CHESTER — The version of the Philadelphia Union that finished fourth in the Leagues Cup over the last month has looked more like what the club hoped for when the season began six long months ago. They’ve resembled, more of less, a playoff team, though the MLS table says otherwise at the moment.
As the Union return to the final nine-game sprint to the line in the regular season, it’s that return to fundamentals that the Union will rely on.
The quest starts Wednesday night with a visit from Columbus, newly crowned Leagues Cup champion, at Subaru Park (7:30, AppleTV).
Originally scheduled for Saturday, this game was postponed by both teams reaching the Leagues Cup semifinal, a 3-1 win for the Crew on Wednesday in Ohio. That was the same score by which they ran past LAFC Sunday to lift another trophy, a repeat of MLS Cup final last year.
Wednesday is the second of three meetings in quick succession, the Union returning to Lower.com Field on Oct. 5 in a game where their playoff hopes could be on the line.
The teams are in drastically different places in the table.
Despite runs to the Leagues Cup and CONCACAF Champions Cup finals, Columbus (12-4-7, 43 points) sits third in the East, a top-four favorite for home-field advantage.
The Union (6-10-9, 27 points) are not so fortunate, one spot out of the postseason in 10th. They are mired in an infernal tangle of seven clubs within two points from ninth to 15th. It’s the consequence of just one win over 16 leagues games from April to early July.
But the Union have been much better of late, 5-1-3 over their last nine.
They’ve allowed 10 goals in that span, which had been five conceded in seven games before the Crew loss and a 2-2 draw with Colorado in the Leagues Cup third-place game that they lost on penalties. Both teams face three-game weeks with New York opposition — the Crew hosting NYCFC, the Union visiting Red Bulls — waiting on the weekend.
The Union’s roster for these final nine games is diminished from the start of the season, sans Julian Carranza, Jose Martinez and Damion Lowe.
Martinez’s transfer to Brazilian club Corinthians was sealed Monday, Lowe’s to Saudi club Al-Okhdood competed Tuesday. The roster includes only 17 field players who have started an MLS game, with three at fewer than 10 starts.
Given the personnel shortfall, a back-to-basics approach behooves them. The commitment to defending with Andre Blake back is one component. They’ve also scored counterattacking goals in six of seven Leagues Cup games, a return to the DNA that made them so difficult to play against in 2022.
Tai Baribo, whose seven goals won the Leagues Cup Golden Boot, has led that effort. He’s scored 13 goals in his last 13 appearances.
“I think when we’re at our best, we’re very sound defensively, we get good goalkeeping, some timely saves or timely defending in the box, and that leads to our transitions,” Curtin said. “I think you saw during the Leagues Cup some good transition goals. You saw a lot of them by Tai Baribo finishing plays off, a lot of times with good movement and one touch. When you get a one-touch finish, that usually means you’ve gone on a really good transition.”
The defensive part will be complicated by the fact that only two center backs with any experience remain. Jakob Glesnes has started 33 games in all competitions this year. Jack Elliott has made 27 starts and will be suspended if he collects a yellow card in the next five games.
Behind them are Nathan Harriel, who himself is one of only three outside backs for two spots, and Olwethu Makhanya. It’s in that order, since the U-22 Initiative center back from South Africa still isn’t ready for primetime. He’s made 17 starts with Union II.
“At Union II, I think there’s been some really good moments,” Curtin said. “There’s been some big errors as well that any young player is going to go through and you have to learn from. Training with the first team is not easy for him every day, but that’s what every young player needs to go through. Eventually, if he continues to work hard and get better each week, he’ll get his opportunity.”
If a need arises before that, it’ll be Harriel in the middle. But the Union only have five defenders on the roster who have played in MLS.
Given those constraints, the pathway to the playoffs is narrow. Curtin Tuesday estimated a minimum of five wins from nine games to get over the line. The traditional target is 45 points, but parity has driven that closer to 42. Eight of the Union’s last nine opponents are in playoff position in the East, the club having stumbled through the easy parts of the schedule.
Curtin’s skeleton crew has been through the battles before. But it will have to shoulder a heavy physical burden to get back to the playoffs for a seventh straight season.
“Those little details now are something that we have to be perfect with, when you play against Columbus, when you play against Miami or Red Bull, or whatever it might be down the stretch,” Curtin said.
Source: Berkshire mont
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