The Philadelphia Union need to make adjustments against New York City FC in order to keep their season alive.
After falling flat at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, the Union are headed back up to the Bronx on Wednesday to play their Eastern Conference rival in the knockout round.
In the Union’s 3-1 Decision Day defeat, a full-strength NYCFC side exploited a handful of weaknesses in the Union’s 4-2-3-1 setup.
Head coach Jim Curtin led the charge on Tuesday that the mistakes will be fixed and the Union will have a chance to win their first-ever playoff game.
Curtin admitted the game might not be as aesthetically pleasing as it usually is when the Union play out of the back due to the combination of the short field dimensions and NYCFC’s style of play.
“We’d be stubborn and maybe a bit naive to do the exact same thing against New York” Curtin said. “We do have to be disciplined, but we can’t lose little balls, and that maybe leads to us not building up the same exact way — making it a little more of a roll-up-your-sleeve street fight than the pretty, 10-to-15 yard balls through midfield that you’ve seen us play the entire season.”
However, there is a way the Union can still utilize the style of play they’ve found success with throughout the regular season, and that’s by making a key change in the midfield.
When Ilsinho came on in the second half of Sunday’s game, the Union showed they could play in tight space on the narrow field, and when the Brazilian got on the ball, he had multiple defenders lean in his direction.
The Brazilian’s technical ability should be seen as a difference-maker by the coaching staff, and they should reward him with a start over bruising winger/forward C.J. Sapong.
By throwing Ilsinho’s quality out on the field right away, the Union will throw off NYCFC’s defensive game plan, which understandably would focus on Sapong in the buildup to the contest since Curtin isn’t known to make drastic changes in his lineup.
With Ilsinho in the fold from the start, the Union will be able to combine down the right side of the field, a part of the pitch they naturally lean because of the tendencies of midfielders Alejandro Bedoya and Borek Dockal.
“Ilsinho was really good when he came on,” Curtin said. “You have to balance where his fitness is at, how quickly he can recover from the 45 minutes at a high intensity where he was on the ball a lot. We have a plan in place, how we’re going to approach the game, but Ilsinho will certainly play a major role.”
By taking up space on the right wing, Ilsinho could either play quick one-two passes with Bedoya or right back Keegan Rosenberry, or he could play out to Bedoya, Dockal or Haris Medunjanin and have them switch the field and find an open Fafa Picault or Cory Burke on the other side of the penalty area.
The presence of Ilsinho and Picault will keep NYCFC’s full backs honest, and it will force them to remain further back on the field, which in turn will stop some of the bleeding NYCFC caused on the Union’s defensive right side on Sunday.
In this situation, Sapong can come off the bench as a bruising forward to win aerial battles around the 60th minute.
A fresh Sapong combined with Picault and Burke could wreak havoc on a tired NYCFC defense that was busy dealing with the skill and pace of Ilsinho in the first half.
If the game is still scoreless by the time Ilsinho exits for Sapong, Curtin should alter his formation to a two-forward system to benefit Burke and Sapong.
An argument can be made for Curtin to employ that style from the start on Wednesday in an attempt to throw NYCFC off and take advantage of the small dimensions of the Yankee Stadium field.
A change to a 3-5-2 would require a significant leap of faith from a team that’s stuck to its 4-2-3-1 principles, and it would display the tactical flexibility from Curtin that fans and critics have been clamoring for all season.
In the 3-5-2, Medunjanin or Jack Elliott would work as the third center back alongside Auston Trusty and Mark McKenzie.
A central midfield trio of Derrick Jones, Bedoya and Dockal would have Jones set up as a stopper and the two experienced players shuttling between the back three and the forwards.
However, a 3-5-2 could compromise the Union’s defending on the wings, something they’re trying to improve after Sunday’s defeat. as Keegan Rosenberry or Ray Gaddis would be forced to sit on the bench in favor of one or two wingers.
Another variation of the 3-5-2 could feature Rosenberry and Gaddis as wing backs and Picault up top with Burke, which would allow Sapong and Ilsinho to come off the bench as early as halftime to provide an attacking punch.
Regardless of what Curtin does with his lineup, some type of tactical tweak needs to be made, and if keeps the same starting XI from Sunday, which he is known to do, it could end up being his final act as manager.
There’s no guarantee the Union win if they make all these changes, but it wouldn’t Curtin to at least go down swinging.