The Union’s run to the playoffs was great, but they know they’ve now reached the hard part
Yes, the Union went 13-2-4 in league games after Ryan Richter took the helm. But only when the playoffs kick off later this month will we finally know the true depth of that success.
When the Union looked across the field at Subaru Park on Saturday, they saw a Toronto FC team that looked every bit like one already out of the playoff race. The hosts went on to treat their guests the right way, racing them off the field in a 4-1 rout.
That won’t be possible anymore this year.
Yes, the Union went 13-2-4 in league games after Ryan Richter took over during the World Cup break. But only when the playoffs kick off later this month will fans finally know the depth of all that success.
Twelve of those wins and two of the ties came against teams that finished the regular season below the Union in the league-wide standings. The one win against a team ranked higher, at Chicago last month, came with a man advantage in the second half that turned the game.
One of the losses was at home to the New England team that now awaits in the first round. The 2-1 score matched the score from the loss up in Foxborough, Mass., back in May — when Bradley Carnell was in charge, Kai Wagner was in England, and Quinn Sullivan was two months from full health.
They know this in the River End stands, where the fans suspected for a few weeks that they’d need to make time for a Thanksgiving weekend home game. Now that’s a certainty.
» READ MORE: It’s Sullivan Night at Subaru Park as the brotherly duo both star in a rout of Toronto FC
They know it in the Union’s locker room, too, and it did not spoil the mood to bring it up after Saturday’s game.
“It’s going to be a big step up,” Richter said. “And what we have to make sure that we do. and even a lesson we can learn from tonight [is]: we can’t be conceding goals in set pieces like this. We have guys that are too good at their man-marking, too good attacking the ball, too good in the air.”
That was a reference to Toronto’s goal just before halftime, a header by former U.S. national team striker Josh Sargent off a corner kick. Along with being a badly-defended set piece, it came shortly after what should have been the Union’s third goal ultimately ruled out on a controversial offside call.
“There’s going to be games, and in the playoffs you’re playing against quality teams and quality players, that sometimes you clap your hands and say, ‘Well done’ if a great player pulls off a great moment and makes a goal, or [there’s] a great team goal, and good teams can score like this,” Richter said. “But what we can’t have is lapses in focus on our end. Make sure that we’re at our best in every game if we’re going to want to go on the kind of run that we think that we can.”
» READ MORE: A Union playoff game on Black Friday? It’s possible. Here are the scenarios.
Of course, it’s Richter’s job to believe that his team can beat New England, and his message about that is just as clear.
“Let’s not make it now like, ‘Guys, good second half of the season, this is a positive story for the year, and now it’s over,’” he said. “Like I’ve said over the last few weeks, when we have competed against the best teams in the Eastern Conference, I think that’s exactly where we belong. We can beat any team, and we’re going to approach the playoffs in that way.”
But it’s everyone else’s job to understand that winning the series would be an upset, and not just because of the seed numbers. A matchup with Miami would have seen wide-open play, not just the star matchup of Lionel Messi and Cavan Sullivan. This one will be much more of a grind, with the extra annoyance of Gillette Stadium’s artificial turf.
The motto has been said here a few times now, and it’s still true. If the Union don’t win, don’t say you weren’t warned.
» READ MORE: The Union’s 2027 ‘sprint season’ schedule is set as MLS begins its big calendar flip
Damiani’s latest milestone
Bruno Damiani’s penalty kick goal wasn’t just the game’s icing on the cake. His 13th tally of the season was also his first since earning his first invitation to Uruguay’s senior national team.
La Celeste’s attack isn’t as star-studded as it used to be, but Damiani still gets to be companions with some big names: former Liverpool striker Darwin Nuñez, current Liverpool (and longtime Barcelona) centerback Ronald Araújo, Tottenham Hotspur centerback Rodrigo Betancur, and Real Madrid midfield general Federico Valverde.
“It’s a dream come true,” Damiani said. “It’s going to be an amazing experience. I wish I get some minutes, but everything else is going to be great, to play with top players.”
Uruguay’s program also has a history of respecting players from MLS, from Real Salt Lake’s Juan Manuel Sanabria right now to Nicolás Lodeiro, Facundo Torres, Brian Rodríguez. That tradition is continuing under new manager Diego Forlán.
If you’ve followed world soccer for a while, you instantly know that name. Forlán was a superb striker for his country and for huge European clubs including Manchester United, Atlético Madrid, and Inter Milan.
Even though Uruguay will only play friendlies in this window, at eternal rival Argentina and home vs. the Dominican Republic, for Forlán to pick Damiani in just his second FIFA window in charge is a real compliment.
“Forlan is, for the Uruguayans of my age, the first idol we had in the 2010 World Cup. He was our best player,” Damiani said. “It means a lot that someone like him values the work that I put in, and MLS. He’s showing that he is watching the league and cares about the players here, and that’s a good sign for sure.”
» READ MORE: Cavan Sullivan calls it 'a cool opportunity' to be on the USMNT with Christian Pulisic
