Bradley Carnell was plenty happy with three points from Saturday night’s 4-2 win at Orlando City in his Union coaching debut. But he was just as happy to shut down any inkling of getting too far ahead of matters.
“Really happy with the boys,” Carnell said, “and three points and nothing more.”
Perhaps the three points will, 33 games on, pale. But just as important were some of the principles, both tactical and temperamental, evident from Game 1 of a new regime.
Carnell bestowed three debuts in his starting lineup, plus another off the bench, in part due to injuries on the backline. He saw his team concede after eight minutes to Marco Pasalic and require six saves from Andre Blake, in his 300th Union match in all competitions, plus two strikes of the woodwork.
He also saw a lot of the character he hopes this team will adopt this season.
The Union responded to the early deficit and an early onslaught from Orlando City by getting even in the 24th minute via Tai Baribo. That and the third goal, a howler of a turnover by center back Rodrigo Schlegel straight onto the foot of Mikael Uhre for a one-timed shot in from 26 yards, came on the counter. In between was a tidy, 11-pass move that ended with Quinn Sullivan’s swerving delivery from the left wing to Daniel Gazdag at the far post.
Baribo added a second goal. Both outside backs assisted on Baribo goals, Frankie Westfield on his debut. Westfield, like Olwethu Makhanya, got the nod in part due to the rehab of an incumbent starter, in Westfield’s case Nathan Harriel and Olivier Mbaizo. Both rose to the occasion.
“Frankie has had an excellent year, I would say, and has put himself in the window and has utilized his chance,” Carnella said. “Through one man’s misfortune with Nate, all of a sudden now, Frankie has the opportunity and does really well.”
Makhanya, who signed in the summer of 2023 but never played under former coach Jim Curtin, performed ably. He was isolated 2-v-1 on the opening goal, though the fault for that situation wasn’t his. Ian Glavinovich, still working back to full fitness after a preseason injury, debuted in the 84th, Carnell closing the game out with five at the back.
The result comes with caveats. The Union scored four goals on four shots on target against an Orlando City team that was forced into a center back change minutes before kickoff and whose one-time all-star goalie Pedro Gallese appears in steep decline at age 35. That won’t happen every week. They were beaten on xG, 3.2-2.2, allowing 23 total shots and 10 on target. What the Union did Saturday – counterpressing a team that wants to have the ball while summoning moxie away from home – was not a deficit of theirs last year. Nor was scoring goals. They struggled in conceding goals, which they still did twice Saturday, and in dictating the game at home, which will be first tested this weekend.
But as a starting point, they looked comfortable with Carnell’s tactics and showed the spirit to win away from home. That is, all things considered, more valuable than even the full three points.
“For them to come out and be challenged here in this game was kind of a microcosm of the whole preseason,” Carnell said. “We go down and then we’re chasing a little bit and we lose our structure. Then coming out the second half, we corrected one or two things, and then all of a sudden, you can change the picture in a million ways. And we did do that in transition.
“We really did exactly what we wanted to do from the beginning of the game. So proud of the boys to show a little bit of courage and resilience.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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