Jim Curtin wasn’t planning on a deluge creating a light training session instead of a game for his Union players Saturday night. But two days later, after a training session at altitude in Mexico, Curtin was OK with the change of plans.
“The Seattle game getting canceled is something we can’t control,” Curtin said Monday, a day before the Union take on Pachuca in the second leg of their Round of 16 clash in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, and two days after a relentless rain postponed the club’s MLS match with the Sounders. “In some ways, it helps us physically to recover because it’s a difficult task to play on a Saturday and come down here on Tuesday and play at altitude. So we get a little bit of a break there.”
The key Tuesday night will be pushing that advantage. The Union and Pachuca drew 0-0 in Chester last Tuesday. While not the best result, it’s far from the worst. The Union can advance with a win or any scoring draw in Mexico thanks to the away goals tiebreaker. An identical scoreline Tuesday night (8:15, FS2) would send the game to extra time.
Pachuca is well-rested, too. Coach Guillermo Almada made 10 changes for their 2-1 loss to Queretaro on Saturday, leaving the teams’ top players on equivalent rest. The Union only got through 10 minutes against Seattle Saturday night at Subaru Park before the field ponded and became unplayable.
Curtin feels momentum to build on from the first leg. Denying Pachuca an away goal was massive, but being the first team to keep Los Tuzos off the scoresheet this year, an attack that has 25 goals in 11 Liga MX contests, is even more impressive.
They also did that without Julian Carranza, who returned to training on Sunday after missing three games with a thigh injury. Curtin was cagey about whether Carranza would start or come off the bench, but if he’s healthy, Curtin is unlikely to hold him back. The Union know that a goal puts them in a strong position.
“We’re the only team that hasn’t conceded a goal against them, so that was a real positive,” Curtin said. “Going into this game, we wanted to stay more compact, try to keep a clean sheet. We’ve set ourselves up with a zero, but we know how difficult it is to come here and score a goal. We knew the task is hard.”
The Union are unbeaten in their last seven games (5-0-2) against Mexican opposition, most of which came in last summer’s Leagues Cup. The streak started with a 1-0 win over Atlas last year in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, followed by a 2-2 draw in Mexico.
That Atlas team was much different than this Pachuca outfit. Then, Atlas was clinging to sinking league form and under serious pressure both domestically and internationally. This year, Pachuca is in good enough shape in the league to have punted on a weekend game with reserves. Though the Union have bottled up the attack once, it’ll be tough to do so again.
Oussama Idrissi was monstrously dangerous on the wing for Pachuca in the first leg, and while the Union kept center forward Salomon Rondon quiet in Chester, he is an ever-present threat. The Union did that last week with Nathan Harriel in the center. Either Jack Elliott or Damion Lowe will return to the starting lineup Tuesday, and a three-center-back look is on the table. They’ll also have to do so at Estadio Hidalgo, perched nearly 8,000 feet above sea level.
The key is to keep the game condensed. Pachuca is vulnerable on the counter, and the Union are well-equipped to absorb pressure and hit on the break. But they have to do that while conceding as little as possible and without turning the game into a track meet.
“Anything is possible, but what we don’t want to happen is play against Pachuca in an end-to-end game where it’s now 4-3 or 3-2,” Curtin said. “We want to keep organized, keep a zero and try to push for our goal in a smart way.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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