Union need to set tone early vs Atlanta

Philadelphia Union Head Coach Jim Curtin spent a few moments of his weekly press conference highlighting just how poor the first 10 minutes of his team’s 4-0 win against DC United was. He was quick to highlight that fact immediately after that match as well.

They escaped unharmed despite the sloppy play early in the match and turned things around for a comfortable 4-0 win. But another rough and bumpy start tonight against Atlanta United could prove extremely costly.

Especially for a club that continues to tip-toe the playoff line in the Eastern Conference standings.

“The first 10 minutes was awful,” Curtin said to the press Friday afternoon. “If you really re-watch that again, it was awful. And then in the games previous, it was awful and we got punished. In this one, it was awful and we scored actually against the run of play.”

Mikael Uhre’s 13th minute goal off of Quinn Sullivan’s first assist was a moment Curtin’s lineup needed to right the ship. And once they banged home the early goal, they didn’t look back.

“After the goal, we weren’t a passive team,” said Curtin. “It was ‘OK, lets be us now.’ And then we were pretty relentless the rest of the 80 plus minutes after that.”

But Atlanta is a bit more well-rounded compared to DC United. Atlanta have scored fewer goals in comparison, but their goal differential sits at -4 compared to DC’s -17. In terms of expected goals, Atlanta ranks fifth best in all of MLS.

“I’ve emphasized a lot the importance of the start, because on a different night, with some of the attacking firepower that Atlanta has, it could have been one or two zero against DC,” said Curtin. “Atlanta has some dangerous players, there’s no question about that. They’re desperate for points as well.”

Heading into Matchday 35, nine clubs can clinch a playoff birth, three teams can be eliminated, and one club can clinch homefield advantage.

As for Atlanta and Philadelphia, both teams’ playoff futures are still shrouded in fog and could theoretically shift dramatically through the last three to four weeks of the season. Philadelphia will go as far as their front three take them. Meanwhile, Atlanta are scrapping and clawing their way up the table with an interim coach at the helm.

Atlanta is three points shy of Philadelphia’s 36 points. Montreal is currently between the two clubs in the Eastern Conference table with 34 points. With the tie-breaker boiling down to total wins, Atlanta is not able to leapfrog Philadelphia with a win. But they could make it all that more difficult for Curtin and his group as they seek a 7th straight MLS Cup Playoff appearance.

Curtin pulled no punches in explaining the matchup against Atlanta will be “a real fight.” And thankfully, Philadelphia can potential reap the rewards of having Danley back to 100% and available for not only selection in the matchday roster but to start the match.

Goalkeeper Andre Blake is also fully ready to go. Blake, as he has in almost every game this year, will need to bail out Philadelphia’s defense a handful of times if the Union hope to improve their current run of form with a third consecutive win. Curtin mentioned Blake’s return has been very influential, which should come as no surprise to learn. Blake will once again serve as the backline’s barometer and brick wall backstop for the team overall.

Curtin says Andre Blake has been “really sharp” and that his kicking is “coming along.”

“You see how much he means to the team, leadership wise in the locker room, communication wise, he gives a calming presence to the back line.”

— Philadelphia Soccer Now (@phlsoccernow) September 27, 2024

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Since Leagues Cup, Philadelphia have won three of their last five. Their only losses were against two of the top three teams in the Eastern Conference. This matchup against Atlanta is a prime opportunity for the Union to take all three points against a club beneath them in the table. They’re currently five points below the seventh seed, which likely remains the club’s ultimate goal in hopes of avoiding the first round knockout phase of the playoffs.