Oh Le Toux, Le Toux
Oh Le Toux, Le Toux, He is Frencher than me or you. He will score as a goal or two (or three!) Oh Le Toux, Le Toux.
Once again, Union fans have to say goodbye to their favorite Frenchman. Sebastien Le Toux, a Union original, quickly became the heart and soul of the young Union franchise in 2010 scoring a hat trick in the very first game. Sounders fans may claim him as their own having played there from 2007-2009 but Le Toux himself would call himself a Union player through and through
In 2012, he was traded away to the Vancouver Whitecaps by former head coach Peter Nowak. But he fought his way back to the Union. After spending time in 2012 with both the Whitecaps and the hated Red Bulls, he finally rejoined the Union in 2013. Red Bulls fans do not have the fondest memories of Le Toux. The cleanest version of what they said is that he wouldn’t even give him the time of day.
But he is the exact opposite with Union fans. Le Toux became a role model both on and off the field. Every Union fan you talk to will have a favorite story about him. He always took time and interact and praise fans. He enjoyed going out into the community to connect more with the people who grew to love him. He showed Union fans what it meant to be a professional athlete and how much the support meant to him. On the field, Le Toux not only displayed excellence in contributions to the team but also how to play the game. He won the MLS fair play award in 2010 and 2011. He only have received a handful of yellow cards in his career starting in the dreadful 2014 season.
If you need an example of how much Le Toux meant to Union fans, posted by Gregg Dainton on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/greggdainton/status/761019199892230145?s=07
Union fans, both young and old loved Le Toux and will miss him greatly.
Le Toux had his place on the field too. He has scored and assisted 50 times each in 175 matches in a Union jersey, all franchise bests. He is the leading goal scorer in U.S. Open Cup history and a big part of the Union’s success in the competition in recent years. This year he has 2 goals in league play and has contributed 5 assists leading the team. His lightening quick speed has always caused issues for other teams whether he is at striker or out on the wing.
From a business perspective this makes sense. Le Toux has been relegated to the bench due to slight injuries and the high level play of Ilsinho but has been effective in a super sub role. But with the addition of USMNTer Alejandro Bedoya, the Union were spending a lot of money in the midfield when not every player could play. Le Toux is making $300,000 this year, more than you want to be paying a bench player. In addition, the Union received what is presumed to be a large amount of allocation money which they will likely use to pay Chicago as part of the Bedoya signing. Le Toux is on the final year of his current contract so he may find his way back to the Union at the end of the year, if he is able to forgive them again.
He might as he has a home in the suburbs of Philadelphia, has developed many relationships in the community and coached local soccer camps. At 32, he is also approaching retirement age and maybe looking to sign in a place he wants to retire. While it is hard for fans to see the face of the franchise go, as we saw with Brian Dawkins and Donovan McNabb with the Eagles or Chase Utley with the Phillies, sometimes it is in the best interest of the team to move on and look to the future.
We would love to have our Seba back but it is time to go win a cup.
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Categorized:Union