Poetry Corner Kicks: Union 1 - Portland 1

Opening Day! Wooooo!

All right. We’ve all gotten that out of our systems by now so we can look at this game and upcoming season objectively. The Philadelphia Union are going to the MLS Cup finals and are winning the Supporter’s Shield!!! Woooo!!! Sorry, apparently I am still working some things out of my own system.

After watching the Union play the Portland Timbers, an early season pick by many to win the Cup or the Shield or both, much of the excitement from the off season seems at least potentially merited. The new additions played quite well, with Cristian Maidana standing out to me in particular. As many have already noted, the ending seemed like a replay of last year. But this game gave a lot of reasons for optimism. On to the rhyming recap...

The game is on!
A season’s long,
But off season felt longer
The Timbers thought
The U were shot
But Philly proved the stronger

New players came
To try their game
In colors blue and gold
The first true test
Was in the West
In weather wet and cold

In minute four
Kah tried to score
His header clanged the post
In Timbers’ minds
This miss was fine;
Surely they should coast

But Philly perked
And went to work
With Chaco shooting fast
Maidana proved
The U improved
The Timbers were harassed

Jack would chip
A Ricketts slip
It seemed the shot would score
But Norberto
Put on a show
And cleared the net’s front door

Before the half
Valeri’s gaffe
Sent his attempt just wide
The second frame
Brought more the same
With no goals for each side

In sixty-four
The U would score
From off a corner kick
Maidana’s thread
To Edu’s head
Met Jack’s head with a flick

The U were in
It seemed a win
Was ready to be clinched
But Portland scored
In ninety-four
When Philly’s players flinched

In the end
The U will mend
From this game’s late collapse
A road-point earned,
Some lessons learned
To fix their mental gaps

The midfield passed
The D held fast
A forward scored the goal
If they keep growing
A playoff showing
Could be in their control