Led by Tai Baribo, the Union’s superior mentality fueled a first-round sweep of Chicago

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. — When the lineups for Saturday’s Game 2 of the Union-Fire playoff series were revealed, Union fans were rightly worried.

Chicago was set to throw the house at the No. 1-seed visitors, with attacking stars Philip Zinckernagel and Brian Gutiérrez attempting to stave off a sweep. Given how Gutiérrez led a late comeback in Chester, what would he do at home — or at least the Fire’s alternate home out in the suburbs?

Across the field, Indiana Vassilev didn’t have starter’s minutes in him, so Frankie Westfield was put in that attacking midfield spot for the first time with the Union. And Mikael Uhre was nowhere to be found, for a reason that wouldn’t become clear until after the game.

But none of them proved to be the deciding factor. That honor went to Chicago goalkeeper Jeff Gal, in net because the usual starter, Chris Brady, was sidelined with a lower-body injury.

This invoked one of soccer’s cardinal rules: When your opponent starts a backup goalkeeper with just seven career MLS games, go at him.

The Union did exactly that, and as a result, the 3-0 win was all but decided by halftime.

» READ MORE: Union move on to MLS Eastern Conference semifinals after a dominant Game 2 performance against Chicago

In fact, it took fewer than eight minutes for the Supporters’ Shield winners to put their stamp on the game. Chicago passed the ball lazily out of a throw-in, Tai Baribo amped up his high-pressing, and — well, he told the story pretty well himself.

“The moment that they passed [Gal] the ball, I started to run, and then I saw that his first touch was a little bit far,” Baribo said. “And he was looking on the other side of the field, he didn’t see me. So I knew that the moment that I would, a little bit, speed up, I will take the ball.”

Baribo promptly took the ball right off his foot, and his next touch sent it into the net. Eight minutes later, he doubled the lead with a thumping header off a pinpoint Kai Wagner cross. Those were his 18th and 19th goals of the year for the Union, though notably his firsts since Aug. 23.

The crowd of 17,431 that hauled its way to SeatGeek Stadium — five years after the Fire mostly left it to return to Soldier Field downtown — didn’t like the Union’s style. Nor did they like referee Jon Freemon’s calls and no-calls.

» READ MORE: Jovan Lukić is fitting right into his first playoffs with the Union

But from almost the start, there was no question which team was just better and more prepared for the moment. Thanks to Gal’s early slip-up, the Union were in the Fire’s heads and did not let go.

“He needs to feel confidence from his actions, so our job when we play against him is to make him feel less confident,” Baribo said. “Every ball that he’s getting, especially on this field, to press him — and it worked today.”

That was a reference to the poor field conditions, with the grass tearing up often; and to the loud groans that rose from the stands whenever the ball came Gal’s way. The first time he made a solid catch in the air, he was greeted with cheers that were at least half-sarcastic.

The Union’s mentality, meanwhile, showed up all over the field: Baribo’s brace, Milan Iloski’s block for Bruno Damiani’s tally, Andre Blake’s penalty kick save on Gutiérrez, and Olwethu Makhanya’s seven tackles and eight clearances.

» READ MORE: The Union focused on shoring up their set-piece defense heading into Game 2 vs. Chicago

It did not feel coincidental that Damiani scored three minutes after Blake’s save of a shot that wasn’t all that good to start with. That’s how winning teams deliver in big games.

“I think we could see a real obsession with being on the front foot in this game,” manager Bradley Carnell said. “Very impressive for the guys to see the moment and to execute the way they did, to set up the tempo of the game in the right way, and then it was about game management. So, really proud of the guys.”

At the final whistle, it didn’t matter that Uhre hadn’t played. It was known that he’d suffered a knee knock recently, and it seemed he’d made it through the week. Carnell revealed that the striker felt something Saturday morning, so he was held out.

It’s easier to say that was the right decision in hindsight after a win, but it bears saying anyway. Uhre walked a bit gingerly out of the locker room at the end of the night. He’s probably the happiest person of anyone that the Union’s next game isn’t for three weeks, thanks to the first-round sweep and a FIFA window coming before the conference semifinals Nov. 22-23.

» READ MORE: Andre Blake's shootout heroics helped carry the Union in Game 1

Though it was the first time Westfield played a midfield role for the Union, it wasn’t the first time he spent a game doing the things he did.

At last month’s under-20 World Cup, the Northeast Philadelphia native’s outside back role saw him regularly venture high up the field to both defend and contribute to the attack. So when Carnell approached him with the idea for this game, he already had a sense of what to do.

“With the national team, I do push up higher and I push up inside — that’s what the coach there wants me to do,” Westfield said. “And I think that helped me today in the 10 [attacking midfield] spot, because ultimately, when I play with the national team U-20s, I always end up in the midfield spot attacking. And I think that kind of helped me today, like I said, going forward and being dangerous.”

It also obviously helped stem Chicago’s four-headed attack of Gutiérrez in midfield, Zinckernagel and Jonathan Bamba on the wings, and Hugo Cuypers up top.

» READ MORE: Milan Iloski’s first salary with the Union is revealed, as is Son Heung-Min’s big paycheck at LAFC

“Bamba floats in between the lines and causes problems for Danley [Jean Jacques] and [Jovan] Lukić,” Carnell said. “So that was like a third six [defensive midfielder] just rolling in a little bit deeper at times. … We clogged the middle of the field, and the guys executed really well.”

After a year full of the Union throwing surprises at the rest of MLS, here was another. It will no doubt give their next opponent, No. 4-seed Charlotte FC or No. 5 New York City FC, even more to think about after those teams play their decisive Game 3 on Saturday.