Little left for Curtin but to keep the faith

There have been coaches in Philadelphia through the years that have gone through the motions. They’ve said what the fans want to hear, they’ve toed the line and spewed hot air.

Jim Curtin isn’t one of those guys, in part because he sometimes identifies most closely with the fans rather than the coaches in this hypothetical. So when Curtin ascends the podium on a night like Friday, explaining his Philadelphia Union’s 2-0 loss to New York City FC, a 14th game in all competitions sans a win, Curtin isn’t grasping at clichés or platitudes. When he says he still believes in his team, it’s because he means it.

“I think we still have a very strong group of guys,” Curtin said. “I think we have a great team. I believe in the group. I think we believe in the work we do each and every week. It’s going to take us sticking together and getting the results before any of the negativity around the team will stop. I think the guys recognize that. The only way we can get out of it is with a win.”

You can agree or disagree with the substance of that assertion. And you can infer what you will from the mood in the dressing room and the press conference that was less disappointed and more resigned to the fact that the Union were done in by a superior team.

But in Game 6 of a 34game slog, there’s little recourse. Even if you choose not to empathize with the manager for what must be his sizeable dose of confusion — as in, why is a roster largely identical to last year’s playing so woefully? — there’s another question to ask: What else is Curtin to do at this point?

Reinforcements aren’t coming over the hill, short of Josh Yaro’s return to a defense that has allowed multiple goals in five consecutive games. Even if the transfer window was to open tomorrow, the shallow pockets of the Union’s ownership wouldn’t be able to indulge, and there’s limited upside to scrapping any significant portion of the roster for new bodies given the diminished purchasing power. Curtin will have to tackle the challenge ahead with the players he’s got, and lest a savior materialize from the recesses of the roster, Curtin has to believe the idea that the Union are more than they’ve shown to be if any of his players will.

In many ways, Curtin did what he needed — what he could — to change course Friday. He deployed an attack-first lineup at home, inserting Roland Alberg at the No. 10. That generated arguably the best performance of the season by Alejandro Bedoya in his more natural No. 8 position. He refused to stick with the same struggling defense, shuffling in Jack Elliott for Oguchi Onyewu in search of a remedy.

At halftime, the Union should’ve had a goal for its labors, with eight efforts, two on target. But that final lack of creativity remains missing.

That’s not an issue Curtin can solve. Nor is a defense constantly leaking goals despite the personnel to play better, nor is the lack of traction from the wingers, with Chris Pontius not producing as he did last year and Ilsinho remaining a trickfilled enigma.

Curtin received a vote of confidence from sporting director Earnie Stewart Friday, who in an interview with ESPN FC likened Curtin’s man management skills to that of MLS great and U.S. coach Bruce Arena.

“Let’s put it this way: It’s not internally,” Stewart replied to analyst Taylor Twellman’s question about pressure on Curtin. “I see what he does every day. I think Jim is a good coach. I think Jim is a young coach, and he’s still learning at the same time. But that’s the process that the Philadelphia Union is in right now, not only with the players but with the coach, except he has certain things others don’t have. …

“He’s tactically very good. He knows how to talk, he knows how to explain what he’s doing. And he does it on the field every single day. So that’s when you go back and analyze, when you only look at winning and losing — yes, I understand, that we’re five games in and we haven’t won a game — and then it’s directed toward someone and do I think it’s fair? No, because I see certain things in games and you can mention those games again that we’ve played, I’ve seen some good things.”

That statement echoes Curtin’s recent declarations. Of the Union’s six non-victories, they’ve only been drastically outplayed in four of 12 halves. That doesn’t paint a picture of a manager who’s lost his locker room or is out of his depth.

Instead, it signals a roster with insufficient talent to win when it plays anywhere below its best. (Curtin getting them there is another issue, which he should be held accountable for.)

It’s also why Friday’s postmatch briefing lacked the contentiousness of others. In the face of David Villa, whose salary roughly equals that of the Union’s entire 2016 roster, and his wonder goal, all you can do is salute domineering brilliance.

But part of returning the Union to its full potential is Curtin, the man manager Stewart so readily endorses, not letting them fall into a mental state that moves them further from attaining that level.

“I think after the second loss, I wouldn’t say they’re hiding — nobody wants to hide — but it’s a tough environment,” Bedoya said. “There’s outside noise that maybe affects some guys and maybe going in from last season a long winless streak. I think that causes that, not being able to put in the whole effort for 90 minutes. …

“It’s just small margins where hopefully that final ball will be there and we can turn it around.”