The Philadelphia Union entered a period of uncertainty earlier this season when their in-form forward, CJ Sapong, was sidelined due to injury.
Enter Roland Alberg.
The Dutch midfielder, getting his feet under him in the first part of the season after joining the Union in the offseason, recently has been the boost Philadelphia were hoping he would be when he was signed, scoring six goals in his last five MLS regular season appearances.
At this point in the season, due to the contributions of Alberg, Sapong, Chris Pontius and others, the Union sit atop the league in goals scored, and Alberg's emergence looks to have kickstarted the mid-season resurgence.
Before Alberg began starting regularly in league play, four games ago, Philadelphia ranked eighth in goals per game. Now? They're No. 2.
Check out the table below for more evidence of Alberg's influence since he became a regular for the Union.
NOTE: The games "with Alberg" listed are his starts in league play, not total appearances.
With Alberg |
Statistic |
Without Alberg |
|---|---|---|
8 |
<strong>Games</strong> |
11 |
15 |
<strong>Goals for</strong> |
17 |
1.9 |
<strong>Avg. Goals for</strong> |
1.5 |
50% |
<strong>Win percentage</strong> |
36.4% |
