The hole they dug under Peter Nowak's leadership may be too deep to dig out of, but John Hackworth seems to have figured something out with the Philadelphia Union. The new coach led his team to its third win in five games since taking over, this one a 3-0 dismembering of Toronto FC on Sunday.
In less than half as many games as they played under Nowak, the Union have already won more games (three), scored more goals (10) and registered just one fewer shutouts (two) under Hackworth. They've also qualified for the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup for the first time in their three-year history.
The dominance in this game started early. Freddy Adu helped create a couple strong scoring chances and the Union enjoyed more than 70 percent of the possession in the first half. They broke through for a goal when Gabriel Gomez's shot deflected past Milos Kocic in the 34th minute. Just two minutes later, Adu found the back of the net when he took Gabriel Farfan's pass and beat Kocic to the far post at a sharp angle. Antoine Hoppenot finished off TFC with a goal in the 78th minute.
The loss halted a nice run of form for TFC, which had entered the match on a five-match unbeaten streak. They are now seven points behind the Union and in last place of the Eastern Conference.