Valdes shores up Union defense for win

THIRTY MINUTES before the action began at PPL Park on Saturday night, one by one they trickled in.

One man stood when he saw his favorite player leave the tunnel, the back of his jersey reading "Valdes" with what is now an incorrect number. A young boy pointed toward the Colombian defender while he was warming up. One family of four sat near the sidelines with matching jerseys, all representing the Union's lost son.

Carlos Valdes returned to Philadelphia for the first time since 2011, and with his homecoming came chants from the raucous Philly fan base, some adding a Colombian flag to a collection hanging from the Delaware River end of the stadium.

Valdes' play helped lead a valiant performance by the Union defense, which held on for a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Impact in front of a sellout crowd on the same night old Phillies skipper Charlie Manuel came to town.

It wasn't the prettiest; it wasn't "the beautiful game" as manager Jim Curtain described, but it was enough to get what the Union (6-8-9, 27 points) needed: three points and a move up the standings, into a tie with Columbus for the fifth and final playoff spot in the East. Without Valdes, it might not have been possible.

"Carlos was excellent back there," Curtain said of his defender who signed a multiyear contract last week. "He wins all his battles. He doesn't try to do too much passing out of the back . . . He's experienced enough, he's been through the wars. And he did that tonight. He won every battle and made a lot of big blocks that don't show up on the stat sheet . . . for him to come in the group and play that good for us, I was very happy."

Though the Union defense was the highlight of the match, the Impact's shaky back line started the fireworks in what was a sloppy game. In the 12th minute, Union goalie Zac MacMath kicked the ball past midfield and Montreal's Patrice Bernier and Krzysztof Krol had a miscommunication, giving Sebastien Le Toux space for the first goal of the game and a 1-0 Union lead.

Valdes wasn't the only returnee on the pitch. Jack McInerney, who was traded to Montreal for Andrew Wenger in April, returned to chants of "Same old Jack Mac, always offsides" from the Sons of Ben cheering section.

In the 50th minute, McInerney broke free for an opportunity for a header on goal and Valdes got in his grill, moving him off his strike and making him miss slightly to the left. Thirteen minutes later, Le Toux found space for his second goal of the evening.

It wasn't easy for Valdes, who said candidly that he was "tired" after the match. But his effort kept the Union in the game and stopped the Impact from advancing on goal.

"That was a hard game for me and for the team because we played against a very, very hard team. But the most important thing was victory," Valdes said. "I felt my body getting heavy. But [the fans] like the way that I play and I'm trying to do the best, the best that I can [for them]."

After both Le Toux strikes, in the 79th minute, Maxim Tissot of the Impact caught Sheanon Williams napping on his mark and put one past MacMath to cut it to 2-1.

But that was all the scoring for Montreal (3-14-5, 14 points), which has lost seven in a row. The Union now goes on the road for a U.S. Open Cup game tomorrow against FC Dallas before traveling to Houston for a Friday night match.

As for Valdes, the fans seem to have motivated his play in his first game back in a Union jersey.

"I'm very thankful to the people, ya know; today was a great day," Valdes said. "I had a good experience because the people were fantastic. All I can say is, thank you for everything."