Real’s key assist illustrates squad’s depth
CHESTER >> There are indications throughout the first four-plus months of the Philadelphia Union’s season that things are different, and the standing in the table is merely the highest-profile one.
Sunday provided another, one even harder to fathom in seasons past than the notion of being in first place.
The Union trailed by a goal late to Orlando City, an inferior opponent that would’ve been content with a draw and a quick retreat to Florida in a contest delayed a day by rain. (The trait of playing down to an opponent at home isn’t unique to this season.) But then Jim Curtin, needing something — anything — from a bench with four defenders, made his third and final sub in the 89th minute.
On came Matt Real, mainly as a hedge against Kai Wagner picking up a yellow card that would lead to an accumulation suspension. Up he went as a left halfback/winger, the Union essentially going with three at the back. And within a minute, they had their equalizer, Real orchestrating a move that ended with Kacper Przybylko scoring his fifth goal in four games.
“It’s never easy coming into the game, especially in a situation like that when we’re down a goal and pushing for a goal in the last minute,” Real said, after the 2-2 tie. “But the only thing you can do is throw yourself forward and keep getting balls in the box. Defensively, when you enter a game when you’re down a goal with a couple of minutes left, your focus is more attack-minded. You don’t really focus on defending as much as you would if the game was level. You just kind of keep pushing forward, trying to get balls in the box, get shots and whatever you can do.”
It’s especially difficult given the usual seat-fillers that had occupied Union benches in past seasons. Curtin is on record saying that a tighter roster this year is the result of only carrying players he feels confident playing. Real is the 23rd player to see the field in MLS; of the 20 field players, he makes 17 that have contributed a goal or an assist. Anthony Fontana, who had the secondary assist on the Przybylko goal, is another.
The sequence was both clutch and impressive. The Union (10-5-6, 36 points) had struggled all day to break down an Orlando City squad bunkering numbers behind the ball. But Fontana, Real and Przybylko created an overload down the left, playing tidy triangles to unlatch the defense and play in Przybylko.
Real nearly played the hero a few minutes later, his cross on a platter to the edge of the six-yard box leading to Jack Elliott’s thumped header, with only a sensational driving save from Brian Rowe denying the Union the full points.
“Jim told me, just get balls into the box, because good things happen when you get balls in the box,” Real said. “We have good targets in there that can make things happen in big moments like this. I wish Jack would’ve put that one away, because we would’ve come out with the win, but I’m happy that I was able to make an impact.”
“He made an impact in the game,” Curtin said. “We had center backs and outside backs to choose from, so it was pretty limited. But I was happy for Matt to get on the field and make an impact. I thought him and Anthony both left a mark on the game and Kacper came to life there and finished the play off for us.”
Real’s contribution reveals a couple of heartening trends. The quality of the 18th guy on the bench — or when all are healthy, the 23rd or 24th in consideration — is higher than it’s ever been. Real has been a popular youth international since he was 14 and is fresh off the Under-20 World Cup. Though he’s at the end of the bench, he’s a player long determined to have a bright future.
He also illustrates that the mentality Curtin has so lauded in his team permeates the entire group. Sunday’s equalizer featured three players who started Bethlehem Steel’s opener. It was Real’s first minutes of the year. Fontana has gotten just 29 minutes over three appearances, but he scored in a sub appearance in the U.S. Open Cup loss to D.C. United.
It hasn’t been an ideal season for Real, Fontana and fellow Homegrown Mark McKenzie. The latter has been hampered by a slew of injuries and multiple international calls, but Real and Fontana have found opportunities limited, spending most of their time with Steel. In anchoring their long-term hopes around Homegrowns, though, the Union have built in a support system. The players are still young and know the club has invested heavily in them, so they get certain leeway and patience to figure things out. They have the familiarity with the system that allows them to cope through rough moments.
And as they journey through the system, they have each other to lean on for support.
“You don’t feel as lonely as if everyone else was up and you were down,” Real said. “Our main focus is if we can play well together, we make each other look good. So the fact that we’re able to do that when we play with Steel or in training, it really helps in moments like that to build chemistry.”