Union Held to a Draw

The Philadelphia Union needed three points today at home but Colorado held them to a 1-1 draw. The Union outplayed the Rapids in the first half, but again they gave up the first goal in the 59th minute. Jeff Larentowicz, who had a whole section rooting him on (he is from the area), drove home a long strike.

The Union had chances but were just unable to finish until Danny Mwanga finally tied it up in the 73rd minute. Mwanga broke away from the defenders and slotted it home when it was just him and the goalie. Union fans rejoiced as the Union then looked to take the lead.

They were unable to due it. Late in the game, Sebatien Le Toux made a nice run in the box. While he was running to the ball, he was clipped by a Rapids defender. Le Toux was brought to the ground, and the scoring chance was foiled. To the coach Peter Nowak's disgust, the official motioned "play on" to the players.

The Union should have had a penalty shot, but that's neither here nor there. Sometimes you don't get those calls. The Union now sit with 17 points, and at 7th place in the Eastern Conference.

Daily Roundup: 5/8/10

Braves Beat Phils: The Phillies managed only one run against Braves' starter Kris Melden. That run came in the 2nd inning, when Shane Victorino's RBI single scored Brian Schneider. The Phillies had trouble with runners in scoring position. For instance, in the bottom of the 4th, with 2 men on and none out, the Phillies failed to get either run home. The Phils got 9 hits against Melden but did not register a hit against the Braves bullpen.

Joe Blanton looked good right up until the 6th inning. The Braves got their first hit in the 5th and Blanton looked to be in control. One big inning did him in. In the 6th, he allowed 3 runs on 4 hits, and no home runs. Still not a bad outing for Blanton. You're not going to win with one run.

Union Crushed: Real Salt Lake, defending MLS champions, showed the Union exactly why they are champions. They dominated the Union, beating them 3-0. The Union had defense lapses. On one of the goals, a union defender watched as a Salt Lake player went past him and scored. It is tough on the Union (1-6) because they have played 6 of 7 games on the road. They did win their only home game.

Sixers Coaching Update: According to Philly.com, the Sixers will meet with both Bill Laimbeer and Dan Majerle in the coming days. Laimbeer, a former Pistons star, has been very successful coaching in the WNBA. Will he be able to make the jump to the NBA? Majerle is a Phoenix Suns assistant coach. Shouldn't he be worrying about the San Antonio Spurs?

Philly Lands Soccer Team

The MLS announced last week that the new expansion team will be awarded to Philadelphia. It was between St. Louis and Philly but after Philly got the funds for a stadium, it was a one city race. The stadium, on the Chester waterfront, will be finished in 2010 and that's is when the team will start competing with other Major League Soccer teams. The team has not been named yet (but it figures to be the "Liberty" or Philly "Freedom").

It seems like their will be many fans at the stadium in the debut year (there have already been thousands who have reserved season tickets). But will the fans stay? That is the question. I think it really depends on how the team plays. Philly fans care about how their team does and that's about all. If the team plays well, they should be able to fill the stadium. The team should also play and exciting form of soccer (their are plenty of boring ways of playing soccer). Historically, expansion teams haven't done well at all (like the Tampa Bay Rays and the Houston Texans).

I really hope the team does well and attracts fans. The team will sellout the first couple of years, but will they be able to hold that up. Soccer is one of the best sports to watch when played effectively. Let's hope they play effectively.