Fans had likely expected to see the Philadelphia Union take the field and steal a victory from the New England Revolution on Saturday, September 1, 2012. The Union had traveled to play the Revolution but staff and players seemed confident in the team's abilities. The Union were also ahead of the Revolution in the standings for the Eastern Conference of the MLS. Unfortunately, due to an inability to make things happen, the Union only managed to get a scoreless draw in the match and the two teams each got one point.
The Union dominated the game in almost every aspect from shots to possession. Unfortunately, none of the shots taken managed to connect with the net. There were a number of close calls but close doesn't count for much. The Revolution were basically shut down by the Union defense but it was the Union offense that couldn't keep up. In the end, the two teams tied with a score of 0-0. As has been the case for the entire season, it seems that once again the Union doesn't have a player who can take a leadership position or find success as a striker. It was inevitably a let down to fans who hoped the season would have some positive moments in the final games. After an entire month without a victory, it seemed that this match was one of the best chances for a win by the Union. Hopefully, the team will surprise fans and get one more victory either in September or October.
This game was one that the Union should have won and to me this was one of the most disappointing games of the season. The team may essentially be out of the running for the playoffs, but there should be a desire to prove that the team is still good. The team did well but was just unable to make anything happen. Missed shots and missed chances to stop the Revolution are just some of the signs that the problems the team had early in the season have yet to be dealt with. It seems the offseason is what makes or breaks the team. Hopefully the team will be able to turn things around during the upcoming offseason. It would seem that the offense needs to work on aiming and the defense needs to work on strategies for getting steals and stops.
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.
