HOUSTON — Forgetting the dreadful performance produced in Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup final won’t be easy for the Philadelphia Union, but they’re going to have to make it look that way.
Seventy-two hours after falling 3-0 to the Houston Dynamo, the Union have to go to Columbus to face the Crew in an Eastern Conference clash with a potential home playoff game on the line.
In some ways, the important clash with the Crew gives the Union a perfect chance to reverse the mistakes made on the field Wednesday and fully put the game behind them.
Although a trophy isn’t on the line at MAPFRE Stadium, one of the most elusive things for the franchise — the home playoff game that comes with the No. 4 seed in the East — is still within reach.
“One night, one game doesn’t make or break somebody, and it’s certainly not going to break us,” Union captain Alejandro Bedoya said after losing in Houston. “We got a good locker room, a good group of guys. We might have our heads down tonight, but I expect everybody tomorrow morning to get in there and be in good spirits and look forward to Columbus.”
That alone should be enough to motivate the Union to continue what has been a successful season with only a few bumps, although the bumps have been significant ones like Wednesday’s final.
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If there’s anything we’ve learned about the Union this year, it’s that they’re capable of bouncing back from poor showings, which is a quality past Union teams could not boast in the slightest.
After each of their last four losses, the Union have returned to the field and won the next game.
The trend started after the 2-0 loss to Atlanta United on July 7, which was followed by the gutsiest finish of the year in which David Accam scored a stoppage-time, game-winning goal to beat the Chicago Fire 4-3.
Two weeks later in Houston, the Union won 3-1 following a defeat in the pouring rain to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the LA Galaxy at Talen Energy Stadium.
The so-called throwaway game in Portland Aug. 4 resulted in a 3-0 defeat that promptly spurred a four-game winning streak that boosted the club into fourth place.
“There’s a new game on Saturday,” Union midfielder Medunjanin said. “We can improve after this game. We have another opportunity on Saturday to play good and even maybe be in fourth place. We need to keep our heads up. It’s very tough to lose a final, but you cannot cry now for three days. In two days, we have an important game in Columbus against a very good team.”
The latest example of this trend was perhaps the most important, and it’s one the club should channel the most in Columbus.
After falling flat out of the international break at home against Montreal, the Union earned two of the most unlikely results of the season with wins over Seattle and Sporting Kansas City.
Wholesale lineup changes replacing some of the players who struggled Wednesday won’t happen, but inserting a fresh body or two, such as Jay Simpson, David Accam, Mark McKenzie, Derrick Jones or Ilsinho, might do wonders.
Falling in a cup final is incomparable to the other defeats suffered throughout league play, which makes Saturday’s game even more intriguing.
“We have to stick together in a tough time and bounce back against a really good Columbus team that is fully rested, waiting for us to go into their place,” Union manager Jim Curtin said. “It’ll be difficult, but if you look at our last eight games — and they’ve all been really, really difficult — our group, I think, will have a good response.
If the Union show up and take three points, moving one step closer to a home playoff game in the process, it’ll be seen as a great display of character and provide hope that postseason wins are attainable.
However, the darkest timeline, which is one the club usually follows this time of year, lurks as well in the form of a crushing defeat that will leave the Union chasing playoff results on the road.
Because the Union have experienced letdown after letdown in their history, for many fans a loss feels inevitable Saturday. If this team truly is different from years past, it’ll come out ready to make a statement and push forward toward the postseason.
“It’s okay to be frustrated and emotional, but tomorrow morning is a new day,” Bedoya said. “We have a game on Saturday. It’s a quick turnaround. We’re still in the playoff hunt and like I said we can use this game as motivation and learn from this. A lot of guys can learn from this and move on and hopefully make a run in the playoffs.”