Union seeking to capitalize on empty home-field advantage
Once or twice, Jim Curtin might have mentioned it. But in case you’ve missed the increasingly sardonic references, the Union coach offered it once more Tuesday. Through 15 MLS games, his team has played just four at Subaru Park.
Wednesday night’s visit from FC Cincinnati (7:30, PHL17) will be the fifth, out of 19 in all competitions, in Chester, the first of two home dates this week and five of eight to conclude the season.
“We recognize the importance of home points,” Curtin said during a Zoom call. “You have to win your home games in this league. It’s a recipe for the playoffs. In a normal season you need at least 10 home wins. I keep complaining about it but no one listens, we’ve only been in that thing four times, which blows my mind. But we have an opportunity in the next two to continue the unbeaten streak there.”
The Union’s travels have been prolific. There were two away games to start the pre
COVID-19 season in March, three group-stage games (plus three knockout games) in Orlando before the opener at rechristened Subaru Park on Aug. 25. The Union have won all four games in Chester during the phase whatever restart, by a combined score of 10-2.
The upside to the road warring is that the Union (8
3-4, 28 points) have accrued a cushion ahead of the late home dates. Even without fans, home-field advantage has proven vital. The top four teams in the Eastern Conference – clustered within three points, with the Union fourth – have a 22-1-5 mark in designated home games, including 19-1-2 outside of the home-away-from-home games in the bubble.
The Union’s losses (at Dallas, at Columbus, at Toronto in Hartford) and draws (at New England, at Cincinnati, at LAFC, vs. Orlando in Orlando) have all come away from home.
“When you walk out your own tunnel, when you can kind of envision what it’s supposed to look like,” Curtin said, “these players are creatures of habit, so that’s still in their brain. The uniqueness of the travel now, when you’re flying the same day in and out, you’re not in your normal routine of staying in a hotel and sleeping. It gets disjointed. In a weird way, the road still feels like the road.”
It underscores the importance of taking care of inferior teams at home to guarantee playoff hosting duties. Add in Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s loosening of restrictions on public gatherings and the door is open for fans to possibly return by year’s end, COVID-19 permitting, removing what Curtin calls the “soulless” feel of empty venues.
Cincinnati (3-8- 4, 13 points) is one such team. Sitting 12th in the East, they earned a draw against the Union at Nippert Stadium two weeks ago, saved by Andre Blake’s stoppage-time denial of Joe Gyau’s bid. Though improved under coach Japp Stam, Cincinnati has lost seven of nine road games.
With Cincinnati, ninthplace Montreal and a trip to last-place D.C. United upcoming, the Union can pick up big points to solidify multiple playoff home games.
“We sit three points out of the top point total in the league,” Curtin said. “We have five of our last eight games at home. And now it’s up to us to have a good response after our loss to Toronto. I’m very confident the players will have a response like they always do after a disappointing result, which we haven’t had many of this year but we’ve always bounced back.”
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Midfielder Jose Martinez announced Monday that he will not join Venezuela for this month’s World Cup qualifiers.
It was the first callup for the 26-year-old and a lifelong dream to represent his country. But travel and quarantines on either side of games Oct. 9 in Colombia and Oct.
13 against Paraguay in Merida would’ve effectively written off most of the eight remaining Union games. A
32-man roster carried no guarantees that he would play, and negotiations between the Union, MLS and the Venezuelan federation centered on Martinez’s riskreward calculus.
“Health and safety of the player is the priority in this,” Curtin said. “I think he’ll have many more opportuni
ties to play for his national team, but given the unique situation that’s going on with COVID and with starting to see lots of spikes all over, the itinerary that we received from them wasn’t adequate enough that we could guarantee the safety and the health of the player.”
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Cory Burke is most back.
Curtin expected the Jamaican forward’s arrival in the United States as soon as Tuesday night. Burke posted on social media that he was boarding a plane back to the States. There’s no word on when he could suit up.
“He is, dare I say the words, in transit?,” Curtin said Tuesday. “He is about to be in Philadelphia, which is the most positive news I can give and the most positive news in quite some time. Tonight hopefully. But until I see his face, I cannot confirm or deny he’s in Philadelphia.”
... well, al
Burke has been out since April 20, 2019, when he returned to Jamaica to finalize paperwork on his green card and was barred from re-entering the United States. The Union retained the 28-yearold’s rights and loaned him out to Portmore United in Jamaica and Austrian club St. Poulten. Burke could yet play a part in this season for the Union, ending a protracted saga.
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Kai Wagner, who’s dealt with nagging leg issues, felt tightness last week after returning to the lineup against Inter Miami. The Union took it slow, keeping him out of the matchday squad last Sunday against Toronto, but he’s ready to go Wednesday.
Warren Creavalle, who played against Miami but didn’t travel to Hartford, is in the same boat, though his hamstring issues leave him capable only of a reserve role. Ray Gaddis (hamstring) won’t play against Cincinnati.