‘Pre-postseason game’ could be timely statement for Union
CHESTER >> Games like Saturday night’s meeting with Atlanta United are the kind of games the Union have been preaching about for years; those that matter as summer turns to fall, as the regular season turns to postseason.
The latter line will feel pretty blurry. The Union host Atlanta in a collision of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, one with significant playoff ramifications. Or as coach Jim Curtin said this week, it’s essentially a prepostseason game, one that could go a long way toward determining where the two teams would meet in the postseason should a second matchup that really does count for everything come to pass.
“Practice has been ramped up,” Curtin said Wednesday. “The intensity has been a playoff feel. It’s felt like a playoff week. I challenged them with six games left, we have to switch our mindset to the intensity and magnitude of the playoffs now. We can’t just wait to flick the switch when you get in. We’re not 100 percent in yet but it’s looking pretty positive in that regard, and this now sets up like a playoff game, no question about it.”
Atlanta (15-9-3, 48 points) enters as the favorite. It has won four straight league games and six of seven; since a sluggish start under new coach Frank de Boer, Atlanta has won 15 of 23 games. The holder of MLS Cup and the Supporters’ Shield for most points last season, AU added a third trophy Tuesday by beating Minnesota, 2-1, in the U.S. Open Cup final.
Even though the Union (14-8-6, 48 points) held the top spot in the East for most of the last three months, there’s no questioning who the favorite is.
It doesn’t help that the Union go into arguably the biggest regular season game in franchise history without their captain, Alejandro Bedoya, who’ll miss out through yellow-card accumulation suspension. The fix to replacing Bedoya isn’t simple. Jamiro Monteiro, who has the versatility to play a variety of positions, will likely slide back to a more defensive role than the No. 10 he played last week and Marco Fabian will slip in as the 10. What formation that will be in remains to be seen, as the Union have trained this week in both the 4-2-3-1 that trampled D.C. United, 3-1, last week and the 4-4-2 diamond that has been the predominant setup this season.
Curtin lauds Bedoya, who along with Jack Elliott and Haris Medunjanin hasn’t missed an MLS minute this season, for so many of his unseen duties on the field, from runs tracking back to assist the defense to his movement off the ball. He leaves a sizable void in terms of his vocal leadership on the field, too.
“He’s our captain first and foremost, so he’s our voice in the locker room, our voice on the field,” Curtin said. “I thought even in the D.C. game, he made a lot of plays tracking back to break up a play where at 3-1 if DC scores, it can shift the momentum in the game. He does a lot of little things. You guys have heard me say it before, that maybe doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, but he’s the engine of our team. He’s really upset that he’s not going to be playing in this game, but he’ll be doing anything he can to help off the field to get the guys motivated and ready.”
The defense will be tested by Josef Martinez, who has scored in an MLS record 12 consecutive appearances. With Gonzalo “Pity” Martinez also hitting his stride after a disappointing start to the season, the Five Stripes are a dangerous team.
But the Union have played all summer like a team that believes it belongs in the conversation as one of the East’s top teams. It has shown up in flashes, with the Union leading in Yankee Stadium against New York City FC before ultimately falling, and taking it to D.C. United twice. But against Atlanta, they can make their most emphatic statement yet.
“I’m not going to lie and say it’s the same as any other week because it’s not,” Curtin said. “The stakes are higher and I think most importantly, the players are confident right now and they want to test themselves against one of the top teams, the defending champ and a team that’s had a great, great season.”
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Eight Union players will miss out on next Saturday’s international friendly with Mexican club Pumas while being called away to national team duties, the club announced Friday.
Brenden Aaronson, Matt Freese, Mark McKenzie and Auston Trusty will be off with the United States Under-23 training camp in Chula Vista, Calif., which includes a Sept. 9 friendly against Japan. Both Aaronson and Trusty were in camp in June with the squad that is ramping up for qualification to next summer’s Olympics Games in Tokyo.
Andre Blake and Warren Creavalle could meet up in the CONCACAF Nations League when Jamaica and Guyana go head to head Sept. 9. Jamaica plays Antigua and Barbuda first, while Guyana tangles with Aruba.
Marco Fabian is in the 31-man roster for Mexico’s friendlies with the U.S. Sept. 9 at MetLife Stadium and at the Alamodome Sept. 9 against Argentina. Olivier Mbaizo will be part of Cameroon’s U-23 squad which seeks to qualify for the Africa U-23 Cup of Nations.