C. Horridus

See you soon Seba...

In news that can be put in the “Thank God” category, Sebastien Le Toux’s knee injury is considered “mild.” The left knee injury he suffered in Tuesday’s Open Cup bout against the Red Bulls will cost him an appearance in Saturday’s game against the LA Galaxy.

Obviously, this is phenomenal news in the long-term, as the reports coming right after the injury made it sound much more serious. Le Toux is the Union’s best scoring threat, and any extended period of time without him could be devastating for the young squad.

In the short-term, we have to figure what the hell to do for this game against the league-leading Galaxy. If either Danny Mwanga or Jack McInerney had showed anything promising in their starts against the Red Bulls, I’d be calling for them to enter the line-up. But . . . I can’t. They’re just not ready. If I were Nowak, I’d come out in a 4-2-3-1 that looks like this:

Continue reading “Le Toux out Saturday, Apocalypse Not Coming” »

Pirés + Le Toux = The New French Connection?

As confirmed by Peter Nowak, the Philadelphia Union is looking to bring in Robert Pirés as their first designated player. The 36-year old former French international is currently playing for Villareal. After spending the last four years with the La Liga side, Pirés is out of contract at the end of the season.

“I think that left and right, there was confirmation from both sides, there is no secret there,” Nowak said. “I believe that with players like that, who have such great pedigree and such a great background, they can be such a great role model for our young players.”

Continue reading “Union going after Pirés” »

Sorry for the lack of updates recently. I’m in the final two week crunch of graduate school. My regular contributor, Brian, is a also a student, and in a similar situation.

So things will be hectic here for the next two weeks.

BUT I will be doing a live blog of the game tonight.

And, although I don’t have time for a preview, my Union blogging colleagues at ASN and Philly Soccer Page have their own previews, which are excellent. Check them out here and here, respectively.

Finally, a prediction: 2-1 Philly. Goals from Moreno and McInerney. Le Toux will take a break this week.

Should Have Been a Free Kick

Jaime Moreno’s goal Saturday caused some combination of disgust, threats of harm to the referee, and crying for Union fans. Luckily, Sebastien Le Toux scored to save the win, but apparently Moreno’s goal should have never counted.

Continue reading “Moreno’s Goal Should Not Have Counted” »

Bob Ford, Philly.com

It was a festive day at the stadium, a day that Philadelphia soccer fans had been waiting for a long time. There were singing and chants and pretty decent soccer, at least for an expansion team playing just its second game. There was a victory, and that never hurts, either. There were politicians and celebrities and fireworks and players who skipped near the stands after the game slapping hands with fans.

“The atmosphere? It was European,” Califf said.

Peter Nowak saw it all, but couldn’t feel it on this day. That will have to be next time.

Continue reading “The morning after–reactions on the Union’s historic win from around the Web” »

Seba with the Treba

An unforgettable night for the Philadelphia Union and all of its fans. A 35,000-strong crowd at Lincoln Financial Field  showed up to see the team for the first time–and what a game they got to see. A pre-game ceremony honored the soccer teams of Philadelphia’s past, and tonight’s 3-2 win over DC United now adds the Union to that rich legacy.

The hat trick from Sebastien Le Toux is the storyline that stands most prominent right now. While maligned by some in the Union community (*cough* Kevin *cough*), he showed absolute class today in scoring three different aspects of his game: his head, his finishing, and his free kicks. His partner in crime, Alejandro Moreno, was in vintage form tonight, distributing a gorgeous ball to Le Toux on his second goal and selling fouls with authority.
Continue reading “A More Perfect Union–DC United at Philadelphia Union–game recap and player ratings” »

DC United comes to the Linc tonight with a point to prove and a season to save.

But Philadelphia also enters the game hungry — for their first win, for their first game at home, and for their first goal.

Union officials expect at least 35,000 to show up today. Should be a damn good time.

Below, the C. Horridus live blog chronicles all the action (go Union!).

Continue reading “DC United at Philadelphia Union–live blog” »

Just two games in and DC United is already looking like the Red Bulls of 2010.

Which is exactly why the Union need to be very, very careful in their first ever home game (6 p.m. FSC).

Two losses, six goals against, and zero goals for. DC will come to Philadelphia not so much with a point to prove than a season to save. Whatever conclusions we drew about the team’s psychology–it’s motivation, its killer instinct in front of the goal–will not be applicable.

The fact is, DC looked good for long portions of last week’s game. Granted, they didn’t look great. And they only rarely looked dangerous. But they controlled the game for significant chunks, and moved the ball well up the field until Moreno stuttered and stalled or Pontius took shots at everything but the goal.

All DC needs in this game is a little bit of luck. An early goal and their psychological slump disappears. And DC would revel in the opportunity to beat Philly at their first home game.

Below, C. Horridus gives our preferred lineup and game plan for stifling DC and pulling off a victory on Phily’s big soccer day.

Continue reading “Philadelphia Union v. DC United–Match preview and game plan” »