10/2/2012 - Chicago - With another string of losses following their most recent break, the Union now simply look to embrace a new role. It isn’t the comeback, and it’s hardly going to be a strong finish. If they embrace the role of spoiler though, the vibe going into the off-season could be much different. The Union have five matches left this season, four of which against East leading teams.
Don’t expect to see a recharge of energy, or a silent killer for hopes to ride on into next year. Expect an exhausted limping crawl into November. Recent attendance has reflected the vibe that the club has given off, but possibly, following an upset in Chicago they could return to a familiar setting to face New England. It’s the culture of the time, most fans are already tuned out so the best they could do is finish strong, make some top Eastern Conference teams dread their dates with us and embrace the only role they’ll be seeing till next spring.
The Union’s most recent performance was anything but awe-inspiring before last week's heartbreaking blown call defeat to Columbus. For myself it was like a preface to a 2012 auto-biography that would be harder to read than hieroglyphics. They come into Chicago 8-15-6 30 pts. and some tall odds to pull the upset. Chicago, already looking on to the MLS Cup Playoffs are 16-9-5 53 pts. and 4 points from falling out of the race. Since the Fire certainly won’t be taking any fixture lightly, it will be a chance to judge if the Union performance last week is something to build on, or a cardiac flutter following the last two weeks of non effective CPR.
