Addicts will tell you that no one can start on the path to redemption until they hit bottom.  In the latest installment of the embattled Union’s descent into the depths of the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Fire put a fine point on the realization that’s now dawning across the Delaware Valley- that the salad days are gone.  We probably have more heartache to endure before things get better.  Let’s not fret about it too much….
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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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[Don't forget to enter for your chance to Win a Union Travel Mug from Philly Union Talk] Goals for.  Goals against.  Pass completion percentage.  Minutes, miles, years, days, months.  No sports fan can resist the temptation of cold hard stats. Maybe it’s the fantasy of being able to understand what’s basically inscrutable, to make logical sense out of a wildly unpredictable and emotional thing.  We want to make order from chaos, and so we crunch…
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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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The beginning of any season poses questions. In the case of the Union, the talk is centered on two things: the surprising exit of Sebastian Le Toux and the younger-by-the-minute makeup of the team. Moves have been made and a process has been set in motion. But what many see as a terrible weakness might wind up being our greatest asset. Even with all the talk of the Union’s youth movement, I still don’t think…
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Sebastien Le Toux scored 20 goals and tallied 25 assists during his two years with the Philadelphia Union. He contributed to 57% of all Union goals scored in MLS play. He played in 5,580 of a possible 5,760 Union minutes, missing two games due to a knee injury. Soccer matches last ninety minutes. In other words, he was never subbed out of an MLS match as a Union player. Seba holds the team record in…
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At this stage in the season, points are precious. With a win over the New England Revolution at PPL Park yesterday, the Philadelphia Union would have moved within striking distance of the fourth-place Kansas City Wizards in the Eastern Conference standings. Union players and officials, undoubtedly disappointed, are trying to downplay the tie. But a quick glance at the league schedule should give Union fans pause. During the next two weeks the blue and gold…
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The Philadelphia Union reasserted its home field dominance on Saturday, topping Toronto FC, 2-1, at PPL Park, behind a goal and assist by Sebastien Le Toux. The Blue and Gold bounced back after a heart-wrenching home loss to the San Jose Earthquakes last week and ended third-place TFC’s eight game unbeaten streak. Philly Union Talk was at the game in full force, downing beer on the knoll before the match, which might have been a…
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The boys in blue slugged it out with their Western Conference last-place counterparts, with the first half’s goals being the only ones as the last 45 proved a stalemate.  The good news is that this time, the Union drew first blood; doing so, especially on the road, is almost refreshing enough to make up for the fact that this game was more winnable than the score line would indicate. Not helpful was the absence of…
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