Manager John Hackworth happy with Union's preseason effort

This is John Hackworth's first full season as team manager of the Union, and he lauded the squad for its effort during this preseason in remarks after Tuesday morning's workout at the Eagles' NovaCare Complex.

The Major League Soccer schedule will begin earlier than usual for the Union. They open their fourth season on March 2 against Sporting Kansas City at PPL Park in Chester.

Hackworth, formerly the assistant coach, took over when manager Peter Nowak was fired in mid-June. He is looking to get the Union back to the level they played in their second season, when they went 11-8-15 and made the MLS Cup playoffs.

Last season, the team dropped to 10-18-6 and scored 37 goals, 15th in the 19-team league.

Hackworth said the coaching staff and the players have a chip on their shoulders. He said that the Union played better than their record and that the team is ready for the next step.

"We had a lot of mistakes, and they were mistakes made through inexperience, and they know that is not the excuse they can give anymore," he said.

Hackworth pointed to several bright spots.

Defender Bakary Soumare, who signed with the Union in June but was limited to just one game because of a knee injury, is 100 percent, Hackworth said. Soumare sat out the morning workout Tuesday only as a precaution after playing on turf for a number of days.

Soumare and Jeff Parke are expected to be the Union's central defenders. Parke is with the U.S. national team, but was not in the lineup for Tuesday night's friendly against Canada in Houston.

Midfielder Roger Torres, who has been with the Union since their inception, has come to camp in the best shape of his career.

"This is the first preseason Roger came in and was fit enough to participate from the get-go," Hackworth said. "In the past, he struggled with fitness and had to catch up the first few weeks of preseason."

Hackworth said the team made it clear to Torres that he had to be in shape from the beginning, and the 21-year-old midfielder has responded.

Newcomer Conor Casey, acquired from Colorado in December, where he was the Rapids' all-time leading scorer with 50 goals, said he was feeling healthy and was excited to be with the Union. The striker suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon in July 2011 and appeared in 18 games last season.

"It's been a couple of years since I have had a preseason, and I am excited," Casey said. "It's grueling, double-day [workouts], but I feel I am in a good place health-wise and being able to get through it."