The Philadelphia Union are off to the worst start in franchise history. At 1-5-3 (six points) the Union are just above the Montreal Impact in the standings, though Montreal has played just four games due to their run to the CONCACAF Champions League final. So what ails the Union? Well, this is both an easy and complex answer. Just watching the team and looking at the stats you can see that the team is last in the league in terms of ball possession. You won’t win very many games if you can’t hold on to the ball.
Lack of possession and defensive breakdowns are the obvious answers, but some of these issues are more complex than just simply stating the team is bad. Injuries and ineffective play are also factors. The obvious answer that the more vocal fans shout as loud as they can is the ownership group’s admitted lack of funds to compete with most of the other clubs in Major League Soccer. While that certainly doesn’t help build depth and enable the team to make quick fixes by adding players during the transfer windows, that is not an excuse for the players and coaches to use.
The Union have typically conceded goals late in games and on set pieces, and this season has been no different despite coach Jim Curtin’s desire to be able to close out games better. Injuries have robbed the team of stability and consistency in lineup selections. Key midfielders Cristian Maidana and Vincent Nogueira have missed time due to injuries and Nogueira may miss Saturday’s crucial match with Toronto. Leading scorer Fernando Aristeguieta has also missed time due to injury. Ineffective play has also hurt the team, particularly from two of the players they were counting on to help lead the attack. Those two players would be Sebastien LeToux and Andrew Wenger. LeToux has started slow the last few years and is beginning to show his age while Wenger just looks lost. Part of their roles include helping defensively and they have not done so consistently.
Poor goalkeeping has also hurt the team, with Algerian World Cup star Rais M’Bolhi making multiple errors early in the season before Curtin sent him home. Rookie John McCarthy, while a local kid with a nice story, is playing like you would expect a rookie to play. McCarthy makes the easy saves but has been both too aggressive and passive at the wrong times. He will improve given time but that is not something that may be available much longer. Andre Blake suffered a knee injury in preseason and is still not fully recovered. When he is fit it is assumed he will take over for McCarthy.
Depth is a problem and there aren’t many options available for Curtin to make many changes. Is Curtin the problem? Probably not, but it seems that he struggles in adapting to changes the opposition makes after halftime. This is something that a more experienced coach might be able to deal with more effectively, but it does not appear that Curtin has to worry about his job. Yes, the team and the fans want and expect the playoffs this season. But if things do not change soon that will not be the end result. The two biggest things the Union need to do are hold more possession by limiting unforced turnovers and limiting chances on goal for the opposition. If these things happen the goals will come and the Union will be difficult to beat. If not, it will be a long season at PPL Park and the fans are getting restless.