Soccer is fun again for the Union

After a second consecutive win in Chester for Philadelphia Union Head Coach Jim Curtin and his team, the first win streak in three months, the Union are back to having fun once again.

“Soccer is fun again for the guys,” said Curtin postgame following a 3-0 victory against Nashville SC. “The value of having your best players be your best players in this game, as simple as that sounds, is so important.”

Philadelphia’s big 3 stepped up in major ways Saturday night. Goalkeeper Andre Blake, defensive midfielder Jose Martinez, and attacking midfielder Daniel Gazdag were top-notch Saturday and their efforts loomed large.

Martinez recorded his 100th career MLS regular season start and effectively shut down Nashville’s most dangerous player in Hany Mukhtar with some suffocating defensive work. Blake returned to action for the first time in several weeks and earned his first clean sheet of the 2024 regular season. And Gazdag’s hat trick propelled the team offensively to what was not only an easy victory, but a refreshing breathe of fresh air for most fans.

As a result of Gazdag’s hat trick, he is now tied for third in the league with 14 goals on the year. He also became the second player in club history to record 80 or more career goal contributions, joining Sébastien Le Toux (100) and recorded his eighth multi-goal game, the most in club history.

The hat trick also marks the sixth time in MLS history that a club had two different players score a hat trick in consecutive games after Tai Baribo had three goals on Wednesday against New England.

The win Wednesday was the club’s first home win since March. Backing up that performance with another near perfect outing Saturday night should hopefully allow Curtin and his players to fully move on from the worst stretch of play in club history leading into this week (10-match winless streak and a 5-match losing streak).

Curtin, who has been at the helm since June 2014, is well informed when it comes to the importance of backing up solid performances with even better showings in order to build momentum.

“No group has gone through a tough season like this more than our group. When your best players are on the field together we’re still a really good team…,” Curtin continued. “These two wins will go a long way going into the break to build some confidence.”

The extended regular season break allows time for the Leagues Cup competition and also provides some opportunities for extra rest given the fact that the club will finally have week-long training periods between games, something Curtin and his staff have not had a chance to enjoy for some time now.

The Leagues Cup fixtures also allow Curtin to deploy some consistently effective tactics. Perhaps they’ll continue to keep simplicity as their main goal when designing gameplans, much like they did Saturday night in the dismantling of Nashville.

“Sometimes there’s simplicity to it. We’re telling Mikael [Uhre], you’re best running in behind, so you pin the two centerbacks back,” said Curtin. “It opened up a lot of space. If we’re just really working and moving off the ball for each other and giving those [opposing] centerbacks more than one thing to deal with it becomes really hard. I thought we scored some really good goals. We had real good composure [in the box] and it was fun to watch.”

And of course, the key to Saturday’s victory which may be quickly overshadowed and forgotten was goalkeeper play. A lack of consistent and elite goalkeeping has severely hampered the Union’s ability to earn points this season. But with Blake back in the net, the club is able to prevail during stressful moments like the one that occurred late Saturday night.

Blake made a crucial save in the 85th minute off a Teal Bunbury shot from inside the box. Had that shot reached the back of the net, Philadelphia could have collapsed and allowed another quick goal and then the win is gone. But Blake is back, and his efforts helped salvaged the win yet again.

“It’s great goalkeeping,” said Curtin. “It is part of our foundation. [Blake] doesn’t get enough credit.”

If Philadelphia’s key contributors can stay healthy, a playoff run seems likely. Many fans may not have envisioned the playoffs being an obtainable goal considering the worst stretch of play in club history earlier this season. But that opportunity is back on the table. But Curtin is wise enough to know progress each week is still vital to get there.

“These two wins don’t mean anything if we don’t continue to follow them up with better and better soccer each week,” said Curtin Saturday night.