Weary Union look to D.C. and dwindling chances to catch LAFC

After flying home following Wednesday’s 1-0 loss on the road to FC Dallas, the Union’s players and staff didn’t get back to Philadelphia until 5 a.m. The team canceled its planned training on Thursday in an attempt to help the players recover from a tough back-and-forth game played in 100-degree heat.

“A difficult night tonight,” manager Jim Curtin said after the Union’s fourth loss of the season. “We came up a little bit short in the attacking part of the field.”

There’s no rest for the weary, though, as the Union face D.C. United in another away game on Saturday.

“We regroup quickly and get ready for D.C.,” Curtin said.

Although it appeared to be a momentary defensive lapse on the part of Jakob Glesnes that allowed FC Dallas star Jesús Ferreira to score, Curtin lamented more the fact that the Union attack never really got in gear.

“We just didn’t create enough on the night,” said Curtin. “Outside of the goal, we didn’t give up a ton of chances.”

Jack McGlynn, the young midfielder who was sent into the action in Texas as a sub, agreed.

“We weren’t clinical enough,” he said. “We had a couple of good looks.”

The frustration felt by the players against Dallas probably wasn’t helped by the heat, which McGlynn rated as a 7 on a scale of how much it affected the players. At one point in the match, left back Kai Wagner seemed to rant at McGlynn on the field as yet another attack opportunity fizzled out.

“He was just telling me to play simple,” McGlynn said. “I know he means the best for me.”

What’s best for all the players depends on the goal that Curtin wants to chase most. Although the team is still first in the Eastern Conference, the manager is aiming to give chase to LAFC, which leads MLS with 57 points, as compared to the Union’s 48. The top finisher in the regular season claims the Supporters’ Shield. The Union won this prize in 2020. Last season, however, was when the club came closest to claiming the MLS Cup, losing in the Eastern Conference final against NYCFC.

With only single-digit games remaining this season for both LAFC and the Union, it likely would take a collapse on the part of Los Angeles club for the Union to overtake it in points.

Still, Curtin didn’t seem inclined to consider resting key starters in order to avoid injury and keep them fresh for the playoffs. It’s an approach that’s more common in the NBA, where it has led to the term “load management,” a phrase that generally covers mandated breaks and rest for players during the season.

“Load management is a basketball term that is creeping into soccer,” Curtin said. He pointed out that top teams in leagues abroad often play three games a week with little to no rotation in the starting lineup. It also goes without saying that in soccer, with limited substitutions available, even managing a player’s minutes is a luxury that usually isn’t afforded unless a player gets injured or is returning from injury.

“We demand a lot of our players,” said Curtin.

Generally, the players rise to the demand, such as Union captain Alejandro Bedoya. At 35, the midfielder is having a banner season with five goals and the same number of assists. Yet he is also a prime example of a player who might benefit from increased rest ahead of the MLS playoffs instead of a full-tilt pursuit of a points title that may have already slipped out of reach.

» READ MORE: Alejandro Bedoya is having a renaissance with the Union at age 35

While it’s true that many teams abroad play more games and competitions on the whole than MLS squads, it’s also true that the league is unique in the parity among teams. D.C. United, for example, may seem hapless as the last-place team in the Eastern Conference, but league teams are always strong playing at home and especially dangerous when fighting for their playoff lives.

Curtin used his full complement of five subs against Dallas, so it’s not as if he isn’t willing to bring in players off the bench to help create more energy on the field. Conserving the energy of certain players, however, by changing up his preferred starting lineup, however, is another matter altogether.

“We keep an eye on it,” Curtin said. “But we’re going to rely on the same guys that got us here to win.”