Union go back on the road again

After two rare occurrences, a home game and then a bye week, the Union return to Major League Soccer play in a familiar situation - on the road.

With PPL Park in Chester to open June 27 when the Union host Seattle, the team will play eight of its first 10 games on the road.

The Union (1-5-1) have been idle since a 1-1 draw with FC Dallas on May 15 at Lincoln Financial Field.

It was only the second home game and, not so coincidentally, the win came at the Linc when the Union defeated Washington, 3-2.

The next three games will be on the road, beginning with Saturday's 8:30 p.m. game at Houston against the 5-4-1 Dynamo. The game will be televised on the Fox Soccer Channel.

Despite having just four points, second lowest in the league - D.C. United (1-8) have three points - Union CEO Nick Sakiewicz is not discouraged by the team's play.

For instance, the tie against FC Dallas was achieved on a goal by Danny Mwanga in the 93d minute.

In a 2-1 loss to Toronto, the Union trailed by 1-0, tied the game at 1-1 and then lost on a penalty kick in the 81st minute while playing a man down.

The Union were also down, 1-0, against the New York Red Bulls, but tied the score - only to lose, 2-1, on a penalty kick in the 67th minute.

"We're very excited the way our team is playing," Sakiewicz said. "We always wanted to build an aggressive team that has a lot of spirit - and that is what we have."

With so much parity in MLS, the Union or any team could get back in the playoff hunt by stringing together a few wins. Eight of the 16 teams will qualify for the postseason.

For the Union to even be in the conversation, they will have to have some breakthrough games on the road.

After Saturday, there are road games at Chicago (2-3-3) on June 5 and at Kansas City (2-4-3) on June 10 before MLS breaks for the World Cup.