Union, Bedoya look for turnaround as playoffs approach

As the Philadelphia Union convened Monday for their customary day-after recap, Alejandro Bedoya felt compelled to speak up.

No one, from manager Jim Curtin on down the staff and roster, was under the impression that Sunday’s 2-0 flattening meted out by Orlando City was acceptable. But at a meeting that included more player input than usual, Bedoya moved that message from the subtext right into the open.

“It doesn’t take a genius to look at that game and say that was a lackluster effort at best,” Bedoya said Wednesday. “For us, it’s just staying optimistic. We know we have a great group of guys. We know we have a good team. When we’re playing well, when we’re on our game, we can compete with anybody in this league. It’s just about putting our heads down.

“I was able to give a talk to the team Monday and let them know we’re all in this together, this is the end of the season, guys are playing for their livelihoods really. We don’t know what’s going to happen next season. Some guys are going to retire, some guys are going to leave, get traded, go somewhere else. This is a great opportunity we have in front of us now with the playoffs and trying to win an MLS Cup here in Philly.”

Bedoya’s typical bluntness is the reset that the Union need, after a six-game winless streak that somehow hasn’t prevented them from all but cinching a playoff spot. The only way the Union miss the postseason is a loss Sunday to the Red Bulls, a win by New England over Montreal and a change in goal differential of 12 between the teams. ESPN’s Soccer Power Index says there’s a 99.99 percent chance that won’t happen.

With the postseason aim essentially achieved, the Union’s strategy Sunday (4 p.m., TCN) shifts to granular objectives. The first is to arrest their skid and paper over the obvious cracks in the crumbling façade of the season with a result that reflects the sense of accomplishment the team should have. To do that, they’ll have to construct a more Unionlike performance on the field.

“As a player, you know when it’s been a good performance and when it’s been us, the way the Union has played this season, and when it’s not,” Curtin said. “I think against Orlando, for a variety of different reasons, it wasn’t. … We didn’t have our best day.”

The return to winning ways must be approached pragmatically. The Union (11-13-9, 42 points) want to finish on a positive note, but they also face a playoff game next Wednesday or Thursday. With the Union locked into either the fifth or sixth seed, resting regulars on the fringe of health is on Curtin’s radar.

Several players missed Wednesday’s training session. Chris Pontius, who’s played every game this season, left Sunday’s game with hamstring tightness. Pontius suffered a serious hamstring injury last year, and his withdrawal from the game and limitation Wednesday was largely precautionary.