Union's Hackworth wants complete effort against Colorado

IT WAS a tale of two halves last weekend for the Union and, after a tough opening loss to Sporting Kansas City at PPL Park, the Union looks to rebound Saturday against the Colorado Rapids.

The Union will travel to Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo., for the Rapids' home opener.

The Union will try to put together a full 90-minute effort.

Against SKC, the Union started the first half on fire, with dominating play on the field. A goal from returning fan favorite Sebastien Le Toux in the 17th minute put the fans into a frenzy. However, from then on, the game was marked with inconsistent play by the Union, ending in a 3-1 loss.

Union manager John Hackworth knows the upcoming game will be tough, as both clubs are looking for their first win.

"They had a tough start, similar to ours last weekend," Hackworth said this week during preparations for Saturday's game. "They probably feel like they should've scored a goal or two or three, and it didn't happen for them. So we're both in the position of needing a win badly in Week 2."

Hackworth also noted that the game in Colorado will be challenging because of the high altitude.

"It's going to be very difficult. Colorado is a hard place to play," he said. "The altitude gets to you, and, in this sport, playing at the level we're trying to play at, it obviously has an effect.

"We'll have to change some of our tactics because of that."

Meanwhile, all eyes are on a storm that could dump up to a foot of snow in the area on Saturday during the game. As of Thursday, there were no plans to postpone the game.

Colorado is coming off a frustrating, 1-0 loss at FC Dallas. The Rapids were stung by a costly mistake by goalkeeper Stew Ceus, who was playing for the injured Matt Pickens. Ceus attempted to play the ball, missed it and allowed a simple tap-in from FC Dallas winger Jackson Goncalves. Colorado had few legitimate offensive chances, making the loss sting even more.

The Union will be searching for more offensive chances, after scoring only one goal in its opener. Does this mean that the lineup will be changed in any way? Hackworth wasn't sure as of Wednesday afternoon.

"I haven't made that decision yet. I would expect some different players in the lineup," he said. "I feel like we have good depth, and there's guys that have been competing for the last several weeks now that deserve an opportunity."

For Hackworth, it all comes back to putting in a complete effort for a full 90 minutes. That also means that the younger players need to develop the 90-minute mentality, he said.

"I think guys have to take that next step in their own development," he said, "so that, mentally, they can be effective in that 90-plus-minute game."