On Saturday, May 26, 2012, the Philadelphia Union traveled to play the Toronto FC. Union fans were likely optimistic that the Union would be able to defeat the team because Toronto FC had no wins yet this season. The team seemed to be optimistic as well. Though the Union had been inconsistent, the team had still managed to get wins and ties. Unfortunately, that night, Toronto FC got their first victory of the season.
The Union clearly struggled through the first half of the game. The team was lucky to escape the first half with a scoreless draw. The second half ended worse. Though for a time it appeared that the game would end in a scoreless draw, with just minutes to go, Toronto FC got one past goalkeeper Chris Konopka, who was filling in for the injured Zac MacMath. The Union had opportunities throughout the game but were unable to take advantage of any of them. The game ended with Toronto FC getting their first win of the season by a score of 1-0.
This was the last game that Gabriel Gomez would be playing with the Union until June 12. Gomez was called up to play for the Panama national soccer team and was to leave after the Union played against Toronto. Though he will not be missing any regular season matches, he will be missing some important ones.
Up next for the team is a home match against the Rochester Rhinos on Tuesday, May 29, 2012. The Rhinos are a part of USL Pro and this game will determine which team will advance in the U.S. Cup tournament. This will mark the first time the Union has hosted a match or played in the tournament. If the season is any reflection, it does not seem that the Union will be successful. The Rhinos won the U.S. Cup in 1999.
As a Union fan, I am clearly disappointed. The team should have been able to win against the Toronto FC. The Union instead dropped the game and disappointed fans. Perhaps the players were overly confident or perhaps the goalkeepers were not quite up to the task due to injuries. Maybe the loss of Danny Califf is hitting the team harder or maybe Michael Lahoud is not fitting in as well as it had been hoped. Whatever the reason or combination of reasons for the loss, it indicates that something is very wrong with the team. I would think that the team would be working to improve the game play but it almost seems to have gotten worse as the season has gone on.
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.
