Recent inability to hold leads cause for concern
There’s a world in which the Union have 57 points this season. It’s a world where Sunusi Ibrahim didn’t sky over two defenders on the last kick against Montreal. A world where the Union didn’t mysteriously lose the ability to defend in Minnesota. A world in which a first-minute goal Wednesday in front of 5,026 mostly reluctant supporters in Toronto translated into the steamrolling it should’ve.
Alejandro Bedoya doesn’t live in that world, as he illustrated after Wednesday’s 2-2 draw with Toronto.
“I’m pissed,” Bedoya said. “It’s another two points lost, again. We get off to a great start and after that, the goal, we did nothing in the first half. We couldn’t connect the first pass out of pressure, just didn’t play our game. I don’t know if it’s the flat atmosphere — normally it’s nicer here — but we just didn’t play our game. … We’ve got to be better. We didn’t kill them off. We had two clear-cut chances in the second half that I feel like on another day should definitely be goals.”
The Union (13-8-11, 50 points) remain in good standing in the Eastern Conference, though they slipped from second to third. A win Sunday over FC Cincinnati, which has somehow drilled beneath the MLS basement and taken up residence, would clinch a playoff spot and perhaps a home playoff game before the decision day challenge against what could be a desperate New York City FC at Yankee Stadium.
But the quest for second place has been hampered by self-inflicted mistakes. It’s not only been a missed opportunity to end the race; it’s been a disappointment to the high standards the team has set for itself.
In the last four games, the Union have squandered a 2-1 lead to Montreal in stoppage time, a 2-1 lead to Minnesota United for a 3-2 loss, and then Wednesday. The Union went up 1-0 within 41 seconds, Bedoya scoring the secondfastest goal in club history. But they needed a Sergio Santos goal in the second half to salvage a point, thanks to more defensive breakdowns and a failure to punish Toronto.
Zoom out and the results fashion the Union as a Rorschach test down the stretch. Do you see the team that has led in nine straight games, going 5-1-3 in that time? Or the team that is just 1-1-2 in its last four? For the season, 10 points dropped from leading positions in the second half is relatively low. But seven in the last four outings is cause for concern.
“It’s hard to win on the road,” manager Jim Curtin said. “It’s a difficult thing … nothing really more than that. We know we can play better. Toronto has some quality players and they made some plays, but we need to be sharper.”
The breakdowns, again, were too numerous. Kacper Przybylko spurned a golden chance in the center of the box in the 63rd minute, shooting directly at Quentin Westberg, the only place that the scrambling goalkeeper could’ve stopped it. Three minutes later, Przybylko got too cute on a clear, attempting a flick 30 yards from his own goal. That put Jack Elliott under pressure, and his attempt to boot it out of trouble was beaten down by Noble Okello and fell to Jozy Altidore to curl home a beauty of a left-footed shot. It’s too good a chance to give a player of that class, whatever his team may have left to play for.
Four minutes later, a turnover led to a dangerous Jacob Shaffelburg cross from the left wing that a sliding Elliott could only redirect into his own net, past a helpless Matt Freese.
“It’s tough to give up these goals like that,” Bedoya said. “But we’ve got to be better. This is a team that once we break their first line of pressure, we’ve got to be better with the ball and in the final third. We had two clear-cut chances to put the game away.”
Santos tied the game in the 77th, thanks to a superb Kai Wagner cross. But Przybylko volleyed off the crossbar in the 81st, the kind of chance that elite goalscorers must finish. Set aside the penalty shout in the 85th, when Michael Bradley blocked a Jamiro Monteiro
shot with first his side, then his outstretched arm, leading the Magic 8 ball used to decipher the ever-changing handball laws and wielded by referee Silviu Petrescu to rule no penalty.
It could be worse, as so many East teams cannibalizing each other’s points have shown. And the one win the Union have gotten in the last four, against Nashville, was the most important game, though they’ve fallen two points behind them now.
Curtin is shifting attention
quickly to Sunday’s match with Cincinnati. That club enters having lost an MLS-record-tying 10 straight games. Three points is, in no uncertain terms, the only acceptable outcome for the Union.
“We get a point out of it and we move on to a home game against Cincinnati that will be another important game,” Curtin said. “It feels like our eight games have felt like playoff games in terms of the intensity. Overall tonight, (we) could’ve taken all three points but we’ll settle for one.”