Faryd Mondragon

NO ONE has questioned his drive and intensity. But this season, midfielder-forward Sebastien Le Toux has not shown the prowess that made him the Union's leading goal scorer in 2010. Last night, however, against the listless New England Revolution, Le Toux proved why - despite his diminished goal production - his tireless efforts have solidified his place in the Union lineup. In the first minute of stoppage time, Le Toux scored by ripping a low shot past the outstretched arms of Revolution goalie Matt Reis, securing a 4-4 final in a gritty rally by the Union at PPL Park.

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER New England Revolution (4-11-11) at Union (8-6-10) Wednesday, 8 p.m., PPL Park. TV: CSN   Last MLS game: The Revolution played the visiting New York Red Bulls to a 2-2 draw on Aug. 20. The Union gave up two early goals and lost, 2-1, at Real Salt Lake on Saturday. Outlook: This is a makeup game that was postponed from its original date of Aug. 28 due to Hurricane Irene. . .Union rookie Zac MacMath is expected to get his first start in goal due to the broken right index finger of Faryd Mondragon.

LET'S FACE IT, it's time to stop sugarcoating the obvious: The Union needs a win. With the playoffs looming, ties help little and even with games in hand, a loss still hurts. The Union's last win over a league opponent came against tonight's opponent, New England, on July 17. That's right - July. Out of a possible 18 points in its last six matches, the Union has captured only three. In that time, the club added midfielder Freddy Adu, rid itself of top scorer Carlos Ruiz and was forced to insert backup goalkeeper Zac MacMath.

Getting suspended might be the best thing ever to happen to Carlos Valdes. The yin to Danny Califf's yang in central defense will not make the trip with the Union to Sandy, Utah, today because of an accumulation of yellow cards. Valdes, who has started 23 matches for the Union this season, also played in the offseason, returning to former home club Independiente Santa Fe of the Colombian first division. Realizing that his skills and his age make Valdes a precious commodity, the Union bought his rights from Santa Fe earlier this season - with the transfer capital it received from Mexican second-division club Veracruz, courtesy of forward Carlos Ruiz' departure.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A questionable call was decisive in the battle for first place in the Eastern Conference as the Union lost to the Columbus Crew, 2-1, Saturday night. Defender Sheanon Williams was called for a hand ball in the box in the 49th minute. Crew forward Andres Mendoza buried the winning goal on the ensuing penalty kick. "It's physically impossible to see from the angle that the referee was running," team manager Peter Nowak said. "And, to make a call like that in a game like that, it's a little bit too much.

YES, THIS is a big game. There are still 11 games to play and 2 months to go in MLS' regular season, but take Danny Califf's word that the Union's match with the Columbus Crew tomorrow night is a big game . "It's the most important game of the season so far," Califf said. "It's not too early enough in the season to be saying it. We're approaching it in that manner. " The game in Columbus matters because first place in the Eastern Conference is on the line. The Union, which has never been below second place in the standings all season, is 8-5-10 for 34 points, while the Crew has 37 points from a 10-7-7 record.

There was an even greater buzz than usual at sold-out PPL Park on Saturday night, with the Freddy Adu era beginning for the Union after the attacking midfielder signed with the team and participated in his first practice Friday. Even though Adu stole the pregame spotlight, he later was upstaged by teammate Sebastien Le Toux, along with Dallas midfielder Brek Shea early and goalkeeper Kevin Hartman late. Le Toux scored twice on penalty kicks, Shea concluded a stellar week in the Philadelphia area by scoring one goal and creating plenty of pressure, and Hartman came up with two difficult saves late in the game as the Union and Dallas played to a 2-2 draw before a crowd of 18,881.

BRIDGEVILLE, Ill. - The Union played the Chicago Fire to a 1-1 tie in a Major League Soccer game at Toyota Park last night. Midfielder Veljko Paunovic scored for the Union on a 30-yard shot in the 34th minute. The leftfooted shot went low past goalkeeper Sean Johnson, who was screened by Chicago defender Josip Mikulic. Midfielder Pavel Pardo, making his debut with the Fire, tied the game about 9 minutes into the second half. Pardo took a feed from forward Dominic Oduro on the goal line, and beat goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon with a 17-yard kick.

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. - A depleted Union squad took on the Chicago Fire Wednesday night and had to settle for a 1-1 draw in Major League Soccer action. Trying to cope without their team manager, departed leading scorer, and a suspended top defender, the Union took a 1-0 halftime lead on a goal by forward Veljko Paunovic. Chicago had the better of the play in the first half, but the Union got the first goal when Paunovic took control of a loose ball that had caromed away from Union midfielder Roger Torres.