Much was made of the Union’s rise to the top of the Eastern Conference during the first couple of months of the 2016 season. Even more was made of their 5-11-4 collapse down the stretch. Jim Curtin’s side stumbled into the Knockout Round of the MLS Playoffs, and to nobody’s surprise, fell to the eventual runner-up Toronto FC.
What made the slide from the top spot in the conference at the Copa America break all the way to sixth place in the East even more difficult to swallow was the midseason departure of Vincent Nogueira.