Philadelphia Union
The Philadelphia Union need to score
Excluding the matches against Defense Force FC, the Philadelphia Union have scored one goal in 4 games: an Indiana Vassilev penalty. There’s no denying that the ball needs to reach the back of the net, especially during open play.
In the Philadelphia Union’s 1-0 loss to Club América in the Concacaf Champions Cup on Tuesday, the Philadelphia Union took 12 total shots, one on target. Another issue from last night was the passing. The Union started the match with long ball build-up and switched to shorter passes later. Many passes in the attacking third were not connecting, giving away possession many times.
“We’re totally confident,” Agustín Anello said. “We know that it’s just a little hump that we need to get over. So, yeah, the team needs to be together. We know the quality of the players that we have. So, it’s just a thing of being together and waiting for the right moment.”
Head Coach Bradley Carnell introduced a new and very interesting tactic in this game: a 4-2-3-1 formation. He placed Cavan Sullivan and Anello on the outside, Milan Iloski behind Ezekiel Alladoh as the main striker, and Jovan Lukic and Jesus Bueno as defensive midfield.
“We’re just trying to get Ezekiel Alladoh the moments, and we thought with floating tens in the midfield, just to create more along the back line to float between there. Ezekiel’s a big presence. We just need him to run more in behind,” Carnell said in the post-game press conference.
This tactic also came with very high pressure. The Union maintained this high pressure throughout the whole game. They made eight interceptions and won many ground duels.
There’s also a different strategy between on the ball and off the ball. When the Union had possession, you would see Sullivan and Anello on the line of defense, pushing really high. Off the ball, Anello would drop much farther back than Sullivan would, hinting at Club América’s attack on the left side.
“I think it’s [the new strategy] good,” Anello said. “I think he [Milan Iloski] plays well when he’s there in the ten. That gives me more space out wide in the wings and also take on one-on-one from inside. So, it’s just different variants. We’ve got the players to do that.”
In the first half, Sullivan made three defensive recoveries and had a good cross for Alladoh right before the whistle. He made an impact for the Union before being replaced to start the second half by Frankie Westfield.
“Rodriguez is a handful down that side, so just thinking of the doubling up of defensive duties with Nate [Harriel] and Frankie [Westfield] in the ten,” Carnell said. “We’ve used Frankie in the ten before, and we were thinking [Philippe] Ndinga might not last as long, and then we just dropped Frankie like we did in terms of the progression.”
Something that worked very well last night was the defense. Apart from the goal, the Union had a strong defensive performance, winning most of the aerial duels and making 11 clearances. Club América did make some runs past Olwethu Makhanya and Geiner Martinez.
“I thought the whole back line defended pretty well,” Carnell said. “Just think about their [Club América] front four, the mobile attackers, they load your line with six at times. They’re building a 3-1-6. It’s really tough when we’re defending on the side of the ball, because it feels like a ton of yellow shirts in and around you. It could be quite intimidating.”
Even though it was a home game, it felt like playing away. The crowd was noisy and dressed in yellow. There was also a Spanish speaker for the Club América fans. They brought their energy and their chants all the way from Mexico City.
“It’s difficult,” Union goalkeeper Andrew Rick said. “I walked out to the field and got booed for the first time, I think, ever, really. I’m not used to that experience, but credit to them. Showing up on a Tuesday night is certainly a choice.”
The Union’s defensive structure is clearly there, but goals are what win games, and right now, the Boys in Blue are struggling to convert. Carnell must find a way to get his attackers into more dangerous positions while playing more smoothly in the final third. With their road trip to Atlanta on Saturday, the Union really need to get back to their scoring ways before this rough patch turns into a big problem.
