Another clean sheet has Union moving on

If the MLS Is Back tournament has taught us anything, it’s reinforced the importance of defensive soccer.

A year ago, FC Cincinnati was the worst defensive team in league history. This year, with a defender as head coach and a renewed commitment to team structure, it posted back-to-back shutouts against Atlanta United and the New York Red Bulls, eliminating both from the tournament. Orlando City, two years ago the worst defensive team in league history, is all about team structure and staying organized as a team. It is on to the quarterfinals. New England’s resurgence under Bruce Arena has been about not hemorrhaging goals at the back.

While the Philadelphia Union didn’t have to traverse the gulf from bad to good, defense held the keys to go from very good in 2019 to possibly great in the chaos that is 2020. For all its successes in finishing third in the East last

year, the best season in franchise history capped by a first playoff win, defense remained a blemish.

Jim Curtin’s team has set that right in Orlando. And with its second clean sheet in four games in a 1-0 win over the Revolution, the club is into the quarterfinals.

“It’s obviously important for us to keep clean sheets,” defender Jack Elliott said. “You keep clean sheets, you’re going to win games. I think we’re a back four and goalkeeper with Dre (Andre Blake) and the whole team that have played together for a while now. We know each other’s strengths, and I think obviously that’s a key factor to winning games. Dre’s having a hell of a tournament, as is our back four. We’re doing well trying to limit opportunities for Dre to have to bail us out, but overall, as a back four and as a team, our defensive shape has been good for the majority of the tournament.”

Defense was the one caveat in last year’s success. Yes, the Union had their

best finish in franchise history. But four clean sheets all season was hardly an elite level of stinginess. The Union had only two clean sheets in their last 26 games (including the playoffs) before going to Orlando, including five goals conceded in the two games played in March. They’ve matched that shutout figure already in just four MLS Is Back outings, setting up a quarterfinal on July 30 with the winner of Sunday night’s game between Sporting Kansas City and Houston.

Emphasizing defense fits Curtin’s team concept, beyond the obvious attraction to defensive soccer from a former center back. The club hasn’t won the possession battle in any of its six games this season. That means a lot of defending. But defending is how the Union generate their most dangerous attacking moves, from pressing the opponent’s backline to counter-attacking when they get turnovers.

Curtin called Saturday night, “a very professional performance,” and the assessment was most applicable to the back line. Elliott and Mark McKenzie, who has played every minute

this season, were outstanding in the center. Jose Martinez was industrious in midfield and rarely yellow-card-free. Blake made five saves, upping his tally to 21 for the tournament. As a team, the Union blocked five shots, cushioning the blow of an 18-12 disadvantage in total shots.

Curtin, though, singled out his outside backs for plaudits. Kai Wagner and Ray Gaddis were outstanding in repelling the Revolution. Though they were without Carles Gil, the 2019 MLS Newcomer of the Year, the Revs still presented plenty of danger. But with clinical coverage of runners in the final third and a bevy of key clearances in the box, the outside backs got the job done.

“I think sometimes we just expect them to be solid each and every game so it’s a time where I think we can single them out and give them a little bit of praise,” Curtin said. “The job that Ray’s done all competition has been excellent, Kai as well. … What they’re really great at, as the ball is traveling to the winger on the ground, they’re great at closing the distance and getting so tight to them so that the only option for

the winger is to try to play backwards or protect the ball. They do a great job of utilizing the sidelines as an extra defender. Overall, when you talk about one-vone defending, I don’t think there’s anyone better in the league than Ray.”

The outside backs are emblematic of how Curtin wants his team to play. With the Union’s relative level of talent, they’re not going to win games thanks to one or two stars. It’s going to take all 11 players executing at a high level to consistently win games.

Too often last year, the Union won games in spite of their defensive execution. In Orlando, with Blake recovering from a down 2019 season and the defense playing better, the team is after a trophy.

“All of us spent a lot of time on the pitch together last year and bringing it into this year,” Elliott said. “I think all of us knows how each other plays. Especially out wide, I think they had a lot of pace, which is fine for us with Ray and Kai out there. I think we’ve dealt with that well, and they didn’t particularly get in behind us that much. I think we dealt with that threat pretty well.”