The 2020 Union Season Comes to an Abrupt End
The Philadelphia Union lost 2-0 in Round One of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs to the New England Revolution and dropped their first game at Subaru Park this season.
Many fans and media certainly were not expecting this disappointing result, and the Union were eliminated from the playoffs much earlier than they had expected.
With a 4-0-1 record against the Revolution this season and their last loss against them dating back to 2017, Philadelphia completely underperformed and let Bruce Arena’s side exploit them.
There were lots of things that did not go right in the game, but the biggest factor was manager Jim Curtin not having his players ready to play with energy and determination to defeat a team that they were unbeaten against all season long. With the team not even fired up and failing to put together any sort of attack, it was a recipe for disaster in both halves of the frustrating loss. Philly was all out of sorts throughout the night as they were not sharp with their passes and movement and came out of the gates flat.
In what was arguably one of their worst losses in franchise history, let’s take a look at what went wrong.
Lack of Execution
Basically from the 5′ to the final whistle, Philadelphia struggled to string together more than three passes moving forward and frequently turned the ball over. Other than the 4′ scoring chance which involved Brenden Aaronson putting in a low cross to Jamiro Monteiro in the box that he skied over the crossbar, the team did not generate any meaningful attacks or offensive chances to challenge goalkeeper Matt Turner.
Midfielder Jose “El Brujo” Martinez had an uncharacteristic first half as he repeatedly held on to the ball way too long and turned it over on several occasions which led to New England attacks. His first 45 minutes were so poor that Curtin had to sub him off at halftime and bring in Ilsinho to work his magic and try to get something going offensively. There were too many mistakes to mount a comeback and when the Revs quickly went up by two goals in the span of four minutes, all they had to do was park the bus and defend well, which is exactly what they did.
Poor Coaching and Inability to Adapt
As mentioned earlier, Curtin had an abysmal performance and almost seemed scared of the spotlight of playing on national television. This comes as a surprise considering the Union defeated the Revs a few weeks ago on national TV to win the Supporters Shield and head into the playoffs with momentum.
Whether it was the 16 game break in between or the fact that this was the team’s sixth time playing New England, (poor job and inexcusable scheduling by MLS) Curtin crumbled under pressure and mightily struggled to spur his team on to victory.
There is absolutely no excuse to lose to an opposing manager who failed to defeat Trinidad and Tobago and help the USA qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. No words can describe how frustrated Curtin must have been with himself for being named MLS Coach of the Year, leading his team to the best record in the league, and having the season end this way.
Uncharacteristic Errors by the Back Line
For a defense that conceded 20 goals all season and just four at home, the backline mightily struggled against a team that they were leaps and bounds better than. MLS Best XI defender Mark McKenzie had one of his worst games for the Boys in Blue on Tuesday night and continuously left his man unmarked as he let the Revs run wild in the first half of the Eastern Conference matchup. On Adam Buksa’s headed goal in the 26′ on a free-kick, McKenzie and captain Alejandro Bedoya were unable to cover him and that led to the opening score which the team could not overcome. And on Taejon Buchanan’s goal in the 30′, defender Kai Wagner overcommitted on his cut back and allowed him to go right by him and promptly smash the ball into the side netting.
Although the Union held most of the possession throughout the match, New England took advantage of their time with the ball and offensive chances while goalkeeper Andre Blake could not come up with a signature save. For a defense that was arguably the best in the regular season, they were constantly broken down and exploited in their worst performance of the 2020 season.
When all is said and done, I am proud about the Philadelphia Union winning their first trophy in franchise history, but it is truly tough to call this season a success when the team completely underachieved in the playoffs. They did not even come close to at least winning the Eastern Conference which I would have been content and happy with. Instead, this early exit is leaving me angry, upset, frustrated, and full of pain as the Boys in Blue simply played down to their opponent.
Considering this was the best team in Philadelphia in a very tough year for the most passionate fans in sports, this loss just leaves a bad taste in my mouth knowing that one horrible performance cost the Union the chance to possibly hoist their first MLS Cup trophy. This just goes to show that anything can happen in sports and if you are not prepared or up for the task, the opponent will capitalize and punch you in the mouth.
An unexpected loss for sure, but let’s hope the Union learned their lesson and this will never happen again as they start preparations for next season.
Featured Image: Morgan Tencza/Brotherly Game
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