Le Toux hurt as Union fall to United, 1-0
WASHINGTON - Already struggling to score, the Union may be without striker Sebastien Le Toux for the playoff push after a 1-0 loss Saturday to D.C. United.
WASHINGTON - Already struggling to score, the Union may be without striker Sebastien Le Toux for the playoff push after a 1-0 loss Saturday to D.C. United.
Le Toux, the Union's leading scorer, went off with a right-ankle sprain midway through the first half as the Union saw their five-match MLS unbeaten run snapped by Luis Silva's 10th-minute header.
The Union (9-10-11, 38 points) now sit three points behind the Red Bulls for the Eastern Conference's fifth and final playoff spot. Toronto is sixth, two points ahead of the Union.
Including the U.S. Open Cup final, the Union have gone 262 minutes without scoring and 349 minutes since scoring a non-penalty goal.
"We're going to have to find a way to fight through it," Union interim manager Jim Curtin said. "We need to now win three games in a row to give ourselves even a chance at the playoffs."
Curtin said the evaluation of Le Toux's injury would "be day by day," but Le Toux limped heavily around the locker room after the game.
"I'll probably take an MRI and see what's going on," said Le Toux, who has 12 goals and six assists in MLS play. "I hope for the minimum, but I don't really know right now. It doesn't look so good."
Curtin thought he saw a missed call on Silva's 11th goal for D.C. - off Chris Korb's cross - after Silviu Petrescu whistled left back Raymon Gaddis for a foul throw, giving United the ball.
"D.C. takes the throw-in from the exact spot that Ray gets called for a foul throw, so I took issue with that," Curtin said. "As I'm yelling at him, there's a handball out on Korb."
Danny Cruz, Le Toux's replacement, was one of several Union players to look more threatening in the second half after an ineffective first.
"We have to have more commitment from [Cristian Maidana], from Vincent [Nogueira], from Amobi [Okugo] to get in the box late," Curtin said. "There were probably 10 crosses that got knocked down on the 8- to 12-yard line, and we don't have anyone in there to get on the end of it."
