For the Union, Saturday’s draw temporarily masked the instability lurking under the surface
The Union and their crop of fresh faces this season, following an offseason overhaul, have one win and now four draws to show for all that change.
Milan Iloski kept it real Saturday night.
Following the Union’s 1-1 draw against Columbus, the team’s forward and only goalscorer on the night didn’t highlight the minimal upsides from a match that lacked few; he didn’t espouse next-gen statistics that matter only to those who care about those numbers; he just said what a large majority think, but only a select few within the club are willing to say publicly.
“It’s just not good enough.”
“I think, you know, [we as] players have to be better; we have to,” Iloski said to a media pack, postgame. “It’s a difficult question, but I mean, what changes need to be made? A lot of changes. Obviously, the team’s not where it should be. But you know, that’s not my decision, my job is to play and, you know, give everything I can for the team.”
The Union and its crop of fresh faces this season, following an offseason overhaul, have just one win and now four draws to show for all that change. Offensively, players like Bruno Damiani and Ezekiel Alladoh, who arrived as the Union’s highest-ever transfer signing, are still trying to find their groove.
Defensively, inconsistencies and injuries have the Union scrambling, playing guys like Ben Bender out of position, who has proved effective, but clearly fullback isn’t his optimal fit.
» READ MORE: Early mistakes force the Union to settle for a point once more, this time against the Columbus Crew
He’s becoming the club’s latest version of how Aaron Wheeler or, even more recently, Matt Real was used. In fact, during Saturday’s match, a media member described Bender’s utilization as “Matt Real 2.0,” and it’s hard to justify that as being absolutely false.
In the midfield, there are some sparks, but the biggest has been the play of Cavan Sullivan, who head coach Bradley Carnell has finally elected to make a regular starter, with Sullivan taking full advantage.
He’s consistently created chances and even scored one proof of his first goal after five MLS starts this season. He nearly had a second on Saturday. If it wasn’t for a strong save by Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte with the last kick of the game, this article might have taken a much different angle.
Sullivan, and what he’s been able to accomplish this season is a phenomenal story, but one has to ask if a 16-year-old should really be your most electrifying presence on the field?
He’s certainly becoming the most marketable off of it.
It’s not that there are growing pains because of a process; it’s a process that the team caused in a long-honored tradition of being more of a club that will sell players over one that acquires the best talent possible to remain one of the best in the league.
In many ways, winning the Supporters’ Shield now looks like it might’ve been the worst thing to happen besides to Union brass; it reaffirmed the mindset that they can accomplish more with less. Proof of that arrived last week after salary figures were released, showcasing the Union as the lowest payroll in MLS at under $11.7 million in guaranteed compensation.
» READ MORE: Yes, the Union are struggling. But how much is their payroll play to blame?
Spending the least and having the worst record in the Eastern Conference isn’t exact, but there’s a lot to be said for the math and the product it produces. Bottom line, goals produce wins, and the Union have just scored 14 goals in 14 MLS matches.
Its top offensive goalscorer has now become Iloski, who only has four goals this year. Which is telling that if he were able to play his customary role as a number 9 instead of a hybrid 10, he might even just be more effective. However, that shift is clearly because the Union misses the talents of another player with the last name Sullivan in Quinn, who continues to rehab from ACL surgery.
“This year, we were straining for goals early on, and that was clear,” said Iloski. “So, I think we made the decision to move me up front to try to create some more. I think, [since that decision], we started scoring a little bit more goals. I’ve always felt more comfortable playing as a striker. That’s always been my natural position.
“I’ve scored a couple of goals now, but I could always do more and demand more from myself to help the team win matches. It’s obviously difficult moving positions a lot, but I think I’ve played a few matches now as a striker, and I’m getting more and more comfortable playing in this team in that position.”
If that was Iloski lobbying for himself to take that role on for the rest of the season, it wouldn’t be a completely unreal request. Damiani and Alladoh are essentially the same player, in terms of being that hold-up strike partner, with Damiani having the edge over Alladoh when it comes to creativity.
Carnell has admitted that Alladoh, at only 20, is a player they’re looking to develop and even suggested that the player who arrived via a $4.5 million transfer fee in December is still a “work in progress.” One would wonder why any team would spend what little money they enjoy dishing out to begin with on a project player, but here we are, 14 games into the season, tied with Atlanta United for the least amount of goals scored in the Eastern Conference.
One more game remains against a surging Inter Miami team next Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV) before a seven-week break in action that allows the Union to rest, recharge, and figure out exactly who they want to be in the second half of an MLS regular season that doesn’t end until November.
» READ MORE: Yes, the Union are struggling. But how much is their payroll play to blame?
That’s a long way to go with the status quo. In his postgame press conference, Carnell mentioned that he’s eager to see the “floodgates open,” referring to a transformation that sees a bevy of goals, more wins — and for Carnell, job security.
In being told Carnell’s quote, Iloski’s face was telling that the sentiment was hard to envision in the moment given the team’s current woes, but that it was something he too is hoping for.
“I think the only way is up from here,” he said, jokingly. Look, obviously, that’d be great if the floodgates open, but I think for us right now, we have to go into Miami, try to get anything we can out of it. Thankfully, we have a break and we can hopefully make the changes necessary.
And while it’s still two months out, Iloski already had a distinct vision for the second half of the season.
“I just think for the team to be where it was, I think the players have to be much better,” he added. “We have to come back after the break and look at it like a fresh season. We have that [World Cup] break there, and I think it’s a chance for us all to go back and look in the mirror a little bit and come back humble and ready to work.”
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