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Bakary Soumare's stay with the Philadelphia Union will come to an end shortly, as the center back has been traded to the Chicago Fire.

A source informed the Brotherly Game that Soumare's trade request, which he had made at the beginning of the 2013 season, was fulfilled by the Union. The Fire, who Soumare started against twice in the course of eight days recently, will add their former standout defender.

John Hackworth takes a seat this week as the Union's Technical Director steps up to the podium for a press conference.

Thanks to a shocking upset tonight in Ocean City, the Philadelphia Union will play host to the nearby Ocean City Nor'easters in the 3rd round of the U.S. Open Cup May 28 at PPL Park.

The Ocean City Nor'easters upset the Pittsburgh Riverhounds 1-0 in a thrilling second round match to ensure advancement in the 100th U.

Right place at the right time. Jack McInerney may have a reputation as a "poacher", but there is a good reason that the vast majority of his goals are scored from inside the box - he knows how to position himself. You could call it luck if it happened a couple of times, but McInerney finds the right spot at the right time over and over again.

Pour one out for New York Red Bulls fans.

They are stuck in New Jersey with a new stadium, are struggling with attendance, and now have to deal with a new crosstown rival, New York City FC, firmly planted in New York City beginning play in 2015 with Flushing Meadows in Queens as the expected location for the new stadium.

Game: Philadelphia Union vs. Chicago Fire

Where: PPL Park, Chester, PA

When: 7:30 PM ET

Channel: The Comcast Network

Commentators: JP Dellacamera and Alejandro Moreno

Meet the Opposition: Hot Time In Old Town

Philadelphia Union starting XI: (4-4-2) Zac MacMath; Raymon Gaddis, Bakary Soumare, Amobi Okugo, Sheanon Williams; Brian Carroll, Danny Cruz, Kleberson, Michael Farfan; Jack McInerney, Sebastien Le Toux

Philadelphia Union bench: Chris Konopka, Chris Albright, Keon Daniel, Leo Fernandes, Roger Torres, Conor Casey, Antoine Hoppenot

Chicago Fire starting XI: (4-4-2) Sean Johnson; Wells Thompson, Jalil Anibaba, Austin Berry, Gonzalo Segares; Dilly Duka, Logan Pause, Jeff Larentowicz, Joel Lindpere; Patrick Nyarko; Chris Rolfe

Chicago Fire bench: Paolo Tornaghi, Michael Videira, Corben Bone, Brendan King, Alex, Quincy Amerikwa, Sherjill MacDonald

Prediction: The last time these two squads met, the Union won but things could have gone better.

Just so everyone knows, I wrote the recap of the Fire game prior to Wednesday's game against the Galaxy being played. Against the Fire, Zac MacMath was the one on fire. It seemed that every time you turned around, he was there making another save. Jack McInerney got a decent shot off which ended up being the decider, which shot him to the top of the scoring charts in MLS.

FIrst Half

In a press conference prior to Wednesday night's matchup, Philadelphia Union head coach harped on the fact that his team was not getting enough respect this season. With a solid performance against the MLS's best LA Galaxy, they had the chance to prove to the league that their strong early season start was no fluke.

Game: Philadelphia Union vs. LA Galaxy

Where: PPL Park, Chester, PA

When: 7:30 PM ET

Channel: Comcast Sportsnet

Commentators: JP Dellacamera and Alejandro Moreno

Meet the Opposition: LAG Confidential

Philadelphia Union starting XI: (4-4-2) Zac MacMath; Raymon Gaddis, Bakary Soumare, Amobi Okugo, Sheanon Williams; Brian Carroll, Kleberson, Keon Daniel, Danny Cruz; Jack McInerney, Sebastien Le Toux

Philadelphia Union bench: Aaron Wheeler, Chris Konopka, Chris Albright, Michael Farfan, Antoine Hoppenot, Roger Torres, Conor Casey

Los Angeles Galaxy starting XI: (4-4-2) Carlo Cudicini; Todd Dunivant, Tommy Meyer, Omar Gonzalez, A.

For the Philadelphia Union, a trade had seemed inevitable for weeks. With Bakary Soumare unpleased about his role on the team, head coach John Hackworth had no issue helping the center back find a new home.

However, it would be Gabriel Farfan, and not Soumare to be the first player traded from the Union this season.

In what was a shocking move to most, based on immediate reaction on social media sites, the Philadelphia Union sent Gabriel Farfan to Chivas USA in a deal that netted a potentially high draft pick in 2014 and some cash.

The Union will receive Chivas USA's natural first round selection in the 2014 Major League Soccer SuperDraft and an undisclosed amount of allocation money.

Bakary Soumare will remain in Chester, for the time being, despite his continued desire to move on from the team, after the Chicago Fire rejected a second overture by the Philadelphia Union, the Red Priest Podcast revealed today.

After Saturday's 1-0 win away at Toyota Park, the Union approached the Fire once again about a deal that would have sent Soumare to his former club and ended a months long trade demand by the center back.

Despite getting thoroughly outplayed by the Chicago Fire for almost the entire 90 minutes, the Philadelphia Union still somehow managed to pick up a 1-0 win on the road against thanks to a brilliant performance from Zac MacMath and a moment of magic from Sebastien Le Toux and Jack McInerney.

John Hackworth once again went with the ineffective midfield combination of Michael Farfan, Danny Cruz, Brian Carroll, and Keon Daniel and as a result, the Chicago Fire controlled most of the first half, taking advantage of the weak Union midfield.

Game: Chicago Fire vs. Philadelphia Union

Where: Toyota Park, Bridgeview, IL

When: 1:30 PM ET

Channel: NBCSN

Commentators: Arlo White and Kyle Martino

Meet the Opposition: Hot Time In Old Town

Philadelphia Union starting XI: (4-4-2) Zac MacMath; Gabriel Farfan, Amobi Okugo, Bakary Soumare, Raymon Gaddis; Brian Carroll, Keon Daniel, Michael Farfan, Danny Cruz; Conor Casey, Jack McInerney

Philadelphia Union bench: Matt Kassel, Roger Torres, Chris Konopka, Sebastien Le Toux, Chris Albright, Kleberson, Antoine Hoppenot

Chicago Fire starting XI: (4-4-1-1) Sean Johnson; Gonzalo Segares, Austin Berry, Jalil Anibaba, Wells Thompson; Dan Paladini, Logan Pause, Joel Lindpere, Dilly Duka; Chris Rolfe; Patrick Nyarko

Chicago Fire bench: Corben Bone, Quincy Amerikwa, Paolo Tornaghi, Alex, Maicon Santos, Michael Videira, Yazid Atouba

Prediction: The Union continue to run out a formation and starting XI that has been show time and again to not work.

TBG: It's only two months into the season, but the Eastern Conference appears to be tiered with New York, Houston, Kansas City, and Montreal on top, Philadelphia and Columbus in the middle, and New England, Chicago, Toronto, and D.C. on the bottom. Do you believe the Fire can break through that bottom pack and contend for a playoff spot this year?