Tough test on short rest looms for Union, who travel to take on the Columbus Crew

With eight players unavailable in Chicago on Wednesday night, the Union held on for a win over the Fire, extending their unbeaten streak to 11 MLS matches.

The club returns to the Midwest on short rest and a limited number of reserves for a match against the Columbus Crew on Sunday (6 p.m., Apple TV).

The Crew will be the toughest test yet for the undermanned Union. Columbus is fourth in the East, six points behind the first-place Union. The Union, who lead the East and sit atop the league’s overall standings, have not faced a team as good as Columbus since their previous meeting with the Crew.

The Union and Columbus settled for a 2-2 draw at Subaru Park on May 10. The Crew’s Sean Zawadzki scored the tying goal in the 93rd minute to save a point for the visitors.

Bradley Carnell’s lineup for the season’s second game against Columbus will look notably different from the matchup in May. Tai Baribo, Quinn Sullivan, Nathan Harriel, Jakob Glesnes and Frankie Westfield all started in the last meeting and will be unavailable for the team on Sunday.

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Baribo, the Union’s leading goal scorer, has returned from Israel but is still managing a calf injury he picked up against FC Dallas on May 31. Sullivan and Harriel are with the U.S. men’s national team in the knockout stages of the Gold Cup. Glesnes will serve a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation after being shown his fifth caution of the season in Chicago.

Frankie Westfield is dealing with a sprained ankle, while Olivier Mbaizo and Mikael Uhre were listed on Wednesday’s availability report with adductor injuries. Carnell expects to be without all three on Sunday. Factor in Ian Glavinovich’s long-term knee injury, and the number of players unavailable for the Union on Sunday is still eight, even with Blake’s return from international duty.

Blake returning to his spot as keeper for the Union should be a boost for the team defensively, especially since Glesnes, the team’s All-Star center back, is suspended.Columbus, poses a tall task for any team at less than full strength, particularly at home, where it has been beaten just once in 11 home matches this season.

Columbus leads MLS in completed passes and outpossessed the Union, 65.3% in their last meeting. Four Crew players have logged at least three assists so far this season. Diego Rossi is the Crew’s leading goal scorer with nine goals.

“I always tip my hat in respect to [Columbus manager Wilfried Nancy] and the winning nature of these teams, and the way they play,” Carnell said. “The fluidity and the flexibility they go about it [with]. It’s always very inspiring. It’s a great challenge for us, and something we have to get up for and be excited about.”

The Union’s attack is still thin, but the players who have been tasked with stepping into larger roles have made contributions. Markus Anderson scored the 98th-minute winner in the team’s 2-1 win over Charlotte FC after spending the first half the season with Union II.

In addition to relying on young players, the shorthanded Union have also looked to recent acquisitions. Bruno Damiani, who joined the Union as the most expensive signing in club history in February, converted the decisive penalty in the team’s 1-0 win over Chicago. It was the forward’s third goal this season.

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Due to the team’s absences, Damiani has gained experience playing alongside a number of different strikers, including Baribo, Uhre, Anderson, and Chris Donovan.

“We all know our good characteristics,” Damiani said. “We all know each other and we are finding ways to feel comfortable … We all have some different characteristics, and I think that’s good for the team.”

Jovan Lukic, who joined the Union from the Serbian SuperLiga in February, has continued to excel in the midfield. He’s made 17 starts in MLS games this season. Defensive stalwarts Glesnes and Kai Wagner are the only other Union players to make 17 starts.

“We don’t have almost half the squad,” Lukic said. “But, I think everybody is doing an amazing job. Everybody is ready for these kinds of moments, even the guys who don’t have too [many] minutes this season.”

The workload for Lukic and the rest of the Union is heavy. The team played intense defense for 80 minutes to hold on to their 1-0 lead in Chicago. Damiani said most of the team was “finishing with cramps” at the end of the team’s win over the Fire. Three days after grinding out a win in Chicago, the Union will need to fight off fatigue to beat Columbus on the road.

“I felt like [a] warrior in some moments,” Lukic said. “We are tired. We are exhausted. But still, everybody’s trying and everybody’s fighting for each other. I think that’s our signature right now.”

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