Once again, the Union did everything but the most important thing: score goals
The Union dominated the box score against D.C. United, just not in the way that counts most. While Bradley Carnell was satisfied with the scoreless tie, there were boos from fans at the final whistle.
If you’re a fan of Philadelphia sports teams running a lot, working hard, and putting numbers in a box score, Saturday’s Union game fit the bill. But if you’re a fan of Philadelphia sports teams winning games, the scoreless draw at home vs. D.C. United was the opposite of satisfying.
The Union (1-6-1, 4 points) outshot D.C. 17-6, including 4-0 in shots on target, and took 13 corners to D.C.’s one. But there were no goals, and there were some boos from the crowd at the final whistle as a result.
“There will be nights like this,” midfielder Milan Iloski said. “It’s obviously been a slow start to the season for us, and it’s frustrating when the team has started to play a little bit better and things are starting to click a little bit more, but you don’t see the results. … We’ve got to put the ball in the goal, especially at home, and we’ve got to pick up more points here.”
Bruno Damiani again missed multiple chances he knew he should have finished. Ezekiel Alladoh made barely any contributions with or without the ball, even though he had 47 touches. He still hasn’t put a shot on target in 315 minutes of league action.
Manager Bradley Carnell sat down for his postgame news conference with a raspy throat. He admitted he’d started the night under the weather, and likely ended it more so. The chillier-than-expected weather, including a sharp wind off the Delaware River, didn’t help anyone.
So there were a few times when he kept his answers short.
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Asked at one point what didn’t go right, Carnell said: “The ball didn’t cross the line, simple as that.”
Asked at another point whether he was frustrated, he said: “Not at all. I see this as a positive for us today.”
But there were moments when he had plenty to say, including about the strikers.
“I thought we had excellent movement: I thought we had two-v-ones on the sides, I thought we created chaos in the box, we created second phases, we controlled the second phases,” Carnell said. “If one goes over the line, then I think the game unfolds in a different way. They were hanging on for their dear lives, and they managed to get out of here with a point.”
At least the midfield played well. Iloski showed again why he’s better there than at forward. Indiana Vassilev had a pretty good all-around game, even if Cavan Sullivan had a higher ceiling for attacking spark and showed it when he subbed on in the 64th minute. Jesús Bueno might have been the team’s player of the game, again.
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Carnell was also thrilled with his team’s first shutout of the year in a league game.
“I think it’s big — but I think if you look at the control we had getting the clean sheet, I think that’s more impressive,” he said. “We embrace the clean sheet, and if we’d just held on here by the skin of our teeth, then the feeling would be different. But yeah, the guys are confident, they’re feeling that they’re in a way better spot.”
He singled out Damiani and Alladoh for their high-pressing work in the team’s defensive effort.
“The strikers went on every trigger,” Carnell said. “I think they went on every back pass, they went on every square pass. From a defensive standpoint, they were the start of the clean sheet.”
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It was notable that Carnell only made two substitutions in the game. He usually uses all five, especially when he wants to change a result.
“I thought we had control of the game,” he said. “For sure, we needed to score the goal, but I didn’t think we needed to change the game. The game was intact. And I thought the strikers and the 10s, Milan, they looked sharp.”
As the final minutes ticked away, the six unused outfield players on the bench stood by the end line watching. They could tell they weren’t going in, no matter what they could have done to turn the tie into a win.
One of them was teenage striker Malik Jakupović, a marquee prospect who has gotten minutes in four first-team games this year. He was held out of the Union reserve team’s game at Toronto on Friday so he could be with the top squad on Saturday. What good did that do if he didn’t get on the field?
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“The game unfolds in a certain way, and he gets on, he doesn’t get on,” Carnell said. “I can’t tell you how, but as long as we’ve got the options off the bench.”
The message was there again: Carnell was satisfied with what he saw in a scoreless tie played by a team with just one win and six goals scored in eight league games.
“When I see that type of mentality, it doesn’t make sense to make any of those changes,” he said. “I’m happy we got through the game the way that we did, with the intensity levels that we did. I’m proud of that group out there, and that’s why we chose to stick with it.”
With Tai Baribo back in Chester for the first time since his departure — and starting after recovering from a thigh injury — some fans surely wondered if he’d have finished those what-if chances. Maybe, but any number of other strikers could have too. That list should include the two most expensive players in Union history, and it remains a problem that it doesn’t.
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“We’re in a process right now, it’s a work in process and in progress,” Carnell said. “I think we saw many positives tonight, the clean sheet amongst them, and the desire to keep the clean sheet — I thought what we limited them to was exceptional on the night. But yeah, we know it’s not perfect, and we know we’re trending in the right way.”
You can see that if you look hard enough. But there are seven games left until the World Cup break, with only two at home. So it’s understandable that some fans would like that progress to look clearer.
Nine nations will compete in five group stage matches this summer, plus two more in a knockout game on July 4. Here’s what you need to know about those countries — and what those fans need to know about Philly. Click here for more.
