The Philadelphia Union still have 30 MLS games left. It's important to remember this, especially now in late March, not just because of the emotional impact of their previous games, but also because of the uneasiness before their trip to Portland.
The Union's 3-1 win at Providence Park on Saturday night means they are now one of five MLS teams that have not lost. If they had not won, they would have been grouped with three other winless teams. The difference may seem small, but for the restless fan base, it's important.
Manager Jim Curtin said, “It’s the small details that make a difference in the season. So, from that perspective, this win is significant for the team.”
The Union's victory in Portland reaffirms a truth that applies from the beginning to the end: that the Union will be okay. The win in Portland represents a more concrete and earlier step forward for the club.
The Union faced challenges in Portland, making six changes from their last game in Austin due to the international break. Coach Curtin gave Markus Anderson and Jeremy Rafanello their second career starts in different roles, in a formation he had never used before.
Despite their previous struggles and a recent 6-0 loss, the Union kept it simple in Portland. They ceded possession to Portland but stayed compact, cut out dangerous plays in the box, supported their goalkeeper, and did well on the counter-attack. They also won the expected goals battle.
Curtin said, “Our players delivered an incredible performance. This group tends to thrive when they are underestimated. We talked before the game about being short-handed, but I assured the players that if they gave their all, we would get a positive result and bring points back to Philadelphia.”
The Union made it happen with Rafanello and Anderson playing in different positions, and with Bedoya and Semmle also adapting to new roles. Despite the challenges, they managed to secure the win.
Rafanello and Anderson were asked to adapt to different positions during the game. Rafanello even contributed to a goal with his shot, resulting in a rebound goal for Quinn Sullivan.
Taking a back-to-basics approach was necessary and perhaps a welcome change for the team.
Curtin explained, “Our aim was to make them work hard for everything tonight. We decided to defend deeper, with two blocks of four for a simpler defensive job, allowing our strikers to stay compact.
“You can hear from the guys above us telling us that we were 20 to 25 yards front-to-back, all 10 guys, so that’s a difficult thing for any MLS team to break down. I thought that the guys really performed well.”
In the past month, the Union have succeeded under challenging conditions in the CONCACAF Champions Cup over Deportivo Saprissa. They have traveled to Austin, Kansas City, Portland, and internationally twice. Both Blake and Julian Carranza have missed time. They’ve had a game rained out. If the on-field product was ragged … yes, of course it was.
What the Union found in Portland was a fitting conclusion. They were terrible in their first half of soccer this season in Costa Rica, then ran over Saprissa for three goals in 24 minutes. The first 25 minutes of the second half looked like that in Portland, the more the Timbers pushed, the deeper they sunk into the Union’s counterpressing quicksand.
Consider those two halves the opening and closing pages of the season’s first chapter. The understanding will require more practice time to consolidate, which the end of CCC play should allow. But even amid the struggles, the Union knew who they were as a team from the start. It may have gotten jumbled in the hurly burly of eight scheduled games in 23 days, but it didn’t vanish.
If the Union’s deep reserves could handle that, then the full group will once it returns.
“It’s been inconsistent,” Curtin said. “We haven’t been us too many times. But I think we’ve shown glimpses. This win and this game was about, whoever’s here, the names on the back don’t matter. Let’s play like us, let’s be hard to play against and find a way to get a result. I think that we did that, and it’s a big win.”
Contact Matthew De George at [email protected].
