Pontius Enjoying First Season With Union
By Matt Leon
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The 2016 Major League Soccer season has been a good one so far for the Philadelphia Union.
After a 1-1 draw with San Jose last time out on Saturday, the Union sit at 4-3-1 this season. Their 13 points are good for second place in the Eastern Conference, a point behind first-place Montreal.
Veteran Chris Pontius scored the Union's goal in that draw with the Earthquakes. It was his fourth of the season, which has him tied for the team lead with C.J. Sapong. The forward/midfielder talks about what's led to this early success for the squad.
"The fact that everyone's working for each other," Pontius tells KYW Newsradio. "We've really gelled as a team. So everyone's putting in the work - defensively, offensively, getting into good spots. I wouldn't even say we've played even close to our potential yet. But the fact that we're covering for each other when the mistakes start happening is the sign of a good team and we've been doing that game in and game out."
Listen to the entire interview with the Union's Chris Pontius
This is the first season with the Union for Pontius. He was acquired in the off-season from D.C. United.
"It's been smooth sailing," Pontius says. "Philly's not too far from D.C., so it wasn't a terribly long move. Moving into this new training facility we have has been amazing. Playing at Talen Energy (Stadium) has been incredible and obviously it makes it a little bit easier when we're getting some wins underneath our belt. In terms of soccer, it's been amazing. The city's been good to me as well. Looking for some better weather so I can get out and explore a bit more."
Next up for the Union will be a key match-up with the L.A. Galaxy in Chester on Wednesday night.
"An experienced team," Pontius says. "A team that's won championships. A team that has some international players with some amazing pedigrees. But it's a good test for our guys. When you see the calendar early on in the season, this is definitely one of those games that you circle."
The Union and Galaxy get underway at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
You can follow Matt on Twitter @mattleonkyw.