Though the Rapids found themselves swimming against the current, they prevailed and dealt the Union their first ever home opener loss. For the Union faithful, the only thing more depressing than two hard losses in an as many games is the fact that this one didn’t look like a loss anywhere but on the scoreboard.  Unfortuantely, according to sources close to MLS, the scoreboard is what it comes down to in the end. Lineup Colorado found themselves assaulted by the slew of offensive-minded…
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Finally, the game we were actually waiting for has arrived. With last week’s friendly match against Portland out of the way, the Union start their season in earnest this Sunday. Colorado travels down a mile and over about 1500 or so to the unfriendly confines of PPL Park. The tailgate forecast is nothing short of pretty good! A high of 68° and partly cloudy skies means we should see a fair amount of cargo shorts…
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Following their tumultuous off-season, the Blue and Gold got their third year off on the wrong rain-soaked foot, falling 3-1 in a game mostly characterized by experimentation and tinkering with Philadelphia’s controversial new iteration of itself.  Despite a brave but bewildered struggle to find their footing, the Union just couldn’t find the key to Portland’s end of the astro-pitch. For their part, the Timbers played coy for a while before putting the pressure on and…
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The results of our recent poll are complete.  You, loyal readers, have collectively chosen your preferred starting lineup for tonight’s battle against the forces of hipsterism.  As decided by the masses, we present The People’s Starting XI: As you can see, you’ve gone with a classic 4-4-2 that features Mwanga and Pajoy in a beautiful young buck/wizened vet offensive tandem.  We’ll presume you all meant for Adu to be the CAM and Carroll to be…y’know,…
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You may have noticed that there was a game missing in the First Kick preview. It’s not just any game either; (TRIVIA: this is the first semi-colon usage in PUT history) it’s the one that we’ve all been waiting for. Our favorite team, the Houston Dynamo, plays in front of a crowd of sell-outs and Chivas USA on Sunday at 7 pm EST. Fuck that.  I left that game out on purpose.  So did ESPN2….
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We’ve heard arguments from all sides about who should take the pitch at first whistle, come Monday night.  Now we’d like to know what you think.  Who should make up the starting XI at First Kick? What to go with?  A 4-4-2?  4-3-3? 4-3-2-1?  The great minds of the blogosphere have already weighed in, complete with fancy charts:         Now we want your opinion.  This is your chance to be Nowak, outside of those fantasy role-play games…
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  The start of a new season is always a magical time.  It’s a rebirth, a rebooting of hopes that rose and fell the year previous, a joyous gathering of fans, friends, and fanatics who find each other right where they left each other, and so give new breath to what died when the last whistle blew. Season 3′s first days will be no less happy, but they will be different.  The changes we face this month will be more drastic than…
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In 2011, the Union were having the great defensive domination. Our clean sheets, our goals-against averages and our making-strikers-weep statistics were all in the league’s top five. However, we were not scoring the goals. I can only recall seven goals scored, in the full season. Perhaps eight. This only divides to a 0.22 goals-per-game average, which is not so nifty. For 2012, we will emphasize grit and youth and attacking play. We have unloaded our…
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  It’s that time of year again, Union fans.  As of now, our controversial roster is pretty much what it’s gonna be.  Following an offseason of unusual turnover, heart-rending surprises, vicious debate, and a deluge of tweets fit for no man’s daughters, we’ve got ourselves a team.  For better or worse, Union 3.0 has arrived. Now we’ve gotta figure out what to do with it.  Undoubtedly, Nowak & Co. are huddling in one of their favorite undisclosed locations, poring…
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Like any fucked-up emo mullet, the Union features a reserved business-like rear and an unpredictable, sexy façade. Even with the loss of our well-endowed AARP’er (goalie Faryd Mondragon) and the likely introduction of a new starter (left back and LMFAO-reject Porfirio Lopez), the defense will be ready to build on their success last year. A unit that held opponents to an Eastern Conference-low 1.06 goals per game returns its revelatory center back pairing (Carlos Valdes…
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