2010 Philadelphia Union season
# 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.

## 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. 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.

## 2010 roster

As of August 31, 2010.

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

### MLS regular season

**League tables**

**Eastern Conference**

Eastern Conferencevte :

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

* 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs

**League tables**

**Overall**

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | Pts | |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | LA Galaxy (SS, W1) | 30 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 44 | 26 | +18 | 59 | 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Real Salt Lake | 30 | 15 | 4 | 11 | 45 | 20 | +25 | 56 | 2011 North American SuperLiga |
| 3 | New York Red Bulls (E1) | 30 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 38 | 29 | +9 | 51 | 2011 North American SuperLiga |
| 4 | FC Dallas | 30 | 12 | 4 | 14 | 42 | 28 | +14 | 50 | 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League preliminary round |
| 5 | Columbus Crew | 30 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 40 | 34 | +6 | 50 | 2011 North American SuperLiga |
| 6 | Seattle Sounders FC | 30 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 39 | 35 | +4 | 48 | 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League preliminary round |
| 7 | Colorado Rapids | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 44 | 32 | +12 | 46 | 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League group stage |
| 8 | San Jose Earthquakes | 30 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 34 | 33 | +1 | 46 | 2011 North American SuperLiga |
| 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 | 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League group stage |
| 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 | |

(SS) = Supporters Shield winner; (E1) = Eastern Conference champion; (W1) = Western Conference champion

* ^Note 1 - Toronto FC cannot qualify for the U.S. Open Cup, as it is a Canadian-based team. If they qualify for an automatic berth into the U.S. Open Cup, the next highest placed team not already qualified will be given a berth. Similarly, they cannot qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League through MLS. Rather, they can qualify through the Canadian Soccer Championship. If they qualify for the Champions League through MLS, then the highest placed team not already qualified will qualify.
* ^Note 2 - The winner of the 2010 MLS Supporters' Shield (Los Angeles Galaxy) and the winner of MLS Cup 2010 (Colorado Rapids) qualified for the 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League group stage. The runner-up of MLS Cup 2010 (FC Dallas) and the winner of the 2010 U.S. Open Cup (Seattle Sounders) qualified for the 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League preliminary round.
* ^Note 3 - 2011 SuperLiga berths are awarded to the top 4 finishing teams from MLS who do not qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League.

**Results**

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | 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: Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Stadium | A | H | A | A | A | A | H | A | A | A | H | A | H | H | H | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | H | H | A |
| Result | L | W | L | L | L | L | T | W | L | L | W | T | L | W | T | L | L | T | T | L | W | T | W | L | W | L | W | L | W | L |
| Position | 13 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 |

## Statistics

Statistics are from all MLS matches. Ages are as of March 25, 2010 (the date of their season opener).

| 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

| 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 | |
| 16 | Sebastian Le Toux | Toronto FC | FW | |

Italics indicates MLS Player of the Week

### MLS Goal of the Week

| Week | Player | Opponent |
| - | - | - |
| 8 | Danny Mwanga | FC Dallas |
| 10 | Shea Salinas | Houston Dynamo |
| 18 | Sebastian Le Toux | New England Revolution |

### MLS Save of the Week

| Week | Player | Opponent |
| - | - | - |
| 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) |
| 21 | MF | ARG | Eduardo Coudet (Free agent from Club Atlético Colón) |
| 22 | MF | USA | Justin Mapp (Traded from Chicago Fire) |
| 17 | MF | USA | J. T. Noone (Free agent from Harrisburg City Islanders) |
| 3 | DF | COL | Juan Diego González (Free agent from Deportivo Pereira) |
| 25 | DF | USA | Sheanon Williams (Free agent from Harrisburg City Islanders) |
| ? | GK | USA | Danny Cepero (Emergency loan from Harrisburg City Islanders) |

### 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) |
| 5 | DF | JAM | Shavar Thomas (Traded to Kansas City Wizards) |
| 24 | GK | USA | Brian Perk (Released on waivers) |
