Sebastien Le Toux, the leading scorer for the Union, has a career that has been more of the latter than the former, but if he traded shirts before the match Wednesday night rather than afterward, Le Toux probably would fit right in with the Manchester side.
Professional athletes must become good at accepting what-is instead of dwelling on what-if, and Le Toux is happy to be in Major League Soccer and proud to be part of an expansion team that has often struggled.
Still, there are moments.
This season, Le Toux has seven goals and seven assists for the Union. He was named to the MLS all-star team Monday, and his career seems to be taking shape.
"I try to focus every day, every year, with more experience and more games, on getting better and stronger. I progress every day, and there is a lot of room for progress," Le Toux, 26, said Saturday after scoring a goal and an assist in a 2-1 win over Toronto FC. "There is no end to progression. There is no end."
At times, his journey must have seemed endless, but Le Toux has finally found a time and place where his skills are on display. The same eyes that overlooked him before must be finding him now, and there is no telling where the road will lead.
"He's a very good player. He has an instinct for the ball," teammate Alejandro Moreno said. "And, no pun intended, has a nose for the goal as well."
Le Toux, in fact, has a prominent nose that protrudes beneath deep-set, dark eyes like a hill in his native Brittany riding under storm clouds. Perhaps saying he has a nose for the goal is unkind, however, Moreno is told.
"You can use it if you want to," Moreno said. "It's not like it's a secret."
