Discipline paying off for Union
Whether or not Jim Curtin did so consciously, he proved a point by example Wednesday.
The question centered on his Philadelphia Union team, which in Sunday’s 3-0 win over Inter Miami conceded its first penalty kick of the season, missed by superstar debutante Gonzalo Higuain. Through 14 league games and 17 in all competitions, the Union had not committed a penalty nor been shown a red card. Both are among the largest stretches in franchise history.
Curtin, in his usually digressive style, took a conversational side path, using the opportunity to apologize to fourth official Robert Sibiga for “an earful” he gave him on the sidelines, misunderstanding who the penalty was called on as referee Elton Garcia used VAR to confirm a handball on Kacper Przybylko.
That balance — between intensity and accountability — doesn’t just apply to the verbal jousting on the touchline. It has also informed his team’s stoutness in front of goal.
“I think it’s discipline,” Curtin said. “I think the players have done a good job with that.”
It’s a fine line: The Union (8-24, 28 points) are tied with Houston for the second-most yellow cards this season at 34. But they’re one of eight clubs not to incur a red card. They’ve lost three man games to suspension: Jose Martinez and Alejandro Bedoya for yellow-card accumulation; Martinez for a dangerous play incident against Inter Miami in the MLS Is Back tournament. The yellow cards are a feature, not a bug, of the high-pressure system designed to hurry opponents and induce turnovers, with the occasional late tackle or persistent infringement almost unavoidable if players adhere to the system. A team that has allowed only four goals in nine games can hardly be accused of not playing defense; rather, they’re defending responsibly and carefully, hence the lack of gifts given to opponents.
On the flipside, the Union have only drawn one penalty kick (missed by Sergio Santos in the MLS Is Back semifinals. They’ve benefitted from three red cards, though the one against Inter Miami in July occurred in the eighth minute of stoppage time.
Sunday’s affair, which Curtin lauded for its chippiness, provided another vibrant and meme-worthy example, with the crowd of Union players who gathered to confront Higuain after he skied his. The willingness of Martinez and Mark
McKenzie to get into the superstar’s face and the simultaneous caution of goalie/stand-in captain Andre Blake to deescalate the situation is exactly what Curtin wants.
“I think our guys maybe felt some of the close calls went against us and sometimes the feeling there might be that the ‘star players’ maybe get some preferential treatment like they do in other sports,” Curtin said. “That may have been the thinking that adds to the moment after the PK. It does need to be said, we should certainly respect Higuain and everything that he’s done; I think our players do a great deal. He’s an incredible player, a world-class player. But at the same time, I love that our players are fearless, they’re not scared, and they have each other’s backs.”
That support piece is most im
portant, not so much the willingness to mix it up but the devotion not to let teammates mix it up alone. If given the choice, Curtin would rather see his guys get in trouble together than have one player go alone. The cohesiveness within the team is such that no one player is prone to popping off alone.
“I like that we’re together,” Curtin said. “I like that we’re fearless and again it’s a group that has confidence right now and maybe more important than even confidence, that has each other’s backs.”
NOTES » Jack Elliott (ankle) is a full participant in training after missing the last four games. Warren Creavalle (hamstring) is back on the field and working off to the side. He returned from the injury to start in Cincinnati last Wednes
day but didn’t make the bench against Miami. Ray Gaddis (hamstring) remains in treatment for a strain that forced him out of the Cincinnati game. Curtin called it “close for this weekend.” With Olivier Mbaizo playing well, Curtin can play it safe with Gaddis. … The Union and other MLS clubs remain in negotiation with South American federations over releasing players for October World Cup qualifiers, which involves Martinez’s first call-up to the Venezuelan 40-man roster. Because of travel restrictions and quarantine upon return, players participating could lose up to four weeks of the season. It’s a risk-reward balance, Curtin said, between what players like the 26-year-old midfielder can gain internationally and what they stand to lose being away from their clubs.