The Union and DC United ended their Suncoast invitational game all square at 1-1. This preseason game showed some early aggression; by half time both teams had accumulated their fair share of cards. Jim Curtin tested many players on his roster. The rotation cycled every outfield player except for his number one goalkeeper Andre Blake, totaling 21 different players receiving at least 30 minutes each.
Starting 11: 1 Blake, 12 Rosenberry, 16 Marquez, 18 Tribbet, 33 Fabinho, 5 Nogueira, 6 Alberg, 10 Barnetta, 9 Le Toux, 13 Pontius, 17 Sapong.
1st Half recap:
The Union grabbed a quick lead at the 7-minute mark, in the first real chance of the game. Pontius secured enough space down the left side of the DC fullback, and rolled a cross in front of the on-coming CJ Sapong at the near post. Sapong leapt feet first into the ball, causing enough speed on the ball to rise past the DC goalkeeper, careening off the crossbar and back into play. The ball fell nicely for Sebastian Le Toux, who was making a late deep run. He calmly rolled the ball across his body and past the goalkeepers left side into the back of the net.
The Union saw most of the possession for the remainder of the first half, but didn’t threaten enough to trouble DC United. Philadelphia poked and prodded DC but were repelled or fouled at each attempt thereafter. Both teams kept great shape defensively, as neither side saw many opportunities until the game opened up about a half hour in. Philadelphia then starting keeping more possession, and with more attacking plays, started to open more at the back. DC was extremely deft in their pressing, stepping just when they knew they could force an error or a clearance. When the Union was organized, they looked strong defensively, although susceptible against the counter attack, especially directly after a turnover in the back. The Union ended up having the stronger half of the two however, and in what was a tactically drawn out first half, the score ended in a 1-0 Union lead.
First Half analysis:
The first half’s starting 11 foreshadows what Coach Curtin might deploy in the up coming season. The back line is probably going to be the most subject to change come March, with Marquez and Fabinho the likely long-term starters for Curtin. Marquez was ever consistent, plugging up holes wherever they arose. Fabinho offered a predictable game as well, bombing down the left flank and whipping in crosses, though they seldom reached their intended target. Fabinho’s offensive game still outshines his defensive efforts, as he was often up field leaving Tribbet to defend the tricky DC forwards.
The Union kept the ball between their center backs without any pressure, and was joined by Vincent Nogueira sitting in that deep lying playmaker roll. Nogueira controlled the pace of the game for the Union, spraying balls wide at the start of each Philadelphia attack.Alongside Nogueira, Alberg started at center mid and arguably was the Union’s most excited player this half. Each touch was clean, each pass was sharp, and he had enough skill to play out of pressure, or get fouled in the process. He is extremely promising, with the only exception being his forward play. He seemed a bit too content to keep the ball and pass it sideways or backwards. Tranquillo Barnetta shined as the Unions attacking midfielder. The energetic Swiss international was the Union’s best threat on the attack. He looked most likely to make the killer pass that would put Philadelphia on net. DC contained him, whenever Barnetta received a pass at least one DC midfielder was nipping at his heels, making life difficult. Barnetta looks to be the creative cog in the Unions offensive engine, and having received the captain’s armband today will likely pick up where Christian Maidana left off last year.
Pontius played just in front of the DC right back, and gave his former teammate a tough time. Pontius, who crossed the ball for the first goal, played a crucial role by drifting inside often, allowed space for Fabinho to overlap and whip in crosses. Pontius had several great crosses that were the highlights of his game, but otherwise was relatively quiet. Le Toux played on the right wing, and his starting position was usually much wider than Pontius. Rather than making space for a fullback to overlap, Le Toux opened space inside for a late run from a midfielder to underlap. The wingers mostly ended up alone on an island in the wide areas, and either tried to beat their defender or pass back to the outside backs. The second half saw the wingers doing a much better job of linking play with the inside players.
CJ Sapong was strong on the ball as usual, and did a great job at holding up play and making penetrating runs. Other than the goal, he never looked threatening in the box, as he didn’t get close enough to have a chance on any crosses.
2nd Half:
The Second half Union admittedly looked stronger on the attack than in the first half. Barnetta, Alberg and Le Toux came off for Ilsinho, Carroll, and Fernandes respectively. Carroll brought some composure to the midfield and was able to get the ball off his feet quicker than Alberg, although he was under less pressure, especially as DC tired later on. Fernandes was the best player of the second half for Philadelphia, as his driving runs with the ball bamboozled the DC midfielders. He brought a much more direct style of play once he came on. Ilsinho showed some great skill, and field awareness, but didn’t have the finesse that Barnetta brought to the midfield, and offered much less defensive work rate.
It was a mistake in the back that ended up hurting Philadelphia. DC countered on right side, and in the end got a penalty. Fabinho was beat too easily on the dribble, with the ball near the end line. It was Tribbet who made a late tackle that caused the penalty, but Fabinho was as much as fault for lackluster defending. DC tied the game with the penalty in the 55’.
The 60’ saw Philadelphia sub their remaining players. They lined up with Creavalle, Yaro, Anderson, and Washington in the back. Carroll, Fernandes (dropping into a deeper role), and Ilsinho remained in the midfield. Restrepo, Herbers and Ayuk led the lines for the last 30 minutes.
Yaro was put in several stressful situations, and made several nervy, yet effective clearances. While he might have played a bit nervous, he was nonetheless committed to his job and prevented several DC counters. Anderson was a rock next to Yaro. He made several strong challenges and never looked in doubt when making decisions.
Fernandes moved from a right attacking mid to a central midfield role, and while he was offered less chances to drive at the opposition, he still looked threatening.
Rookie Fabian Herbers came in for CJ Sapong up top, and looked the most confident of the Union’s rookie class. He showed a great knowledge of his position, and was confident on the ball. Herbers had the best scoring chance in the second half, as he connected on a near post Restrepo cross that was smartly saved by the DC goalkeeper.
The second half saw a more direct, fresh Union playing against a tired DC team. While they conceded in the second half but did not score, it seemed that Philadelphia had more purpose to their attack. If the Union can clean up their game, they would limit chances for the opposing team to counter. It looks like Coach Curtin wants to play a more possession based game, the key for them will be getting the ball forward, and not being content with passing the ball sideways for 90 minutes.
Conclusion:
The Union look exciting to watch this year. The defense was strong when able to organize. The Union will have to cut down on errors in the back if they want to compete with teams that press like DC or the Red Bulls. I will be excited to see how Roland Alberg and Leo Fernandes fit into the packed Philadelphia midfield, especially since Edu didn’t even make an appearance today. Depth will be the answer for the Union, if their starters falter or incur an injury, the bench will need to step up and fill the void.
