How Do You Spell “Union”?

As one of the veteran leaders of this group of players embarking on their first season together as a professional sports team, Stefani Miglioranzi doesn’t appear to have that tough guy persona. On the contrary, he seems to come off as a very friendly, approachable type of person, quick with a smile, appreciative of the opportunity to play for the Union, and yet VERY in-tune with the reputation possessed by the fans and teams of Philadelphia.

So, if you were to ask him how to spell the name of his new team, I think his response would be “N-A-S-T-Y”.

In speaking with the Delaware County Times during the team’s training sessions in Springfield, PA, Miglioranzi talked about the team having that “nasty” mindset; the team that other “franchises despise having to play against”.

The team that “won’t let an opposing team saunter into its home stadium in Chester and assume that a win is a guarantee”.

With that attitude, Stefani will quickly become a surefire fan favorite.

He sees the Union’s potential to do what the ‘98 Chicago Fire did in their first season as an expansion franchise; the Fire finished second in the Western Conference, and managed to win both the MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup. Said Miglioranzi, “I think we definitely have the talent, the character, and the coaching staff to do those things.”

So as the team finishes up their first few days of conditioning and team bonding (no “trust falls” nor spontaneous renditions of Kumbaya have been reported), they look ahead to a weekend of well-deserved rest and recovery. And packing. On Monday they leave for Greensboro, NC to continue their preseason training in warmer climes, and prepare for an exhibition game against the UNC Tarheels on February 13th.

I have to wonder if Stefani is a big Janet Jackson fan?

Category: 2010 Preseason, Stefani Miglioranzi