Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
In one memorable moment, Fabian’s worth revealed
CHESTER >> The lineup came out Sunday, and it shouldn’t have been a surprise. But from chilly March to rainy October, the direction of the shock had flipped 180 degrees.
Back in March, when the Philadelphia Union trotted out club-record signee Marco Fabian, a Mexican international with the most decorated pedigree of anyone to wear a Union shirt, it was assumed that if the Union were to end an eight-year drought of home playoff games, Fabian would figure prominently.
Sunday, residual surprise lingered, but of the opposite orientation. Fabian hadn’t proved to be among the Union’s best 11 players as the season progressed. So when Jim Curtin needed his best squad to meet the challenge of the New York Red Bulls, it wasn’t Fabian but rather a Homegrown 19-year-old to whom he turned.
Whether or not that decision would be correct in the eyes of many would be determined over the next two hours. If a twogoal Union halftime deficit had held, the assessment would probably be a lot less charitable.
But as Curtin sat before the media, after a 4-3 victory after extra time that he dubbed the Marco Fabian game, well, there can’t be too many complaints. And while Curtin hasn’t cracked the mystery of Fabian’s place in this team completely, his solution Sunday led to Fabian scoring a magical goal in the 105th minute, earning the Union something it’s never had before: A playoff win.
“Marco’s a great player, we all know that, an incredible talent,” Curtin said. “He wants to win in Philly, and he’s a professional. When he’s disappointed, I’m sure, with me for not being in the starting lineup, but he’s always been professional and respectful, and when he came in, he impacted the game, not just with the goal but holding the ball up for us and rolling the ball through a few guys legs, being brave and keeping possession and drawing a few fouls.”
Fabian’s stats tell a complicated picture. Yes, he was second on the Union with six goals. But no, he didn’t impact games for large stretches in the way you would expect a twotime World Cup participant to do.
Yes, he was effective in certain situations. But no, he wasn’t the perfect fit for the Union’s high-pressing style, even when his ankle healed sufficiently after a nightmarish start to the season.
Curtin has tried Fabian as a second striker, but that didn’t yield results. He’s tried him as a No. 10 between two strikers and behind one. He tried sending a message with a suspension for a missed meeting.
But with the growth of Brenden Aaronson, rising to get a call into the full U.S. national team camp last week, Fabian’s place in the lineup has become anything but a sure thing. The Union have worked well this year when they have softened teams up with early pressure, gotten into a rhythm with their possession, then introduced more skilled players. But even in that pecking order, Fabian didn’t consistently change games the way that Ilsinho does.
So when Curtin studied how he wanted to remedy the high pressure of the Red Bulls, how he wanted to start quickly, how he knew the Union had to match the Red Bulls’ intensity out of the gate — those factors all pointed to Aaronson. The landscape could change — Aaronson’s hesitancy in the box, for instance, is less valuable when chasing the game. But from the start, it would be Aaronson.
It’s a testament to Curtin’s coaching and the team dynamic that despite those sizeable caveats, Fabian still goes into the record books as scoring the most consequential goal in club history. It also speaks volumes about Fabian’s professionalism. And though he didn’t stick around to attest to that to the media, his teammates did the talking for him.
“I know how hard it’s been for him and what he’s been dealing with,” said Alejandro Bedoya, Fabian’s roommate on the road and the central pillar of a supportive locker room. “I just gave him a little kiss on the cheek, guess it’s a Spanish thing, and told him, ‘that’s a way to make a difference,’ and leave it all out there. Like I said, that goal was big for him and he showed that he’s still got it.”
“Marco’s awesome,” said Fafa Picault, who scored the tying goal and assisted on the winner. “Marco’s an amazing player; obviously people already know that around the world. Obviously frustrating for him, sure. But he shows his quality when he’s on the field. I love playing with him.”
Fabian’s season has been ragged in a lot of ways. He dealt with the challenge of being midseason in Germany when coming over from Eintracht Frankfurt in February. An ankle injury with several false-start recoveries nagged him through the season’s first four months. He was away with Mexico at the Gold Cup, then came back. Then went to Mexico friendlies in September, when rumors of a move back to his home country intensified.
Those bumps don’t align with exactly what the Union hoped for when shelling out $2 million for Fabian, by far the most the club had ever spent on a player. But a moment like Sunday did. And in the collective memory of the 2019 season, in a game that Curtin admitted will define this club’s legacy, that will far outweigh the others.
“He gave everything for the club tonight,” Curtin said, “and he sent 18,000 people home happy.”
Contact Matthew De George at mdegeorge@21stcenturymedia.com; follow him on Twitter @ sportsdoctormd