While it may be too early to begin speculation about 2017, now is still a good time to discuss the state of the Union across the board, beginning from the back with the defense.
Situated way in the back, yet capturing the limelight, is Andre Blake. Without Blake, the Union would have surely conceded more goals, as well as dropping more points. The Jamaican goalkeeper kept the Union in more games than most would like to remember. Many fans worry that Blake isn’t long for Philadelphia, and that his talents will likely attract larger prey. For the time being, the Union have full confidence in Blake, and he has reciprocated. 2017 will be an important time in his career however. Should Blake want to make a move to England, he will have to show consistency this year. Expect him to stay for at least one more season.
On to the position of right back. Last year at this time, right back seemed to be a position of little worry. Raymond Gaddis had put out consistent performance, and seemed to cement his job. But in comes Keegan Rosenberry, to sweep in and play every minute for the Union in 2016. Despite what happened last year we should expect Rosenberry to stay at right back. He will likely be the first choice right back in Philadelphia for many years to come. Seeing how much Keegan improved in his first season, we can likely expect more from the all-star. As long as he avoids a sophomore slump, Rosenberry will be a cornerstone in 2017.
Rosenberry- Goals against= 55 in 3060 minutes: 1 goal every 55.63 minutes or 1.62 GA per game.
The person next to Keegan Rosenberry in 2017 is another story, however. Last season saw both Ken Tribbet and Josh Yaro split time at center back. While Tribbet started the season the stronger of the two, Yaro ended the season stronger. Injuries held Yaro back in 2016. On several occasions he started to find his form, only to be restrained by an injury, and lose his first team spot. Many will expect Yaro to be the out and out starter in 2017. Lets look at how the team fared with each defender.
Tribbet- Goals against= 33 in 1727 minutes: 1 goal every 57.56 or 1.72 GA per game.
Yaro- Goals against= 20 in 1327 minutes: 1 goal every 66.35 or 1.35 GA per game.
So Yaro has the edge here. If Tribbet can shore up his mistakes in the back, he could lower that number and give Yaro a real run for his money defensively. Offensively Tribbet amassed 2 goals and 1 assist last year, while Yaro had 0 in both categories. If Yaro is healthy he should be the first choice for Jim Curtin. Coming as a 2nd overall draft pick the Union are putting it’s faith in the young Ghanaian defender.
Sitting comfortably at left center back is Richie Marquez. Marquez missed very few minutes in 2016, and became indispensable in the back for Jim Curtin. For the time being Richie will be an integral part in the Union defense, as the team looks to rebuild once more. Not only a solid defender, Marquez scored several all important goals late in games to salvage points for the Union. But what he has in consistency, Marquez lacks in technical play. The no-nonsense center back is not going to be the guy for Curtin to distribute out of the back. While Marquez doesn’t get dispossessed often, he is often hurried while with the ball. Without a ball-playing center back like Tribbet, Marquez will have to show the fans what he can do with his feet, and be the stoic general to lead the backline.
Marquez-Goals against= 53 in 2970 minutes: a goal every 56 minutes or 1.61 GA per game.
An offensive contribution from Marquez
At left back things get tricky. Fabinho had a rough start in the beginning of 2016, but made up for it with a fantastic middle and end to his season. The 31 year old Brazilian has a position battle, however, as incoming Dutch defender Giliano Wijnaldum shares his position. Given that the Union has Ray Gaddis and even Warren Creavalle as depth in the outside back department, it seems odd that the Union would want to use an international slot for more depth. It would seem that Wijnaldum is set to play somewhere other than his natural position this year. Given that his more well known brother, Giorginio, has played both center mid and outside mid, it might mean that Giliano will occupy a more advanced position. We can’t know just yet what Earnie Stewart has in mind, but it seems likely that Wijnaldum will either play center mid alongside Bedoya, occupy Barnetta’s vacant attacking midfield role, or move to right wing where the Union hasn’t quite settled on a certified starter.
Fabinho- Goals against: 44 in 2517 minutes, a goal every 57.2 minutes or 1.57 GA per game.
2016 was a tricky year defensively for the Union. Despite a goals against average of 1.62 per game, the Union seems relatively set in the midfield. Remember, the average age in defense is 25 years old. The back four plus Blake still have time and will improve. We should expect to see a familiar defense next year, but one that is leaps and bounds better. In the end we cannot know how 2017 plays out until this next October, but given that 4 of the 6 defensive players listed played their first full season in 2016, we should expect that things really settle defensively compared to previous seasons.
