Coach Curtin seeking production from wings
Even in the face of two months without a win, tinkering hasn’t been Jim Curtin’s response to the Philadelphia Union’s struggles. Where his coaching embellishments have taken root is on the wings.
CHESTER >> Even in the face of two months without a win, tinkering hasn’t been Jim Curtin’s response to the Philadelphia Union’s struggles.
In eight winless matches, he’s deployed a grand total of three fullbacks, three center backs, two forwards and four bodies for three central midfield positions in his starting lineups.
Where his coaching embellishments have taken root is on the wings, where four players have earned starting time. Add in inversion of the flanks and he’s assembled four unique wing pairings in eight matches, by far the most interchange of any position.
That tendency stems from the strengths of his roster: The Union’s winger corps is deep with talent and options. Swapping a winger can transform a team without altering the underlying structure. Given all the Union ask from wingers in terms of defense and high pressure, Curtin has a variety of traits on which to base decisions.
But the bigger trend emerging in the last seasonplus doesn’t discriminate based on speed or technical skill or defensive sensibility. Instead, the Union’s wide options — and at-large, attacking midfield cogs — cleave into distinct classes: Players who measurably contribute goals and assists, and those who don’t.
While Curtin decrees that the ultimate aim for his attackers is to accumulate goals and assists, there’s a disconnect between the input and output.
“I think it’s a position that we have a lot of talent and quality at,” Curtin said Wednesday. “I think it’s fair to say that to have someone break out and grab a hold of it would be what we’re looking for.”
First, the two categories. On the production side, there’s Chris Pontius, who led the Union with 12 goals and six assists last season. He’s been less effective this year, having gone the full 90 minutes just once, but has still contributed two assists, a breakout performer by Union standards. Roland Alberg fits here, with 11 goals and three assists in 34 games since arriving. His production has come in a paltry 1,415 minutes, burying 11 goals on 20 shots on target, a staggering return.
The other player worthy of inclusion is Fabian Herbers, who quietly racked up a historic rookie season with seven assists and three goals, one of the highest assist tallies ever for a SuperDrafted player. Herbers has one assist this year and while he’s played in all eight matches, he hasn’t started since late March, totaling just 316 minutes.
The second classification contains players who, plainly, don’t produce much. Alejandro Bedoya has two goals, both against Toronto and including a playoff tally, and zero assists in 19 Union matches. That’s over half a season’s worth of games. He’s had a hand in a couple of goals this year, but not in a statistically quantifiable way. His numbers are roughly on pace to match Ilsinho, who has two goals (both in the same game against D.C. United last year, one on a PK) and two assists in 30 matches.
On paper, the selection choices seem simple. In person, though, not so much. Ilsinho’s silky game even on the practice pitch is alluring, though his skills and thrills rarely translate to the scoreboard. Alberg isn’t renowned for his fitness or training performances but has an unmatched nose for the goal. Pontius is a quintessential American player — blue-collar, hard-working, hardly the most skilled but instinctively able to pop up in the right spot in the box.
It’s too early to decide on the fourth option, Fafa Picault. Early returns are limited, but his high-profile miss late-on against Montreal could’ve iced a 4-2 win instead of a three-goal collapse. Still, his potentially game-changing speed is seductive and unique among the options.
Those tensions create a conundrum for Curtin.
“You want guys obviously at the end of the day to get assists and get goals; that’s what everybody’s working for,” Curtin said. “I think you saw at different times in the preseason, Ilsinho had some really good goals, good shots from distance, was getting some assists. Haven’t seen it yet in the games, but working towards getting that out of him. Fabian is a guy that I would call very efficient in his work. He is always in and around the goal, gets chances whether it’s as a reserve or as a starter, creates opportunities for other players and still a very good player.”
Further complicating matters is the money. According to salary figures released by the MLS Players Union last week, the non-production category pulls down heftier salaries. Bedoya is the highest-paid player in franchise history at just under $1.2 million per season. Ilsinho is third on the team at $518,000 per annum, while fourth is Jay Simpson, essentially the backup forward. (Second, of course, is Maurice Edu, who appears nowhere near ending a stretch of 19 months on the sidelines with two leg fractures; Curtin confirmed that the club receives no relief on his salary based on long-term injury provision.)
Pontius ($431K) and Alberg ($394k) aren’t making chump change, while Herbers’ $135K salary is constrained by his age and his Generation Adidas status.
Curtin’s conclusion Wednesday seems to contain some logical holes.
“Obviously if they continue to work in training, it’ll start to evolve into the goals and assists which at the end of the day is the most important thing for that position,” he said.
Only time will tell if that just-around-the-bend mentality pays dividends, or if it’s more of the same for a club languishing in last place.