CHESTER — Lost in the forest that has been the Union’s 49-game-long season is a tactical tree that Jim Curtin was able to turn to Saturday.
Back in the spring, the Union had appeared to settle on a preferred midfield in the 4-4-2 diamond formation for home games in which they hoped to dictate play. It put Jose Martinez at the base of the diamond, Jack McGlynn and his passing ability on the left with Alejandro Bedoya’s industriousness on the right. Daniel Gazdag would be the tip of the spear behind the forward pairing of Mikael Uhre and Julian Carranza.
Curtin was so sure in this front six that he fielded it for then the biggest game of the season, the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League at home against Los Angeles FC on April 27.
That was 34 games ago. It took one full MLS season’s worth of contests for Curtin to have the players available to return to that grouping Saturday.
In the odyssey between that game and the 3-1 win over New England in the playoff opener, much has been made of why the Union, with essentially the same personnel, have fallen short of the heights hit in 2022. Curtin’s selection of his best available XI illustrated the biggest change: The lack of continuity from game to game, on a team for which that is arguably more important than any in the league.
Almost all of this is attributable to those 49 games the Union have been forced to play over four competitions. To get through those, Curtin has had to rely on 17 different configurations of the back four/five and 41 unique starting XIs, including 27 in the 34-game MLS regular season.
Compare that to 2022, when the Union played 38 total games, needing 18 starting lineups and five defensive units.
Even on the microscale, continuity has eluded them. The back four used Saturday – Kai Wagner, Jack Elliott, Damion Lowe and Nathan Harriel – was in just its third game together. That starting midfield of Martinez-McGlynn-Bedoya-Gazdag had gotten just one start together since the LAFC game, and it lasted 27 minutes before Bedoya’s injury July 15 vs. New York City FC. (The notable exception in the switches is the front three, which started together for the 30th time Saturday.)
All the little injuries – the two weeks here, the four games there – pile up. Add in the suspensions and the common sense need for rest, and you get months without the same exact team being together.
“When our best guys are on the field, we’re really tough to play against,” Curtin said. “I think we’ve not had that much this year. Maybe the continuity that we had last season isn’t there. Injuries, suspensions, too much load for guys … that part means they weren’t all on the field together. That part is challenging. But when you get them going, the familiarity, the relationships, it can be fun to watch.”
The changes don’t stem from exclusively negative factors. Part of the flexibility is because the Union have three starting-caliber center backs for the first time since 2020 and six midfielders Curtin is unafraid to deploy. The ability to swap between the 4-4-2 diamond and 3-5-2 (with a couple of different midfield arrangements) has allowed the Union to play matchups, mostly to their benefit.
But the methodical destruction of opponents in 2022 was owed in part to lining up the same 11 guys week after week. That has been impossible this year.
“Of course it’s different,” Uhre said. “I think last year we didn’t switch that much, so it’s been different. But then again, when you play as many games as we have, injuries are going to come at some point and suspensions are going to pile up. It was great to see the front six together. I think we did a great job.”
The next few weeks may show some of the benefits. Jakob Glesnes is lost for the season after sports hernia surgery. That makes Lowe just about irremovable from the team, with only young center back Olwethu Makhanya behind him. Had such a loss occurred in a season where the reserve center back had played sparingly, instead of Lowe’s 14 league starts and 23 in all competitions, the worry might be considerably higher.
“I think it does help,” Elliott said. “Consistency is one thing that can lead to good results, but I think versatility in these sorts of times is important in this time, especially for our team in this situation.”
Therein lies the hope for a Union team that, as the East’s fourth seed, generally underachieved in the regular season. With the belabored playoff calendar – Game 2 of the best-of-3 isn’t until Nov. 8 – there will be time to rest from game to game. Which means a side tested by 2023’s schedule abundance could return to a more 2022-esque lineup consistency.
“Any time you win, it brings confidence to the group,” Curtin said. “I wish we had that six-, seven-goal breakout to set the tone in this first game. I think that would’ve been good for everybody. But 3-1 keeps us nice and humble and hungry for the next one. It’s a group that is capable of that breakout and can beat anybody.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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