How two weeks have changed it all for Union
CHESTER >> The Philadelphia Union of the last four unbeaten games is exactly the same in composition as the side that failed to win the first eight games of the season (or, for that matter, largely the same as the team that faltered in the last eight games of 2016).
Yet in the last 16 days, the results are drastically different, the Union transforming seemingly overnight from a league laughingstock to in the thick of the playoff hunt, the latest triumph over Colorado, 2-1, Saturday night marking a franchise-best four straight wins.
So what has changed? In personnel terms, nothing, not even a significant injury return that demarcates the losing era from the winning one. But the difference in results is startling. A few factors can be pointed to in making the difference.
Stars playing like stars
The Union aren’t a superstar-driven squad by any stretch of the imagination. But even by their modest standards, the Union’s highest earners weren’t yielding commensurate rewards through eight games. Haris Medunjanin’s defensive flaws were exposed and uncompensated for. Alejandro Bedoya was ineffectual and out of position. Chris Pontius failed to hit the highs of the last campaign after a disjointed preseason disrupted by his first U.S. caps. Ilsinho again struggled for fitness.
Since, the higher earners have excelled, and the Union have flourished in turn. Pontius has dished five assists in the sixgame unbeaten spree. Medunjanin has two goals and three assists in that string, and both rank among the top assist-providers in MLS. Medunjanin’s goal-and-two-assists performance against D.C. United two weeks ago would’ve been worthy of MLS Player of the Week were it not for Justin Meram’s hat trick. Ilsinho has a goal to offer quantitative proof of his impact. Which dovetails nicely with the next key …
Players in best positions
If there was one legitimate knock against Jim Curtin in the first two months of the season, it may have been his reticence to put players in their most impactful positions, choosing to shoehorn them into unfamiliar positions instead of constructing a team around his tent poles. Bedoya has resembled the cornerstone piece he’s paid as since his restoration to the No. 8 position; even if the goals and assists haven’t flowed yet, his two-way influence is obvious. It’s also evident to Curtin, who preferred displacing Ilsinho from the wing (a position of strength) rather than Bedoya (from a position of scarcity) to fill in for the injured Roland Alberg.
Pontius is another case. He performed ably on the left wing this year and in the past, with his defensive aptitude valuable in front of Fabinho, the fullback more likely to be caught out going forward. On the right, though, Pontius’ ability to exploit space behind left backs with a tendency to get forward recklessly has helped his resurgence. Curtin’s decision to turn the defensively suspect Ilsinho inside seems to have enlivened him, as well.
Turning up the D
The most severe malady was the Union’s porosity: In 16 winless outings, the Union allowed multiple goals 12 times and kept just two clean sheets. In the last five games, the Union have conceded just once. They haven’t surrendered an away goal in 243 minutes, dating to April 1.
The backline that has done the job isn’t the one most would’ve drafted in the preseason. Jack Elliott and Oguchi Onyewu have kept Richie Marquez rooted to the bench. Ray Gaddis has temporarily supplanted Keegan Rosenberry, though the latter is still regarded as the right back of the future. And Giliano Wijnaldum’s debut performance against Colorado Saturday promises to intensify the battle with Fabinho for minutes. Curtin has options in defense; it’s a matter of tailoring them week to week.
Scoring balance is back
It was obscured as a secondary problem through nine games, but only four players had scored; seven of the 11 goals were provided by CJ Sapong, an unsustainable proportion.
Then four players not named Sapong tallied against D.C. United, and Ilsinho opened his account the following week against Houston. Nine Union players have scored this season, equal to all of the 2010 season and on pace to match recent season tallies. That cohort doesn’t yet include Bedoya, and highly paid striker Jay Simpson has contributed just one goal, leaving room for improvement.
Sapong’s brilliance
Yes, the striker has eight goals this season, six from open play, ranking in the top five in MLS in both categories. Yes, his careerhigh for a season is a modest yet seemingly unbreakable nine.
But arguably his best play of the season came against Houston when he didn’t score. The exquisite control he showed on Fafa Picault’s opener, cushioning an aerial ball near the edge of the box with a deft touch right into Ilsinho’s path for the Brazilian to trigger the buildup, was masterful. It was the kind of finesse play that people underestimate in Sapong’s rough-and-tumble physicality. Sapong’s goal return likely won’t scale to 34 games, and I wouldn’t put money on him cracking 20 goals just yet. But however you measure it, the benefits he brings the Union are increasing year on year.