Houston Dynamo

The Union's opening 1-0 Major League Soccer victory in Houston on March 19 against the Dynamo seems like a long time ago, back when the Phillies were still competing in Clearwater, Fla. Saturday, the teams will meet for a rematch when Houston visits PPL Park in Chester at 8 p.m. The Union are 8-5-8 and in second place in the Eastern Conference with 32 points. Houston (6-7-9) is just five points behind the Union, but has played one more game. "I feel last time we outplayed them, but they scored the goal," Houston midfielder Brad Davis said in a phone interview.

When the Union open their second Major League Soccer season Saturday in Houston against the Dynamo, it will be a game matching two teams looking for significant improvement. The Union were 8-15-7 last season and Houston, a two-time MLS champion in 2006 and 2007, slumped to 9-15-6. Each is expected to contend for one of the 10 playoff berths in the 18-team MLS. Even last year, the Union remained mathematically in the playoff hunt until late in the season. "You could see the youngsters were not experienced to handle the pressure, and we tried to warn them about it and calm them down," team manager Peter Nowak said.

David Beckham bent in a free kick in the 62d minute to help the Los Angeles Galaxy tie the Montreal Impact, 1-1, on Saturday at Montreal's Olympic Stadium in front of 60,860 fans - the largest crowd for a professional soccer game in Canada. There was a mix of boos and cheers each time Beckham played the ball, even when he scored on one of his patented free kicks that curled inside the right post from 23 yards. Beckham's second goal of the season came 6 minutes after he was shown the yellow card for an elbow to the face of Felipe Martins, which might have been embellished by the Brazilian.

NEW YORK - MLS All-Star coach Bruce Arena has selected San Jose Earthquakes midfielder and former Penn Charter star Bobby Convey as an All-Star to replace injured Chivas USA defender Jonathan Bornstein. Convey will be a member of the 23-man roster that will take on 2009 English Premier League champion Manchester United on July 28 in Houston. Bornstein injured his right knee on Sunday in the 23rd minute of Chivas USA's SuperLiga match against the Houston Dynamo. He is expected to miss 2 to 3 weeks.

The second Major League Soccer campaign for the Union begins in March, but the club won't have to wait a month to play its first home game, like it did last season. Starting its second season in a row on the road, the Union opens on Saturday, March 19, at 8:30 p.m., against the Houston Dynamo at Robertson Stadium. The home opener will be 1 week later, March 26, against the expansion Vancouver Whitecaps at PPL Park. MLS' First Kick begins March 15 when Seattle Sounders FC hosts the Los Angeles Galaxy live on ESPN at 9:30 p.m. MLS will feature a balanced 34-game schedule, with teams facing each other at home and on the road.

HOUSTON - Second-half substitute Danny Mwanga scored three minutes into stoppage time, and the Philadelphia Union came from behind to beat the Houston Dynamo, 3-2, on Saturday night. The Union improved to 2-5-1 while Houston fell to 5-5-1. Sebastien Le Toux drove down the right side and cut into the box before feeding Mwanga in the middle of the goalkeeper's area. Mwanga did the rest, driving home the winner. Mwanga fed Le Toux in the 69th minute to tie the score 2-2. Mwanga gave Le Toux a centering pass into the upper box, and Le Toux did the rest, freezing Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad and nailing a bullet into the center net. Philadelphia's win spoiled the return of Houston forward Brian Ching, who was not included on the U.S. national team roster for the World Cup. Ching entered the game as a sub to start the second half and paid immediate dividends, knotting the score 1-1 in the 52nd minute with a header into the net off a free kick by Brad Davis.

Juan Pablo Angel had a goal and an assist as the New York Red Bulls improved on their best start in franchise history by beating D.C. United, 2-0, in Washington on Saturday. Salou Ibrahim also scored for the Red Bulls (5-1-0), who won at RFK Stadium for the first time since 2005. United (0-5-0) is off to its worst start. Knotted up. FC Dallas' Atiba Harris scored on a header off Dax McCarty's free kick in the 66th minute to help the visitors tie the New England Revolution, 1-1, in Foxborough, Mass.

U.S. national team members Ricardo Clark and Frankie Hejduk and Philadelphia natives Chris Albright and Bobby Convey are among the players on Major League Soccer's 15 rosters available for the Philadelphia Union to select in the league's expansion draft tomorrow. MLS released the names of available players yesterday afternoon after each team was given the opportunity to protect 11 players. The Union have until 1 p.m. tomorrow to select no more than one player from 10 of the 15 teams by faxing a list to MLS headquarters in New York.

The Union has signed Argentinean midfielder Eduardo "Chacho" Coudet. Terms were not disclosed. Coming from Club Atlético Colón in the Argentinean First Division, Coudet, 35, will be eligible to play when the Union hosts the New England Revolution on July 31. The Union is off this weekend and then the league takes a break for next week's All-Star Game in Houston. Coudet has played for the Union in international friendlies against FC Celtic and Manchester United. Coudet hails from Buenos Aires, Argentina and has played in some of the world's most recognizable leagues, including Argentina's First Division (Atlético Platense, '93-95; Rosario Central, '95-98, 2006; San Lorenzo, '98-99, '04-05; River Plate, '99-04 and Club Atlético Colón, '10)

Union manager Peter Nowak knew his team's chances of making the MLS playoffs were remote. On Saturday, they became impossible. Nowak's team tied the Houston Dynamo, 1-1, but was mathematically eliminated from the posteseason when Seattle defeated Toronto, 3-2. Sebastien Le Toux scored in the 40th minute for the Union (7-13-7). Andrew Hainault scored for the Dynamo (7-14-6). Nowak said he was disappointed but saw reason to be optimistic with the way his team played in its debut season.

David Beckham bent in a free kick in the 62d minute to help the Los Angeles Galaxy tie the Montreal Impact, 1-1, on Saturday at Montreal's Olympic Stadium in front of 60,860 fans - the largest crowd for a professional soccer game in Canada. There was a mix of boos and cheers each time Beckham played the ball, even when he scored on one of his patented free kicks that curled inside the right post from 23 yards. Beckham's second goal of the season came 6 minutes after he was shown the yellow card for an elbow to the face of Felipe Martins, which might have been embellished by the Brazilian.

Seven Hot Matches 1. Houston Dynamo at Seattle Sounders 10 p.m. Friday (NBC Sports Network) Houston is one of only two Major League Soccer Eastern Conference teams to win both their games so far this season. Seattle's dynamic attack will miss injured midfielder Mauro Rosales, but forward Fredy Montero can still provide a test. 2. Tottenham Hotspur at Chelsea 8:45 a.m. Saturday (ESPN2/ESPN3.com) Coming off his first loss as interim Chelsea manager, Roberto Di Matteo now faces a must-win game in the race for the fourth and final UEFA Champions League qualifying spot in the English Premier League.

For the third time in their three-year history, the Union will begin the Major League Soccer season on the road. The Union will open the season Monday, March 12, at Portland against the second-year Timbers. The game is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. The Union's season is opening a bit earlier. In their inaugural season, the Union opened March 25 in Seattle against the Sounders. Last season, their season began March 19 at Houston against the Dynamo. The Union are 1-1 in openers, with a 2-0 loss to Seattle and a 1-0 win over Houston.

The Union's Major League Soccer conference semifinal opponent on Sunday, the Houston Dynamo, doesn't possess any big scorers. In fact, Houston had four players who scored a team-high five goals. Yet the Dynamo have one of the most unstoppable offensive players in Major League Soccer in midfielder Brad Davis. Among the most accurate passers in MLS history, Davis led the league with 16 assists this season, to go along with four goals. He edged David Beckham of the Los Angeles Galaxy for the assist title.

The Union's opening 1-0 Major League Soccer victory in Houston on March 19 against the Dynamo seems like a long time ago, back when the Phillies were still competing in Clearwater, Fla. Saturday, the teams will meet for a rematch when Houston visits PPL Park in Chester at 8 p.m. The Union are 8-5-8 and in second place in the Eastern Conference with 32 points. Houston (6-7-9) is just five points behind the Union, but has played one more game. "I feel last time we outplayed them, but they scored the goal," Houston midfielder Brad Davis said in a phone interview.

When the Union open their second Major League Soccer season Saturday in Houston against the Dynamo, it will be a game matching two teams looking for significant improvement. The Union were 8-15-7 last season and Houston, a two-time MLS champion in 2006 and 2007, slumped to 9-15-6. Each is expected to contend for one of the 10 playoff berths in the 18-team MLS. Even last year, the Union remained mathematically in the playoff hunt until late in the season. "You could see the youngsters were not experienced to handle the pressure, and we tried to warn them about it and calm them down," team manager Peter Nowak said.

The second Major League Soccer campaign for the Union begins in March, but the club won't have to wait a month to play its first home game, like it did last season. Starting its second season in a row on the road, the Union opens on Saturday, March 19, at 8:30 p.m., against the Houston Dynamo at Robertson Stadium. The home opener will be 1 week later, March 26, against the expansion Vancouver Whitecaps at PPL Park. MLS' First Kick begins March 15 when Seattle Sounders FC hosts the Los Angeles Galaxy live on ESPN at 9:30 p.m. MLS will feature a balanced 34-game schedule, with teams facing each other at home and on the road.

Union manager Peter Nowak knew his team's chances of making the MLS playoffs were remote. On Saturday, they became impossible. Nowak's team tied the Houston Dynamo, 1-1, but was mathematically eliminated from the posteseason when Seattle defeated Toronto, 3-2. Sebastien Le Toux scored in the 40th minute for the Union (7-13-7). Andrew Hainault scored for the Dynamo (7-14-6). Nowak said he was disappointed but saw reason to be optimistic with the way his team played in its debut season.

While the Union's Major League Soccer season winds down, Sebastien Le Toux refuses to go through the motions. On a day the Union were eliminated from MLS playoff consideration, Le Toux performed at the all-star level he has displayed all season. During a season of highlight-film goals, Le Toux may have topped himself with a spectacular score in Saturday's 1-1 tie with the Houston Dynamo in front of 16,115 at PPL Park in Chester. About a half-hour before the game, Seattle's 3-2 win over Toronto FC officially eliminated the Union (7-13-7)

After coming off what team manager Peter Nowak called the team's top performance of the year, the Union put together one of their most disappointing showings during Wednesday's 4-1 Major League Soccer loss at Colorado to the Rapids. The loss virtually eliminated the Union from playoff contention. The Union are 7-13-6, for 27 points. They have four games remaining, so the most they can earn is 39 points. Eight teams will qualify for the playoffs. Seattle and San Jose are tied for seventh with 39 points.