Parkhurst’s red card forces Berhalter to revisit lineup plan
Facing a stretch of three games in eight days, Crew SC coach Gregg Berhalter had a plan in mind for how to best juggle his lineup.
It took all of 16 minutes to send those plans into the nearest scrap heap. Saturday night’s surprise red card to captain and central defender Michael Parkhurst in a 2-2 tie with Orlando City forced Berhalter to bring Emanuel Pogatetz off the bench, ruining the plan to rest him in advance of tonight’s game at Philadelphia.
During the Crew’s only day of practice for the Union game on Monday, Berhalter gestured toward the players still winding down the day on the field.
“What I would say in general is that anyone who is here training you could possibly see on Wednesday,” Berhalter said. “The one guy I’d say it’s safe to say you won’t see is (Parkhurst). Anyone else, he could be available.”
As a result, minutes played against Orlando City won’t be taken into much account when planning a lineup for Philadelphia, and the same will be true for the lineup on Saturday at home against Montreal. The absence of Parkhurst means it will be a busy week for Tyson Wahl and Pogatetz.
Now in his 10th season, Wahl said he expected that when he looked at this week’s slate of games. His start against Orlando City was his second of the season.
“You never know because last year we didn’t really rotate the squad much for midweek games,” Wahl said. “This year we have. Obviously, if you’re not in the first team, you look for those busier weeks … and think that might be a way for you to get on the field.”
Paired with Pogatetz, Wahl and the Crew defense nearly held off the Orlando City attack despite playing a man down for 74 minutes plus stoppage time. Wahl credited the team’s performance to being organized and playing with passion, but it wasn’t the easiest task for the 32-year-old Pogatetz, the oldest player on the team.
Pogatetz entered in the 19th minute as a replacement for Federico Higuain, as Berhalter shifted the lineup to compensate for the loss of Parkhurst. Although he obviously was being rested for a reason, Pogatetz said he will be ready for tonight’s game. He has started 10 games this year.
“It’s not easy to come in at such a period of the game, straight off the bench without any warm-up,” he said. “It was OK, and I’m happy I could help the team out in such a situation. … I think we will all be fine to give it a great effort again on Wednesday.”
While Pogatetz and Wahl have proven themselves capable defenders, Pogatetz said playing without Parkhurst will have an effect.
“It’s always hard if we miss someone for suspensions or injuries or other reasons, especially if you lose your captain,” he said.
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Philadelphia 3-8-3, 12 points (eighth in Eastern Conference); Crew 4-4-4, 16 points (fifth in East)
Philadelphia lost to D.C. United 2-1 on Saturday; Crew tied Orlando City 2-2 on Saturday
Crew leads 9-3-1
Union — GK Sylvestre; D Gaddis, Marquez, Edu, Fabinho; MF Noguerira, Maidana, Carroll; F Le Toux, Aristeguieta, Wenger. Crew — GK Clark; D Jimenez, Wahl, Pogatetz, Francis; MF Finlay, Saeid, Tchani, Higuain, Meram; F Kamara
Forward Kei Kamara leads MLS with 10 goals and reached that mark faster than any other Crew player. ... Five of the team’s games this season have seen red cards issued — three for the Crew, two for its opponents.
Fernando Aristeguieta leads the team with three goals. ... Seven of Philadelphia’s 23 goals allowed have come in the 15 minutes before halftime. ... Ten of the team’s 14 goals have been scored inside the penalty area.
Philadelphia appears destined for the bottom of the conference, while the Crew continues to fight to stay in the middle of the pack. This is another chance for the Crew to separate itself from the have-nots of the league. Although it will be more difficult without Parkhurst, this is the type of game that the Crew should still be reasonably expected to win.