Philadelphia Union braces for busy July schedule

AS IF THE UNION hasn't endured enough this season to test its resolve, the month of July will put the team into overdrive.

Beginning with Saturday's match in Houston, and ending with a July 29 game at home against New England, the Union will play eight matches, at a rate of one in nearly every 4 days. Courtesy of a semifinal berth in the U.S. Open Cup on July 11 and a friendly against English power Aston Villa a week later, the team is trying to maximize the efforts of everyone on the roster — and get wins in the process.

The Union is finally learning how to accomplish the latter, with two straight wins.

In his weekly news conference at PPL Park Wednesday, Union interim manager John Hackworth spoke about how he plans to get results.

"It's all about managing our guys wisely," Hackworth said. "We are in a position now to pull points every time we step on the field, and it's important that we continue to do that. We have set goals for each block of time we have between games and are trying to ensure that we put forth maximum effort."

The Union starts this arduous stretch against last year's MLS Cup finalist, Houston, which knocked Philly out of the playoffs last season. The Dynamo is coming off a loss to expansion Montreal, but is undefeated in league play at the brand-new BBVA Compass Stadium in downtown Houston. Spearheaded by forward Will Bruin, who leads the team with nine goals, Houston has never beaten the Union in the regular season, with two losses and two ties. A game against Los Angeles on July 4 is next; the Galaxy is on a three-match win streak behind the terrorizing threesome of Landon Donovan, David Beckham and Robbie Keane, the Irish striker who is back from the European Championships.

"It's going to be a challenge," Hackworth said. "But we have set goals for each block, and guys are going to have to make sure they are ready. The one thing I have been asking of our players is that it's imperative we continue to improve our game fitness. And the only way to get a player truly game fit is to get them playing in games. I have asked guys whenever they are out there to leave it all on the field and also trust our bench to come in and pick up where they left off."

Another important factor is keeping guys healthy, and right now the Union has only a few key players nursing injuries, primarily defender Sheanon Williams, who is recovering from a sprained big toe. Williams took shots during warmups before Tuesday night's Open Cup win over Harrisburg and said he felt fine. Hackworth added he "expected Sheanon to return to the lineup soon."

The Union's technical staff has to make some key decisions this month among the back four, with the addition of center back Bakary Soumaré and the stellar play of Amobi Okugo, coupled with the absence of Williams and the trade of Danny Califf.

"We plan to be very conservative with Soumaré," Hackworth said. "Amobi is turning out to be a fantastic center back, and I told Soumaré that he will have to battle both Amobi and Carlos Valdes for a spot. [Soumaré] still needs to get match fit and, during this stretch, it's important we get him up to speed, because, with all these matches, we will need him."

Overall, Hackworth is overjoyed with the way the Union has performed since he took over for the fired Peter Nowak on June 13. But July will be a proving ground.

"We've played really good games in this stretch," Hackworth said. "And though we've taken our foot off the gas for a while in a few games, I still think we've played with a lot of intensity. It's my responsibility to make sure that doesn't waver; it promises to be a really tough month." 

UNION IN JULY

Seven games in 26 days — plus the All-Star Game — could wear out the Union. With 2 or 3 days between most of the games next month, here's a look at Philadelphia's very busy slate:

July 4: at Los Angeles, 11 p.m. (Comcast SportNet)

July 8: vs. Toronto FC, 4 p.m. (6ABC)

July 11: vs. Kansas City (Open Cup semifinal), 7:30 p.m.

July 14: vs. Montreal, 7 p.m. (Comcast SportsNet)

July 18: vs. Aston Villa (exhibition), 7:30 p.m.

July 21: at Red Bull New York, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

July 25: MLS All-Star Game (featuring select players), PPL Park, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

July 29: vs. New England, 7 p.m. (NBC Sports)

— Kerith Gabriel