They're down ... but not out.It will be a long, uphill climb for theUnion to secure its second consecutive playoff berth. However, the trekisn't insurmountable.The Union (7-12-2) are tied for next-to-lastwith the New England Revolution in the Eastern Conference. They're 13points behind DC United (11-8-3) for the fifth and final playoff spot inthe East.Ironically, the Union travel to D.C. Sunday night. IfPhiladelphia harbors any hope of competing in the postseason, a hugevictory, on the road, is a great place to start.DC United defeated Philadelphia, 1-0, on June 16 in interim manager John Hackworth's debut in place of Peter Nowak."Ifwe go down and get three points at DC United, we are right back in theplayoff race, depending on what some other teams do," Hackworth said. "Isaid this a couple weeks ago, that when we didn't gain points, ourother competitors didn't gain points, either."This year in theEastern Conference, it's a dogfight and a lot of that we can't controlbecause of where we are. The only thing we can really do is try to getthree points at D.C. and see where that puts us."The Union havedropped consecutive matches to Montreal and Chicago. The players arekeenly aware that picking up three points is vital."Of course, wewant to go to the playoffs, but we've dug ourselves a big hole and wehave to get out of it now," said Brian Carroll, who has appeared in thepostseason in all nine previous MLS seasons. "It starts with this matchagainst DC United. We have to forget about the last two and focus inhere on getting three points."Soul coach steps downDoug Plank, less than a week after leading the Philadelphia Soul to ArenaBowl XXV, has resigned from his post.Plank cited a need for a break after a grueling season, according to a press release.The Soul ranked No. 1 in the AFL in scoring (68.2), rushing offense (44.2), turnover margin (+23) under Plank last season. But the team dropped the title game to Arizona, 72-54.
