2010 Philadelphia Union season

The 2010 Philadelphia Union season was the first season of the team's existence, competing in Major League Soccer, the top flight of American soccer. The Union were the sixteenth franchise to join the league in 2010 and were managed under former MLS player Peter Nowak.^[1]

Background

Review

Preseason

Philadelphia Union defeated the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, 0–5, in their first ever pre-season match on February 13, 2010, in Greensboro, North Carolina.

On February 28, during a preseason tour of Mexico, The Union played to a 2–2 draw against the Chivas de Guadalajara reserves. Two days later, The Union defeated Mexican second-division side Universidad de Guadalajara 0–1.

On March 14, the Union played their first friendly against an MLS opponent, losing 2–0 to FC Dallas in a match played in Tampa, Florida. Five days later, in their final pre-season friendly, The Union played the Tampa Bay Rowdies (a fellow first-year expansion club, albeit in the second-division NASL) and lost 1–0.

March

Philadelphia began their first Major League Soccer regular season on the road with a nationally televised match against Seattle Sounders FC on March 25, 2010.^[2] Union central defender Danny Califf received the first booking in Union history, by receiving a Yellow Card 33 seconds into the match.

Rookie Toni Ståhl (playing out of position at the other center back) was the first Union player to be sent off, after being booked in the 22nd and 37th minutes.

Two first-half goals from Brad Evans and Fredy Montero were too much for the ten-man Union, as they went down to defeat 2–0 in their first match, in front of a crowd of over 36,000 rabid Seattle fans—and about 100 hearty Sons of Ben who made the trip.

After the game, the Union released Costa Rican defender David Myrie, and sent Ståhl out on loan to their USL-2 affiliate, Harrisburg.

April

Philadelphia's first home match was on April 10, against D.C. United. The Union scored a 3–2 victory with a hat-trick by Sebastian Le Toux in front of a crowd of just under 35,000 at their temporary home, Lincoln Financial Field. The Union was bolstered by the signing of defender Cristian Arrieta from the Puerto Rico Islanders earlier in the week.

On April 15, the Union began a four-game league road trip with a visit to Toronto FC. This was TFC's home opener and the first match played on BMO Field's new natural grass surface. The Union dropped the match 2–1 thanks to a first-half red card from captain Danny Califf and a late penalty. The Union showed heart being a man down for the majority of the match after pulling back a goal through Jordan Harvey.

The Union then played rival New York Red Bulls twice in four days at Red Bull Arena. First, on the 24th in a league match, the Union dropped a second straight 2–1 decision. After pulling into a tie thanks to Sebastien Le Toux, the Union again were made to suffer loss from a defensive blunder which led to a game-winning penalty. Later in the week, the Union again faced the New York Red Bulls, but this time in a U.S. Open Cup qualifier. The winner of that cup tie would host New England Revolution in the next round of qualifying, May 12. The Union was again on the losing side of a 2–1 scoreline with Sebastian Le Toux scoring a late goal to make things interesting after the Union had trailed 2–0 at the half. The Union were given their first major injury scare when leading scorer Sebastian Le Toux was carried off the field with what appeared to be a major knee injury. The Union were eliminated from the U.S. Open Cup.

May

The Union continued their long road trip on May 1 against the league-leading and undefeated Los Angeles Galaxy. The Union were outclassed, giving up a goal in the first minute and ultimately trailed the match 3–0 at the half. Midfielder Stefani Miglioranzi was red-carded in the 44th minute. The Union played the entire second-half a man-down and held the Galaxy scoreless. The Union notched a goal through Jack McInerney, his first professional goal, making the final score 3–1.

The Union concluded their first major roadtrip on May 8 against defending MLS Cup Champion Real Salt Lake. The Union would lose the game 3–0, a scoreline which did not accurately reflect the competitiveness of a game played mostly in the midfield.

On May 15, the Union returned home to Philadelphia to play FC Dallas before a crowd of just over 25,000 at Lincoln Financial Field. The Union went behind early, but showed great attacking flair and were kept scoreless only thanks to the heroics of FC Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman. Late in stoppage time in the second half, the Union's number-one draft pick Danny Mwanga struck a beautiful volley into the lower left corner of the net to give the Union an important tie. Sebastian Le Toux returned to play for the first time since late April after recovering from a knee injury.

June

July

August

September

October

2010 roster

As of August 31, 2010.^[3]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  USA Chris Seitz 2 DF  USA Jordan Harvey 3 DF  COL Juan Diego González 4 DF  USA Danny Califf (captain) 6 MF  BRA Stefani Miglioranzi 7 MF  BRA Fred 8 MF  USA Andrew Jacobson 9 FW  FRA Sébastien Le Toux 10 FW  COD Danny Mwanga 11 MF  USA Shea Salinas 12 DF  FIN Toni Ståhl 13 MF  USA Kyle Nakazawa

No. Pos. Nation Player 14 MF  USA Amobi Okugo 15 FW  VEN Alejandro Moreno (vice-captain) 16 DF  USA Michael Orozco Fiscal (on loan from San Luis) 17 MF  USA J.T. Noone 18 GK  USA Brad Knighton 19 FW  USA Jack McInerney 20 MF  COL Roger Torres (on loan from América de Cali) 21 MF  ARG Eduardo Coudet 22 MF  USA Justin Mapp 23 MF  USA Nick Zimmerman 25 DF  USA Sheanon Williams 26 DF  PUR Cristian Arrieta

Competitions

  Win   Loss   Tie

Preseason

MLS regular season

League tables

Eastern Conference

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	New York Red Bulls	30	15	9	6	38	29	+9	51	MLS Cup Playoffs
2	Columbus Crew	30	14	8	8	40	34	+6	50
3	Kansas City Wizards	30	11	13	6	36	35	+1	39
4	Chicago Fire	30	9	12	9	37	38	−1	36
5	Toronto FC	30	9	13	8	33	41	−8	35
6	New England Revolution	30	9	16	5	32	50	−18	32
7	Philadelphia Union	30	8	15	7	35	49	−14	31
8	D.C. United	30	6	20	4	21	47	−26	22

Overall

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	LA Galaxy (S)	30	18	7	5	44	26	+18	59	CONCACAF Champions League
2	Real Salt Lake	30	15	4	11	45	20	+25	56
3	New York Red Bulls	30	15	9	6	38	29	+9	51
4	FC Dallas	30	12	4	14	42	28	+14	50	CONCACAF Champions League
5	Columbus Crew	30	14	8	8	40	34	+6	50
6	Seattle Sounders FC	30	14	10	6	39	35	+4	48	CONCACAF Champions League
7	Colorado Rapids (C)	30	12	8	10	44	32	+12	46
8	San Jose Earthquakes	30	13	10	7	34	33	+1	46
9	Kansas City Wizards	30	11	13	6	36	35	+1	39
10	Chicago Fire	30	9	12	9	37	38	−1	36
11	Toronto FC	30	9	13	8	33	41	−8	35	CONCACAF Champions League[a]
12	Houston Dynamo	30	9	15	6	40	49	−9	33
13	New England Revolution	30	9	16	5	32	50	−18	32
14	Philadelphia Union	30	8	15	7	35	49	−14	31
15	Chivas USA	30	8	18	4	31	45	−14	28
16	D.C. United	30	6	20	4	21	47	−26	22

Results

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	Pts	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD
30	31	8	15	7	35	49	−14	6	3	6	22	16	+6	2	12	1	13	33	−20

Last updated: October 24, 2010
Source: ^[9]
Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

U.S. Open Cup

Friendlies

Statistics

Nat	No	Player	Age	Pos	Apps	Starts	G	A			Acquired	Salary
	2	Jordan Harvey	1984128 (1984-01-28)January 28, 1984 (aged 26)	DF	30	29	1	1	3	0	Expansion Draft	$56,250
	3	Juan Diego González	19800922 (1980-09-22)September 22, 1980 (aged 29)	DF	7	7	0	0	0	0	Signed	N/A
	4	Danny Califf	19800317 (1980-03-17)March 17, 1980 (aged 30)	DF	28	28	0	1	3	1	Signed	$250,000
	5	Shavar Thomas*	19810129 (1981-01-29)January 29, 1981 (aged 29)	DF	1	0	0	0	1	0	Expansion Draft	$159,375
	6	Stefani Miglioranzi	19770920 (1977-09-20)September 20, 1977 (aged 32)	MF	26	25	0	0	4	1	Expansion Draft	$148,125
	7	FredFred	19790818 (1979-08-18)August 18, 1979 (aged 30)	MF	25	24	4	1	6	0	Trade	$282,000
	8	Andrew Jacobson	19850924 (1985-09-24)September 24, 1985 (aged 24)	MF	25	13	0	0	3	0	Expansion Draft	$40,000
	9	Sébastien Le Toux	19840110 (1984-01-10)January 10, 1984 (aged 26)	FW	28	28	14	11	0	0	Expansion Draft	$122,000
	10	Danny Mwanga	19910717 (1991-07-17)July 17, 1991 (aged 18)	FW	24	17	7	4	0	0	SuperDraft	$206,250 (GA)
	11	Shea Salinas	19860624 (1986-06-24)June 24, 1986 (aged 23)	MF	17	7	1	0	0	0	Expansion Draft	$40,000
	12	Toni Ståhl	19850511 (1985-05-11)May 11, 1985 (aged 24)	MF	1	1	0	0	1	1	SuperDraft	$110,300
	13	Kyle Nakazawa	19880316 (1988-03-16)March 16, 1988 (aged 22)	FW	14	8	0	0	2	0	SuperDraft	$40,000
	14	Amobi Okugo	19910313 (1991-03-13)March 13, 1991 (aged 19)	FW	11	4	0	0	0	0	SuperDraft	$158,000 (GA)
	15	Alejandro Moreno	19790708 (1979-07-08)July 8, 1979 (aged 30)	FW	26	25	2	7	1	0	Expansion Draft	$158,125
	16	Michael Orozco Fiscal	19860207 (1986-02-07)February 7, 1986 (aged 24)	DF	29	29	2	0	5	1	On Loan	$200,000
	17	J. T. Noone	19880717 (1988-07-17)July 17, 1988 (aged 21)	MF	0	0	0	0	0	0	Signed	N/A
	19	Jack McInerney	19920805 (1992-08-05)August 5, 1992 (aged 17)	FW	17	1	3	0	1	0	SuperDraft	$116,416 (GA)
	20	Roger Torres	19910713 (1991-07-13)July 13, 1991 (aged 18)	MF	21	10	0	6	4	0	On Loan	$99,125
	21	Eduardo Coudet	19740912 (1974-09-12)September 12, 1974 (aged 35)	MF	9	9	0	0	0	0	Signed	N/A
	21	David Myrie*	19880601 (1988-06-01)June 1, 1988 (aged 21)	DF	1	1	0	0	1	0	Expansion Draft	N/A
	22	Justin Mapp	19841018 (1984-10-18)October 18, 1984 (aged 25)	MF	15	10	1	4	1	0	Trade	$280,000
	23	Nick Zimmerman	19870503 (1987-05-03)May 3, 1987 (aged 22)	MF	8	0	0	0	0	0	Expansion Draft	$40,000
	25	Sheanon Williams	1990317 (1990-03-17)March 17, 1990 (aged 20)	DF	8	8	0	0	0	0	Signed	N/A
	26	Cristian Arrieta	19790908 (1979-09-08)September 8, 1979 (aged 30)	DF	16	15	0	0	5	0	Signed	$64,500
							35	35	41	5

* = Not currently part of team.

Goalkeepers

Nat	No	Player	Age	Apps	Starts	Record	GA	GAA	SO	Acquired	Salary
	1	Chris Seitz	19870312 (1987-03-12)March 12, 1987 (aged 23)	23	22	5-12-6	41	1.80	0	Trade	$135,500
	18	Brad Knighton	19850206 (1985-02-06)February 6, 1985 (aged 25)	8	8	3-3-1	8	1.00	2	Expansion Draft	$40,000
	24	Brian Perk*	19890721 (1989-07-21)July 21, 1989 (aged 20)	0	0	0-0-0	0	0	0	SuperDraft	$86,350
	?	Danny Cepero*	19850422 (1985-04-22)April 22, 1985 (aged 24)	0	0	0-0-0	0	0	0	Emergency Loan	?
				31	30	8-15-7	49	1.63	2

* = Not currently part of team.

Honors and awards

MLS Team of the Week

Week	Player	Opponent	Position	Ref
3	Sebastian Le Toux	D.C. United	FW	[10]
16	Sebastian Le Toux	Toronto FC	FW	[11]

Italics indicates MLS Player of the Week

MLS Goal of the Week

Week	Player	Opponent	Ref
8	Danny Mwanga	FC Dallas
10	Shea Salinas	Houston Dynamo
18	Sebastian Le Toux	New England Revolution	[12]

MLS Save of the Week

Week	Player	Opponent	Ref
11	Chris Seitz	FC Dallas
28	Brad Knighton	Los Angeles Galaxy
29	Fred	New York Red Bulls

Transfers

In

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 26 DF  PUR Cristian Arrieta (Free agent from Puerto Rico Islanders) [13] 21 MF  ARG Eduardo Coudet (Free agent from Club Atlético Colón) [14] 22 MF  USA Justin Mapp (Traded from Chicago Fire) [15] 17 MF  USA J. T. Noone (Free agent from Harrisburg City Islanders) [16] 3 DF  COL Juan Diego González (Free agent from Deportivo Pereira)[17] 25 DF  USA Sheanon Williams (Free agent from Harrisburg City Islanders) [18] ? GK  USA Danny Cepero (Emergency loan from Harrisburg City Islanders) [19]

Draft picks

Out

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 21 DF  CRC David Myrie (Released on waivers) [20] 5 DF  JAM Shavar Thomas (Traded to Kansas City Wizards) [21] 24 GK  USA Brian Perk (Released on waivers) [22]

References

External links

• Philadelphia Union website
• 2010 Philadelphia Union season at ESPN