McInerney
• Bench: GK Konopka; MF Torres, Gomez, Pfeffer; FW Hoppenot, Hoffman, McLaughlin.

A note or two about the lineups:

Albright gets the nod. The season's ending the way it began, with defender Chris Albright getting a start. The veteran back, who hasn't cracked the starting lineup since March 24, got the nod. The lineup card says he'll be in the midfield, but it might be a more defensive role, with Ray Gaddis and Michael Lahoud stretching the field on the wings.
Adu, where are you? Midfielder/forward Freddy Adu did not make the starting XI, or the gameday roster. Adu will finish the season having started only one of the final six games, playing only 58 total minutes
Le Toux --- remember him? The Red Bulls will bring ex-Union player Sebastien Le Toux off the bench, if he plays at all. The MLS Best XI choice in 2010 has gone from starter to sub in NY.

(Times / JULIA WILKINSON)

One guy in this photo was passed over for John Hackworth's starting XI. The other is serving a one-game suspension.

The Union's lineup tonight vs. Real Salt Lake takes on a unique look. Here it is:

GK ... MacMath
DF ... G Farfan, Valdes, Okugo, Gaddis
MF ... Lahoud, Carroll, M Farfan, Gomez
FW ... McInerney, Cruz
Bench ... Harrison, Albright, Lopez, Adu, Daniel, Martinez, Hoppenot

A few notes about the 18:

• Where's Freddy? Well, Hackworth wasn't kidding. He said earlier in the week that it wasn't in the Union's plans to make Freddy Adu a 90-minute player. Tonight, he most certainly will not be, as he will come off the bench -- if he enters the match, at all. It's the first time since July 21 (at NYRB) that Adu isn't in the starting lineup. But considering he wasn't selected to the gameday roster that day, you have to go back to June 30 (at Houston) to find the last time Adu came off the bench for the Union.
• Midfield mix. This is the first time Hackworth is fielding a midfield with his three best possession men, between Mike Lahoud, Gabriel Gomez and Brian Carroll. Since the midfield has been their weakness, it'll be interesting to see how aggressive the Union can (and likely will) be tonight, with that trio on the field at the same time.
• No Sheanon, no problem. Because Sheanon Williams is serving a one-game, red-card suspension, rookie Ray Gaddis will hold down the right back slot. It's Gaddis' ninth start of the season, but only his third since June 23 (vs. SKC).
• Cruz'ing up top. Danny Cruz gets a second consecutive start in the attack since being acquired by the Union. Hackworth's trying him up there with Jack McInerney. Maybe it'll spark more than the 0.833 goals per game (five goals) they've average in their last six league matches.