On Saturday, July 14, 2012, the Philadelphia Union hosted the Montreal Impact at PPL Park Stadium. The Impact are a new team and this was the first time the two teams played each other. The Impact were four points ahead of the Union in the standings for the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer going into the match. The Union, and the team's fans, had likely hoped that the team would be able to move closer to the Impact in the standings. The team did, in fact, do just that.
Though the two teams were scoreless in the first half, both managed to score late in the second half. At the 82nd minute mark, Lionard Pajoy finally got the Union on the board with the first goal of the game. Seven minutes later, the Impact got one to tie the game. In stoppage time, Carlos Valdes got the game winner for the Union. When the game ended, the Union won the game by a score of 2-1.
Currently, the Union are just one point behind the Impact. The Toronto FC are four points behind the Union and are in last place. Though it does not look like the Union will be getting a playoff berth, it does appear that the team will be able to stay out of last place as long as the team can keep playing well. Currently, the Union are on a three game winning streak against opponents in MLS games.
After losing the U.S. Open Cup match against Sporting Kansas City, I was impressed that the team would be able to bounce back and get a win. The team has certainly improved since the beginning of the 2012 season. Unfortunately, the team is still not where it was at the end of the 2011 season. I am glad to see the team doing well. It is too bad that the team was up against Sporting Kansas City in the U.S. Open Cup tournament. If the Union had been up against a different team, it may have ended different. Sporting Kansas City is a great team and I would not be surprised to see that team take the victory in the final round of the tournament.
Kristin Watt lives in central Pennsylvania and has no local major league sporting teams in the area. She has chosen to adopt Philadelphia's teams, including the Philadelphia Union, as her own home teams. Philadelphia is close enough to make a daytrip out of a game and still not have to get a hotel room.
