WASHINGTON >> Quick, what’s the first thing that pops into your head when I say “Philadelphia Union”?
Keep it soccer-related, no cheesesteaks or River End. And for heaven’s sake, no goalkeeper jokes.
Even in MLS circles, putting your finger on this season’s Union team isn’t easy. It added a few intriguing players during the offseason, maybe. The attack is hardly overwhelming, the defense not particularly stingy.
In fact, through the first month of the MLS season, the Union aren’t much of anything beyond winless and in last place. And the reason, as much as a tough schedule full of road games, is that when the chips are down and you ask what this team is all about, the answer is ambiguous.
The latest underwhelming installment in the sleep-walking start came at RFK Stadium Saturday night, a 2-1 setback against an equally undistinguished D.C. United side. The Union were the better team for the first 15 minutes, then the entire second half. But a 30-minute let-off and two goals variously described by occupants of the locker room as “silly” and “self-inflicted” did them in.
The same pattern has played out regularly already in 2017. The Union were the better team in the second half of a 2-1 loss to Orlando City last week. But they were dominated in the first half, went behind, then let up a goal against the run of play to drop the decision. Two weeks earlier, they were the better side against Toronto and maybe deserved the win, but an iffy penalty and a lazy response to a restart led to two Toronto goals and ceding two points in a draw.
Saturday night, when the Union were on the front foot, they only yielded one goal. But when D.C. had the edge – even a D.C. team that entered the game not having scored this season – they capitalized swiftly and made the brief spell of dominance count with two goals.
That speaks to a team whose best is still just average, that gets chances but doesn’t light up the scoreboard, and that is OK defensively, but not tough enough to carve a reputation as a defensive leader.
Even within the narrow sphere of MLS, they lack a prevailing identity. They aren’t driven by a star forward like New York Red Bulls or Orlando City. They aren’t strict adherents to a team shape like Toronto with its 3-5-2. They aren’t defined by a dynamic midfield like Portland or Sporting Kansas City. Even Andre Blake, who is an undeniably sensational shot-stopper, doesn’t imbue this team with direction as the player who single-handedly carries them to shutouts as, for instance, Luis Robles in New York or a younger Nick Rimando in Salt Lake did.
Winning 1-0 is an identity (see Colorado’s rise last year.) Winning 5-3 is an identity (ahem, NYCFC.) Losing 2-1 games isn’t an identity, at least not one worth having.
Right now – and for the last 11 winless MLS matches – their most consistent notion stems from mistakes.
“We have to be better,” defender Oguchi Onyewu said. “We gifted them two goals by silly mistakes, and I think we need to start cutting out these errors because that’s costing us points. I think a lot of the goals that we’ve conceded thus far in the season have not been the other teams’ efforts of breaking us down but rather us breaking ourselves down. I think if we eliminate that, we’ll be a stronger team to play against.”
Saturday night, the Union outshot D.C. 19-7, including 9-3 in shots on target. For the season, the Union are generating significantly more chances than opponents – a 48-36 edge in shots, 19-13 in shots on target.
Perhaps in part, this uncertainty springs from a captain whose position remains enigmatic. Alejandro Bedoya has nearly a half-season of MLS games under his belt, yet the consensus on his best position remains elusive. An effective wide midfielder for the U.S. national team and in Europe, Bedoya played as the No. 8 last year and the No. 10 this year. It remains unclear which suits him best, though it appears the No. 10 remains beyond his creative demands.
He underwhelmed Saturday as the No. 10, but the Union adjusted on the hour mark to invert their midfield triangle, pull Bedoya into a more withdrawn role and get him on the ball more often deeper in the formation.
“Ale’s is a great player,” Curtin said. “He’s been asked to play multiple roles for us, and he’s done a good job of that.”
The last bastion of identity selection seems to be Curtin’s long-standing insistence that his team make Talen Energy Stadium a fortress. That contention hasn’t held water in recent seasons – the Union were 8-5-4 at home last year and 7-7-3 the year prior (with the arrival of Atlanta United this season and the assumption that it’ll take more than the 42 points the Union used to sneak into the final playoff spot last year, you’d project 10 home wins as the bare minimum return from 17 home matches for the Union’s postseason aspirations).
Already, they’re 0-for-1 on the win-at-home directive. With three home games against Portland, New York City FC and Montreal looming, the club needs to rectify its home struggles as quickly as possible. The fate of the season – and perhaps of Curtin’s ability to remain in his job – could be determined in the coming weeks.
“There’s going to be some negativity around the group, but we know that but at the same time, we believe in what we’re doing, I believe in the work we’re doing,” Curtin said. “I know this group, the performances aren’t indicative of the point total we’re on now. We have to continue to work hard in training, fix some things and results will start going our way.”
But more important than even the points they return is the method by which the Union get there.
To contact Matthew De George, email mdegeorge@21st-centurymedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @sportsdoctormd.
