The Union really needs to find a goal scorer

Considering the Union opened training camp for the 2016 Major League Soccer season with just 11 players who were at last year's camp, the impact of new Sporting Director Earnie Stewart will be clear to see.

Not only did Stewart use the second and third overall picks in the MLS SuperDraft earlier this month on defensive players but Joshua Yaro and Keegan Rosenberry were teammates at Georgetown University, which meant Stewart put a lot of thought into upgrading a defense that had the second worst goal differential in the league at -13.

However, while defense may be the quickest way to become a more competitive team, the thought of the Union "parking the bus" in front of their goal is not visually appealing as a style of play.

Considering their inexperience on defense and at goalkeeper, it does not seem like a strategy that will lead to immediate improvement.

We have been harping on it since the team came into existence in 2010, but the Union still needs to find a legitimate, big-time scoring threat.

Goal scorers are the difference-makers and excitement generators.

Last season, the Montreal Impact was struggling to make the playoffs until the signing of former Chelsea legend Didier Drogba out of an old folk's home.

Drogba scored 11 goals in nine starts as Montreal captured the third seed in the East and advanced in the playoffs.

Attendance in Montreal increased dramatically after Drogba.

It does not necessarily have to be a big name that will break the bank.

With Stewart's experience as the Director of Football Affairs for AZ of the Dutch Eredivise, the hope is that he has the eye for talent and the connections in Europe to find a player like New York Red Bulls forward Bradley Wright-Phillips, who became a prominent goal scorer in MLS after being plucked from the third tier league in England.

Other players like that are out there in world football and it is up to Stewart & Co. to find one for the Union.

The only time the Union have made the playoffs was in 2011, which is also when it scored its most goals and the only time it has posted a positive goal differential.

The Union, which began training on Monday, relying on forward C.J. Sapong to tap into the reservoir that seemed so deep when he was named MLS Rookie of the Year in 2011 seems like a reach.

Sapong is 27 years old and has yet to record double-digit goals in any of his previous five MLS seasons.

As desperate as the United States National Team has been to find scoring, Sapong only has two caps and has not been called for duty since 2012.

Sebastien Le Toux is the Union's all-time goal scorer and has 48 MLS goals but he just turned 32 and Father Time could soon affect the speed, pace and work rate that has made him so effective.

He has not been a top 10 MLS goal scorer since finishing seventh in 2011.

The Major League Soccer transfer window for players under contract in another country runs from Feb. 18 to May 12, so there is plenty of time for the Union to evaluate what they have and then adjust.

Still, management needs to do something because the only thing worse than being bad is playing boring soccer when you are bad.