The Philadelphia Union bowed out of their 2018 season with a 3-1 loss against New York City FC on Wednesday night in the knockout round of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The loss came just three days after NYCFC defeated the Union by the same scoreline in the regular season finale. Philadelphia came out flat, fell behind early in the playoff match (just as they did in the regular season finale) and never looked like they had a chance against the offensive powerhouse of New York City.
The loss was a familiar sight for the Philly faithful, as the ever-passionate Union fans saw their team end the season in a similar way in 2016: entering the playoffs with the sixth and final spot, only to lose in the first round. Considering the fact that the Union failed yet again to win the U.S Open Cup or get a win in the playoffs, manager Jim Curtin’s future with the club is now uncertain.
After the game, Curtin remained positive on the season and preached signs of improvement for the club, “Full credit to New York City, they deserved to win tonight,” he said. “Focusing on my group, still could not be prouder of the season we had. A lot of young players showed a lot of growth and developed; a game like tonight will only make them better.”
Now, maybe these words might bring some comfort for the casual fan, but as a die-hard supporter, they absolutely pain me to my core. Trust me when I say that I’ve heard talk of development and improvement for years, and still the Union have nothing to show for their efforts. No trophies. No playoff wins. No major international signings. If you ask me, consistent mediocrity is not a sign of improvement.
So, what do they need to do to improve in 2019? For starters, it’s time to make a serious change and fire Jim Curtin. Taking a look at the game plan on Wednesday night, Curtin made a gamble and started Alejandro Bedoya at the right wing and Warren Creavalle in the other defensive midfield position next to Haris Medunjanin. This did not pan out well at all due to the fact that New York matched this move by often stacking two defenders along that side and blocking passing lanes for Creavalle, making it very difficult for Bedoya to have any offensive impact along the right side.
The move also allowed for the inexperience of center backs Auston Trusty and Mark Mckenzie to be on full display as NYC blew through Creaville and Medunjanin (neither of whom had their best game) on the counterattack during several occasions. David Villa and company would go on to score two goals off the counterattack that could be directly linked to Bedoya’s missed presence in the defensive midfield.
If the Union front office aren’t going to spend the money to bring in a top goal scorer like Wayne Rooney or Zlatan Ibrahimovic, then their manager has to make the most of the assets at hand. Between failed U.S Open Cup runs, and last Wednesday’s most recent playoff loss, it’s clear that Curtin does not make effective decisions to utilize his squad to their full potential.
For too long, Curtin has waited on center backs to develop while experimenting with an offense that has trouble scoring to begin with. Then to make matters worse, Curtin frequently puts his best players in positions they aren’t naturally comfortable with, as he did with Bedoya on Wednesday night. If the Union played in a seriously competitive league like those in Europe where success is measured by trophies and not strides of improvement, Curtin would have been axed after his third season.
Maybe I’m just bitter from yet another disappointment, but in 155 games and four and a half seasons as the manager for Philadelphia, Curtin’s record stands at 59 wins, 32 draws, and 64 losses. All three defeats in the Open Cup finals and two playoff losses aside, is that the record of a coach that’s taking his team in the right direction?
I think not.
Andrew Heller is a second-year graduate student majoring in English. AH804286@wcupa.edu