Union Head West Again, Face Champs

The Union (1-4) travel to Utah to face defending MLS Cup
Champions Real Salt Lake (2-3-1) (4PM/6ABC). This is the second cross country
trip in as many weeks for the Union, who were completely outclassed last week
in a 3-1 loss to the Galaxy in Los Angeles. Once again the Union will be
without the services of a starter, as midfielder Stefani Miglioranizi will
serve a one game suspension for his careless straight red card against LA last
week.

Goalkeeper Chris Seitz will be facing his former team for
the first time. Prior to joining the Union he served as the back-up to RSL’s
MLS playoff hero Nick Rimando. It remains unclear whether Sebastien Le Toux
will return to the lineup following the left knee injury he suffered a couple
of weeks ago in the US Open Cup loss to New York. It was obvious just how much
they missed Le Toux against LA. They sorely missed his tireless running and
finishing ability. If Le Toux’s unable to go will young Jack McInerney, fresh
off scoring his first MLS goal last week, get the starting nod?

RSL features a handful of recognizable players. Midfielder
Kyle Beckerman is probably their most complete player. Beckerman is their
string-puller in the middle of the field. He teams up in the central midfield
with Javier Morales, who leads RSL in goals scored with three. Up top RSL
“features” Robbie Findley, who did nothing with the extended chance USMNT Bob
Bradley gave him to impress as a potential replacement for Charlie Davies.
Simply put, Findley was invisible in his time with the USMNT. Apparently his
lack of form has continued as he has yet to find the back of the net for his
club side.

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What should you look for from Peter Nowak’s boys? Well, a
simple goal (again) is to finish the game with eleven men on the field.
However, until they show they can stay away from the booking s on a consistent
basis I am rolling out a new feature in these game previews. I am going to
choose one player each game who I think is going to be sent off.

This week’s player
most likely to see red: Andrew Jacobson. Congrats, Andrew.

What else will I be looking for? Well, if Le Toux is unable
to go I want to see if his replacement is able to establish something
resembling the chemistry he has with Alejandro Moreno and Fred. Those three
guys combine incredibly well and always seem to have a sense as to what the
others are going to do in terms of the runs they’ll make, or balls they’re
likely to play. Also, who steps in and plays in place of Miglioranzi? I’d like
to see Kyle Nakazawa get some playing time. He was one of the lone bright spots
against LA. More likely though we’ll see a midfield of Fred, Jacobson, Shea
Salinas, and Roger Torres. The back four should remain unchanged with Jordan
Harvey, Danny Califf, Michael Orozco, and Cristian Arrieta.

My goals for the game? Keep eleven men on the field, do a
better job defending corners, let Torres play more than 50 minutes, and
continue to see what you can get out of Jack Mac.