When the Philadelphia Union traded Sbastien Le Toux to the Vancouver Whitecaps in the off-season, many Union fans were angry and disappointed.
On Saturday, Le Toux returns to PPL Park for the first time since being dealt, and based on the MLS standings, those feelings of anger and disappointment have probably not subsided.
Heading into this weekends showdown, Le Toux and the Whitecaps (2-0-1) are unbeaten while the Union (0-3-0) are coming off their third straight loss to start the season, a 1-0 road setback to the Chicago Fire this past Saturday.
As well do every Monday, heres a more detailed look back at Phillys past loss as well as some keys for the club moving ahead to their next game:
Three thoughts from Saturdays game
1. While its certainly true the Union lacked cohesion vs. the Fire, its important to remember the Union were without three key startersmidfielder Freddy Adu and defenders Sheanon Williams and Danny Califf. Adu and Williams are currently with the US U-23 team for Olympic qualifying, and Califf missed his second straight game as he looks to regain full fitness from off-season knee surgery. Winning a game on the road while that shorthanded would be difficult for any team.
2. Second-year goalkeeper Zac MacMath continued his up-and-down season, showing his dynamic shot-stopping abilities with a couple of saves on blasts from point-blank range but also allowing a goal on a Dominic Oduro header, later admitting he was disappointed he didnt get a hand on that shot. While MacMath has given up a couple of soft goals this season, confidence doesnt appear to be an issue for the 20-year-old goalie, who has rebounded well from poor outings.
3. Where was the offense? Until the final 10 minutes, when midfielder Gabriel Gmez fired a couple of well-struck free kicks on net and Keon Daniel made some nice runs forward, the Union could not generate much of anything in the offensive third. That was unfortunate for Philly, considering a makeshift three-man backline composed of Porfirio Lopez, Carlos Valdes and Chris Albright held up relatively well. Afterwards, Union manager Peter Nowak said his players need to be more opportunistic around the net.
Three storylines for the upcoming week:
1. Will Danny Califf play against his old pals from Vancouver this Saturday? The Union captains absence has been one of the more puzzling storylines so far this year and there appeared to be a communication breakdown when Califf was benched for the Unions home opener on March 18. Califf has said he wants to be reinserted into the starting lineup but Nowak wants to practice caution in the captains recovery. Stay tuned.
2. Considering how much he was beloved during his two years in Philly, Le Toux will almost certainly get a warm reception from the crowd, as will former Union players Brad Knighton and Jordan Harvey. But if Le Toux scores and the Union drop to 0-4 on the season, how will the fans react to Nowak, the man who traded Le Toux? It might not be pretty.
3. When the Union traded Le Toux, they were counting on other players to step up and fill his goal-scoring void. So far, Lionard Pajoy is the only striker who has found the back of the net. Its too early to say theres pressure on forwards Danny Mwanga, Josue Martinez and Jack McInerney, but a goal from any of them on Saturday would certainly relieve some early-season tension among the Union faithful.
Factoid of the week: The Philadelphia Union no longer have any players they selected in the 2009 MLS Expansion Draft, but with Knighton, Harvey and Le Toux, the Whitecaps have three of them. In fact, depending on the gameday rosters, the Whitecaps may have more Union originals at PPL Park on Saturday than the Union.
Quote of the week: There were some issues he had and there were some issues I had. The big thing was we kind of talked through some things and I kind of gave him a report of where I was at and he gave me a report of what he thought and what his perceptions were. So were able to put it behind us.Union captain Danny Califf on his conversation with manager Peter Nowak after a miscommunication led to the defender being benched for the home opener last weekend
Player of the week: In Califfs place, veteran reserve Chris Albright filled in admirably, especially in the first half when he stopped a couple of Chicago runs and saved a shot off the goal line. The 33-year-old Philly native has battled injuries over the past few years but appears poised to be a big contributor for the Union, whether its from the bench or in the starting lineup.
Dave Zeitlin covers the Union for MLSsoccer.com and CSNPhilly.com. Email him at djzeitlin@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @DaveZeitlin.