With a 2-1 victory at Columbus, the Union turned the tables after the 2-0 defeat to Dallas last week . It was a tough start to the season for the Union, having to play two strong teams. Despite the poor performance defensively against Dallas, Philadelphia was able to find its shape against the Crew. The Union did not boss the game, and Columbus must be disappointed with the result. This game could fuel the rest of the season for the Union. Good teams find ways to win games even when outplayed. For the Union to come into Columbus and get a victory despite their record shows the new direction in which the club is moving. So lets look at where the Union found success despite controlling only 41% of possession and having half the shots on goal.
Defense:
Andre Blake demonstrated yet again his value to the Union. He continues to put in great performances. Blake’s continues to use his athletic ability to make great saves at full stretch as well as showcase his lightning reflexes. Against the Crew SC, we saw Blake build off of his athletic contributions with improved decision making. While he had a good performance in the Dallas game, Blake seemed slow off his line at times. This time around, he showed greater confidence in his ability to gather the ball, especially from crosses, as he neutralized several Columbus corners and crosses.
Richie Marquez returned from injury with a terrific performance. This game showed what the Union was missing in Dallas as Marquez was always in the right position to cull the Columbus attack. With Marquez in the squad, the back line looked much more assured, and the result seemed to show.
The Union made no effort to sit in, defend, and hope for a counter. Especially in the first half, the Union were often pressing high, and when the press was broken, Columbus found space on the break. Blake and Marquez as stand out players, but credit should be given to the defensive effort of the entire squad. The first half saw the Union backline put in several 1v1 defensive situations, and each time the defender in question made a fantastic tackle or play. In one defensive series, Each player in the backline, along with Walter Creavalle at center midfield, made a last ditch sliding tackle to prevent a Crew counter. The Crew did have a multitude of shots, however Columbus didn’t threaten until later in the game. Before that point, Columbus found it difficult as each shot was contested by a Union defender.
Creavalle did a great job alongside Brian Carroll to shield the Union back line. Part of the problem against Dallas was that Vincent Nogueira and Brian Carroll are incredibly similar players, who want the ball at their feet so they can distribute forward. With Creavalle the Union had a runner who could protect the whole backline. Creavalle was buzzing about, defending on both sides of the field, and giving cover to Fabinho and Keegan Rosenberry, (both of whom improved greatly over their last performance.)
Sloppy play from Columbus:
Finishing was not on point for the Crew. Given the number of shots, the Columbus coach certainly felt the team should have had more goals to show for it. Despite the single goal, however, Columbus had other areas of the field in which they could have improved.
Crossing was below average for Columbus. It wasn’t until the 87th minute that the Crew connected on a corner, which resulted in their only goal. Too many of the corners and crosses in general were too close to Andre “the giant” Blake. His 6’4″ frame should have been something Columbus prepared for, however Blake seemed to gobble up each ball that fell into his area.
Both Union goals were caused by lack of focus defensively for Columbus. The first was a simple throw in to the near post and flick on by C.J. Sapong. Sapong beat the two defenders marking him to put the ball in front of the Columbus goal. The ball fell in front of four Columbus defenders, each of whom failed to recognize the play. It seemed each was waiting for the other to clear. In the momentary lapse, Chris Pontius popped in to nab his first goal of the night.
For his second goal, Pontius hit a screamer to the near post, giving Steve Clark no chance in goal. Le Toux played the ball into Ilsinho, who was tackled promptly by Michael Parkhurst. Right back Harrison Afful failed to read the play as the ball rolled behind him to Pontius. Neither Afful nor Parkhurst closed down Pontius, which gave him a free shot that he rifled in, near post from 20 meters out. The Columbus defenders were slow to react in this situation. The Union had enough space for the play to unfold and fortunately for Philadelphia, the ball fell nicely for Pontius.
Building off of the Dallas loss:
The Union looked much more cohesive against the Crew than against Dallas. Defensive lapses were minimal, and the backline held a good shape for most of the game. Keeping a clean sheet will likely be something that Coach Curtin will work on, as conceding 3 goals in 2 games is not an ideal start. The introduction of Marquez seemed to be the glue that holds the backline together. Previously, with Anderson in the line-up, the backline looked disjointed without an experienced leader. With Marquez back, Fabinho looked solid defensively, and Ken Tribbet showed yet again why he was brought into the squad. Meanwhile Rosenberry put in a great performance, neutralizing Jimenez and the Columbus attack down the left flank. There is still much to do defensively, but given the inexperience, this will go down as a good performance.
The Union did not have the most devastating attack in Columbus Saturday night, but Philadelphia did what counts, and that is to score. In the game against Dallas, the Union got the ball forward into dangerous areas but never looked likely to score. Against Columbus they had almost the same strategy, but this time the lethal finishing from Pontius proved the difference.
For the Union to succeed this year, they will have to build off of this result, and create more chances. Four shots will not be enough in most games. We will see how Coach Jim Curtin changes his tactics next week in the home opener against the Revolution.
MotM:
This is a tough decision. Blake was a stand out performer, but we have almost come to expect it from him at this point. I am going to give the nomination to Chris Pontius for scoring both goals. In a game where chances were few and far between, to score 2 goals on 2 shots is exceptional. Pontius will likely be crucial for the Union given his performance Saturday, and might be a difference maker this year.
Conclusion:
The Union ended up getting their first ever victory in Mapfre Stadium, in a hard fought game which could have easily gone the other way if not for strong performances by Blake, Pontius, and Marquez. Columbus will have plenty to work with despite the loss, as they looked the stronger of the two teams over 90 minutes. The Union is certainly happy with the result, but will need to improve if they want their season to last.
