Union's late-season slide: Too many goals allowed
The Union realized how difficult it is to flip the switch. They ended the regular season on a serious slide and couldn't reverse matters in their brief postseason stay.
The Union realized how difficult it is to flip the switch. They ended the regular season on a serious slide and couldn't reverse matters in their brief postseason stay.
The 2016 season officially ended Wednesday with a 3-1 loss at Toronto in an opening round playoff game.
Counting that game, the Union ended the season 0-6-2 and lost their last four games. During the final eight games they were outscored, 17-6.
To the Union's credit, after getting down, 2-0, on Jonathan Osorio's goal in the 48th minute they kept fighting back. They got to within 2-1 on Alejandro Bedoya's goal in the 73rd minute in a scramble up front, and they continued to apply pressure until Toronto iced the game on Jozy Altidore's goal in the 85th minute.
On that goal and on Toronto's first score, in the 15th minute by 2015 Major League Soccer MVP Sebastian Giovinco, Union defender Ken Tribbett made costly misplays.
Counting the playoff game, the Union scored 53 goals this year but allowed 58. And that was with one of the league's top keepers, Andre Blake.
Chris Pontius, the Union's leading scorer, said there was one main reason the team struggled in the final two months of the season.
"As a team, giving up goals, and that's everyone, I'm not talking about defense, from forwards on," Pontius said afterward. "We just gave up too many goals."
One person who showed plenty of heart was midfielder Warren Creavalle, who played despite being more than a little banged up.
"He had three broken ribs a month ago," coach Jim Curtin said after the game. "We just found out they were broken because the first X-ray didn't show anything. He took another knock against the Red Bulls [on Sunday], and he's as tough of a kid as I've seen."
Creavalle played all 90 minutes against Toronto.
"He wanted to be out there, I thought he put in a great game tonight, covered a ton of ground, and broke up a ton of plays," Curtin said. "To play with three broken ribs speaks a lot to what Warren is all about."
The Union, who were 11-14-9 in the regular season, made the MLS playoffs for just the second time in their seven-year history and first since 2011.
While that was a step in the right direction, the way the season ended showed the team has plenty of work to do before meeting in three months for preseason training.
@sjnard