Philadelphia Union

WASHINGTON - Danny Califf knew the outcome the minute the ball left his boot. It's why he laid face down on the pitch at RFK Stadium yesterday for a good 20 seconds while D.C. United forward Danny Allsopp celebrated at his expense. In a 2-0 Union defeat, Allsopp netted his third and fourth goals of the season to become the second player in August to double his total goal count at the expense of the Union (Columbus' Steven Lenhart scored a pair in a 2-1 Crew win at PPL Park on Aug. 5)

After allowing 49 goals, tied for the second-highest total in Major League Soccer during their inaugural season, the Union addressed the back line with last week's signing of two Colombian national team members, goalie Faryd Mondragon and central defender Carlos Valdes. All of a sudden, the team's biggest weakness appears to be a strength, and now it presents a pleasant problem for team manager Peter Nowak during training camp: who to play on defense. It could have an impact on team captain Danny Califf, who started 28 of 30 games last season as a central defender.

Here are two words that should erase last week's insulting comments from former Union possibility Robert Pires. Fabio Cannavaro. Recent reports in the Italian press have the 36-year-old defender entertaining offers from teams in Major League Soccer. Namely, the Los Angeles Galaxy, Red Bull New York and the Union are said to be vying for the service of Cannavaro, Italy's all-time caps leader (132), its captain during the World Cup championship run of the Azzurri in Germany 2006 and its captain yet again at the upcoming World Cup in South Africa.

In front of a sold-out crowd of 18,591, the Philadelphia Union defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps, 1-0, in the Union's home opener at PPL Park in Chester on Saturday. The Union's Carlos Ruiz scored the game's only goal in the 77th minute, assisted by Sebastien Le Toux, and the defense held the rest of the way with a man advantage following a red card on striker Eric Hassli. The second straight 1-0 victory marks the first winning streak in franchise history for the Union.

Although getting permission to show the game wasn't exactly a free kick, Saturday's U.S.-England World Cup match will be telecast at the Philadelphia Union's brand-new Chester stadium as part of an open house for season ticket-holders. About a month ago, the Union applied for the OK to televise the game on the day when soccer fans would be getting their first peek inside the riverfront stadium, said Tom Veit, the Union's president. The World Cup governing body, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA)

The Union continue to show improvement, earning a point on the road over the weekend as they get ready for a steady diet of games at PPL Park. Saturday's 1-1 tie against Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., improved the Union's Major League Soccer record to 3-7-2. The road record is now 1-7-1, but the next four MLS home games will be at PPL Park. The Union were coming off a 3-1 win June 27 in the opening of PPL Park, which was their best performance of the season.

The "trialist" tag on journeyman midfielder Eduardo Coudet is just a temporary formality. In the Union's 1-0 defeat of a sluggish Celtic FC side last night at PPL Park, Coudet, who has been training with the Union for weeks, controlled the center of the pitch perhaps better than any of the other players who have had the role this season. He only played one half, but his diligence was rewarded in the 23rd minute after he slotted a crisp pass at the top of the 18-yard-box to forward Sebastien Le Toux, who bypassed Celtic goalkeeper Dominic Cervi and calmly placed the ball into the back of the net. Union manager Peter Nowak said the team is "very close to making a deal" with the 35-year-old Argentine midfielder.

Peter Nowak sidestepped the end result of Saturday's 1-1 stalemate against New England to near perfection, but the blatant truth is that this game should have found the 18,147 in attendance celebrating the Union's fifth win of the season. If that is to say the Revolution lacked intensity, tact and overall pace, then what does that say about the Union, which has a slew of grueling matches on the schedule, beginning Thursday with Eastern Conference leader Columbus? In a game that was stolen from a tenacious Union side after goalkeeper Chris Seitz misplayed a Marko Perovic free kick in the 71st minute - "That took a bad bounce or hit something," according to Nowak - the tie left many players scratching their heads, the "River End" supporters in a mad frenzy and Nowak darting for the locker room following the obligatory handshake with Revs boss Steve Nicol.

At every Philadelphia Union soccer game - day or night, broiling or cold, sunny or pouring rain - you can find Jason Thurston cheering from Section 103 of PPL Park. He'll be there Sunday for the team's home opener, albeit with one short detour: Onto the field, to be honored as the 2011 Fan of the Year, the winner in an imaginative new marketing program that's putting dollars in the Union bank account, and giving fans once-in-a-lifetime chances to meet players, take behind-the-scenes tours, and even play pickup games on the field.

WHAT'S IN a name? Plenty, if you're a casino looking to expand your business. On Friday, what has been Harrah's Chester Casino and Racetrack since its 2006 opening will officially be rebranded Harrah's Philadelphia. (Its website already was calling it that on Tuesday.) "The [new name] is to complement the changes and evolution we're bringing to the property," said Ron Baumann, the gambling den's senior vice president and general manager, in reference to in-the-works upgrades of amenities including dining and entertainment.

WHAT'S IN a name? Plenty, if you're a casino looking to expand your business. On Friday, what has been Harrah's Chester Casino and Racetrack since its 2006 opening will officially be rebranded Harrah's Philadelphia. (Its website already was calling it that on Tuesday.) "The [new name] is to complement the changes and evolution we're bringing to the property," said Ron Baumann, the gambling den's senior vice president and general manager, in reference to in-the-works upgrades of amenities including dining and entertainment.

The NCAA men's soccer committee on Wednesday awarded Philadelphia-Chester hosting rights to the 2013 Division I men's soccer championships, to be held at PPL Park on Dec. 13-15. Villanova will serve as the host school. This will be the first time Philadelphia has hosted the event. "We are thrilled to have been selected by the NCAA as the host institution for the 2013 College Cup," Villanova athletic director Vince Nicastro said in a statement. "PPL Park is the finest soccer facility of its kind in the nation, and together we have forged a partnership with the leadership of the Philadelphia Union and the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau that will allow us to create a first-class experience for the fans attending this outstanding event.

The Business page would not be my first choice to learn about the fanaticism displayed by supporters of Philadelphia's sports teams. After all, you can see people wearing Flyers jerseys or driving cars with the Phillies' "P" on the front license plate. Team names are painted into lawns. I pass a custom minibus emblazoned with the "Eagles" logo sitting in a driveway when I take one of the younger Armstrongs to his violin lesson each week. But Philadelphia's deep identification as a rabid sports town brought about 120 businesspeople to the Four Seasons Hotel on Thursday to hear a panel of experts make the case that it's not all fun and games.

At every Philadelphia Union soccer game - day or night, broiling or cold, sunny or pouring rain - you can find Jason Thurston cheering from Section 103 of PPL Park. He'll be there Sunday for the team's home opener, albeit with one short detour: Onto the field, to be honored as the 2011 Fan of the Year, the winner in an imaginative new marketing program that's putting dollars in the Union bank account, and giving fans once-in-a-lifetime chances to meet players, take behind-the-scenes tours, and even play pickup games on the field.

PORTLAND, Ore. - In 2011, the Philadelphia Union scored first in just five of 17 regular-season road games. In their 2012 Major League Soccer season opener Monday night, on the road, the Union took an early lead but couldn't hold on to it. The Portland Timbers ran roughshod over the Union after Gabriel Gomez' 51st-minute free-kick goal, dealing the Union a 3-1 defeat. Backed by a raucous sellout crowd of 20,438, Portland controlled most of the possession in a scoreless first half.

Philabundance, a nonprofit organization that provides emergency food and services to area residents throughout the Philadelphia region, has named Michelle Hong chair. She is an attorney and director of wealth planning at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. New board members include: Bassam Awadalla, a consumer market executive at Bank of America; Dianne Elderkin, a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, L.L.P.; Joseph A. Tedesco, senior vice president and regional sales manager at First Niagara Bank; and D. Michael Wilson, president of FMC Corp.; and Aaron R. Krauss, a partner at Cozen O'Connor.

The Union had their second bombshell announcement in two days by trading star forward Sebastien Le Toux to the Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Tuesday for an undisclosed amount of allocation money. Le Toux has been the face of the franchise, scoring 25 goals and adding 20 assists in the team's first two seasons. He was also the Union's first all-star selection, in 2010. "While this decision wasn't easy, we are confident that the allocation money we receive will provide the flexibility for us to compile the best possible roster for 2012 and beyond," Union manager Peter Nowak said.

Haverford School striker Brett Campbell has committed to play soccer for Georgetown, Fords coach Bill Brady said Thursday night. Campbell, a junior, chose Georgetown from a crop of scholarship offers, which included Penn State, Penn, and Wake Forest. A year ago, Brady said, Penn might have been the front-runner for Campbell's services, but the draw of the Big East, of which Georgetown is a member, combined with the school's academic reputation tipped Campbell toward the Hoyas.

The Union's home opener is set for March 18 at PPL Park, Major League Soccer announced. The league revealed the home opening dates for each team, but did not provide opponents. MLS will have six games on March 10, two on March 11 and one on March 12. It is possible that the Union would open on the road in one of those games. All but one MLS club will play at home by the end of Week 3. The entire regular season schedule is expected to be released by the end of the year.

He has not quite burst onto his latest scene, but Union forward-midfielder Freddy Adu remains among the team's more intriguing figures as it prepares for its first MLS Cup playoff appearance with Sunday's 5 p.m. matchup at PPL Park against the Houston Dynamo. Amid plenty of fanfare, Adu joined the Union on Aug. 12, practiced with the team that day, and made his debut the next evening in a 1-1 draw against visiting Dallas. Adu has appeared in 11 games for the Union, with six starts.