Friday, June 17, 2011
Posted: 10:33 a.m.
By Ryan BrightCSNPhilly.com Contributor
CHESTER, Pa. -- When the Union and Vancouver Whitecaps first met on March 26 at PPL Park, the raucous and physical home opener saw 41 combined fouls, seven yellow cards and a red-card ejection to Whitecaps striker Eric Hassli.
The contest, while bruising, had a personal feel and ended up a 1-0 victory for the Union, all thanks to the late man advantage.
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As the two teams set to face each other for the second time on Saturday, this time at Empire Field, the bad blood from the first bout is expected to return.
I always remember, said defender Danny Califf, who was one of the many Union players caught in the trenches that night and was sporting a swollen lip postgame. I remember how it was in the first game and I expect it to be as heated, if not more heated, depending on how the first part of the game goes. They are going to be pushing to get a result so they will throw everything at us.
While hungry for a win, something they havent experienced since opening day against Toronto FC, the struggling Whitecaps, led by Hasslis six goals, are standing at 1-6-8 in the Western Conference, and are staring at the Union as an opportunity to break a slump.
They are desperate to get points and so itll be a battle, said Califf. I think we both remember how the first game played out, so its going to be fun and it will be a fight.
Armed for a fight, the Union, who are tied atop the Eastern Conference with 22 points, will be making their seventh road appearance of the season and, unlike their previous stops in Colorado against the Rapids and Toronto, the Whitecaps lack home bite. While home teams have dominated this season around the MLS, the expansion side has a league-worst 1-1-5 record in Vancouver. On the other end, the Union have improved to 2-3-1 as visitors with a tie over the Rapids on June 4.
Our road form has been better of late, said Califf. Its something we can really build on.
One major reason for their success both on the road and at home this season has been the Unions ability to get goals from anywhere on the roster. Midfielder Keon Daniel was the 10th player on the Union with a goal when he scored his first-ever in Saturdays 1-1 draw against Real Salt Lake at PPL Park. Danny Mwanga leads the pack with four and Carlos Ruiz, who is still missing because of Guatemalan National Team call up for the Gold Cup, is in second with three.
Last year, scoring was very lopsided, said Califf, who has one of his teams 16 goals. I think Sebastien Le Toux, Mwanga and Fred had all the goals and then it dropped off. This year, its more spread out and were getting goals from difference areas.
Califf believes that the reason for the spread production is that the team was trained to play as a group on the defensive side, which translated to a well-balanced attack on the offensive end.
Its a good sign and hopefully we can continue to carry forward, said the central defender and former captain. When you can get goals form anyone, it doesnt matter if one guy is not on that night - you will have confidence knowing that you can get it from anywhere.
Okugo soon to return
While bad injury news seems to plague the Union on a weekly basis, the second-year squad will finally get a bit of good news on the injury front. According to coach Peter Nowak, midfielder Amobi Okugo is expected to return to the active lineup for Wednesdays contest against Sporting Kansas City at PPL Park.
Okugo, 20, had contributed in seven games this season and was improving rapidly before a high-ankle sprain dropped him from the lineup on May 21 against the Chicago Fire. The sophomore standout is beginning to train again but will miss his fourth straight contest on Saturday, when the Union take on the Vancouver Whitecaps.
E-mail Ryan Bright at ryanbright13@gmail.com
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