Match Preview: Union vs. Colorado Rapids

Friday, July 29, 7:30pm, PPL Park, Chester, PA (Fox Soccer Channel)

Now that all of this “Let’s put together a collection of MLS players to be massacred by Manchester United” nonsense is over with, let’s move on to the unofficial 2nd half of the season.  Union host defending league champ Colorado Rapids in the unusual Friday match.  Being that this match happens just 2 days after the “All-Star Game” (It’s a shame that the people who vote for the players don’t actually watch the games, apparently.  How the right side of the Union defense was not there is beyond….everyone), I wonder how in-form Faryd Mondragon will be.  Granted, he only played in the first half of the match, and it was only in northern New Jersey, but Dragon usually poses with half of the other team to take pictures with his kids, and then gives the media comprehensive interviews, et cetera.  There’s a chance that after the photo opportunities and jersey-trading, he didn’t leave Pink Cow Arena until 5am this morning.

For Colorado, Omar Cummings is the one attacking player I fear.  I refer to him as “scary-good” for a reason.  He played in the “All-Star Game” so I hope he is tuckered out from it.  Unless he spent the match standing around studying Wayne Rooney’s hair transplant.  In any event, I hope Omar is a bit off of his game.  Especially since Rapids are already down Connor Casey who blew out his achilles’ tendon and is done for the year.  We here at Unholy Union Blog wish him well and a complete recovery, so that Union can be responsible for kicking his ass next year.  Speaking of injuries, the assailant in the gruesome Steve Zakuani leg-breaking is back.  Brian Mullan has returned from suspension, having played 85 minutes against New England.  If poetic justice truly existed, Casey’s injury would have happened to Mullan instead, but I digress.  The other player to look for is Sanna Nyassi, who scored a hat trick against NY (and we thank him for that) 2 matches back.  It’s likely that he’ll be up top with Cummings again, in an effort to score against a Union defense that’s better than what Manchester United saw Wednesday night (again HOW IN THE HELL COULD YOU CALL THAT GROUP “ALL-STARS”?????????).

Union are coming off of 2 impressive performances in friendlies against Everton and Real Madrid.  There are plenty of positives to be taken out of those matches, as well as some things that need to be ignored.  The win against Everton was good, however it must be tempered by the fact that Everton didn’t really care to win that game anyway.  They would have been just fine with spending that evening at Harrah’s instead of putting on a good show for our fans.  Roger Torres was the star of the game…. where noone attempted to put hard tackles in on him.  He played great, in both games, but they’re meaningless friendlies, so no hard tackles to be adminstered means he left his jittery feet at home.  They (and by they I mean Carlos Valdes) also learned that sometimes the simple play is the correct play.  He whiffed twice on Saturday against Real and it lead to 2 goals.  The first was him trying to trap the ball with his raised leg and missing it, the other was opting not to simply play the ball over the touchline but rather faking his opponent out to keep the ball in play.  It serves as a reminder to all:  make the simple play.  Union are not Real Madrid, they are not fancy and electric on the ball.  They are a workman-like team that is based on defensive strength.

The lineup I expect will have at least 1 Farfan in it.  Ok, that’s a very simple statement to make, since one, Gabe, is the de facto left fullback, but his brother, Mike, acquitted himself nicely against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Traveling Circus, and may be in line for more minutes.  At the expense of whom, you might ask?  Kyle Nakazawa.  Alzheimer’s patients look less lost than Naka did against Real Madrid.  It’s no shame to get outplayed by a team I consider to be top-5 in the world.  But his obvious lack of ability to find the game in any way was very disappointing.  And in twisted Peter Nowak logic, that means Naka will probably start, because, Nowak fills out the lineup card and I don’t.  We will see Carlos Ruiz, Danny Mwanga, and Sebastien Le Toux.  We’ll also see Brian Carroll, and our normal back 5.  Justin Mapp will go back to left wing, ho hum.

What I also expect to see is a 2-1 win for Union.  This is the time of the season when 3 points are needed from home matches.  This team has gelled well over the course of the season, and I believe these international friendlies have forced them to play more cohesively than any league match has.  I’d like for Union to earn a clean sheet, but I fear Colorado’s attack too much to assume a shutout.

Nick Y., the other .5 of Unholy Union

Your fulfillment for your sweet tooth – Touchlines

What blogger / tweeter / skeeter hasn’t commented on this yet?  Sheanon Williams was outted by his girlfriend on twitter for missing his flight home from Colorado, with Keon Daniel and Danny Mwanga, because they stopped on the way to grab some candy.  Philly soccer page has even coined it “Candygate“.  Too easy to make a joke.

Me and my coblogger Nick have failed to put up many a post-game report because of procrastination and life getting in the way.  This time though?  We didn’t see the game.  Great work guys…

Speaking of great work, the CFU group of people are bringing CONCACAF to all it’s glory.  The pirates of the Caribbean are now being defiant to the ethics investigation that is being conducted on them concerning the Warner / Hammam money fest that I imagined happened similar in style with the Joker in the original Batman, can’t you just hear Prince and the Revolution?  But I digress….  Surely the best thing to do when you’re being conducted for breaking codes of ethics, is thumb your noses at the people who will be deciding you fate.  Tactful, they are not.

Henry Kissinger is relevant again!  Mumblemumblemumble

So I tried to write a touchlines type of article last week on my opinion of the FIFA ethics allegations, and CONCACAF’s complete misuse of all powers… but then I felt like Eric Lindros.  That wasn’t good. 

– If you didn’t know, President Warner is suspended due to the allegations brought up by the only American Exec Committee Member Chuck Blazer.  Acting president from caribbean Lisle Austin asks for explanation.  Blazer says “fuck off, you’re still being told what to do by Warner, I’m telling AGAIN”.  Austin says “Bullshit, you’re fired”.  Everyone else with REAL power in CONCACAF says “You can’t do that”.  Blazer says “Fuck that shit”.  Austin says “No really, you’re fired. I’m not listening to anything more now. LALALA”  Those same people again get together and ban Austin saying “You’re inept, fuck off”.  Austin says “You can’t do that” but does nothing.  Then Gold Cup happens.

– you see what i mean?

Connor Casey’s a douche.

The Gold Cup has started, and Ruiz has not produced once again for the team he is on while playing the full 90 minutes.  They did however tie the game while down 2 men… Coincidence?  Or drug cartels.  You decide.

Did this fill your sweet tooth? Or just leave you craving for more?

This has been a halfassed version of Touchlines.