After a 120 minute US Open Cup game decided by penalties, and a frustrating loss to NYCFC before that, the Philadelphia Union now face a tough week, starting with an away game against LA Galaxy this weekend.
LA Galaxy this season have shown flashes of brilliance in what’s been an otherwise stationary year. It’s very rare to see a dominant game but that could all change in the blink of an eye with the addition of Steven Gerrard. Now with two former Premier League players in their lineup, one of whom will go down in English history as one of the best midfielders to play in the league, the Galaxy will be looking to kick start a late charge. But, the Union find themselves with a spot of luck as they play the Galaxy for the only time this year, with the former Liverpool captain still yet to debut.
The last meeting between the two teams was a 4-1 win for the Galaxy, a defeat the Sons Of Ben will remember all too well. The Union have only ever beaten the Galaxy once in their seven game history..and that was three years ago.
This time could go one of two ways..a defiant win for the Union or a conservative defeat. Playing 120 minutes of Football against a Defence as torrid as Rochester is tough. Facing the likes of Robbie Keane just a few days later on the road is even tougher. Facing the Galaxy away potentially without Sebastien Le Toux who fell injured during Wednesday’s fixture makes the game a mighty mountain to climb.
The depth issues don’t end there though. Conor Casey is still absent along with new signing Fernando Aristegueta. With Super Seb now perhaps joining them, it means that the lone striker for 90 minutes is going to be C.J Sapong. However, Sapong been excellent recently, scoring in three of his last four matches. The attacking play is going to very much be centralised around feeding the ball to Sapong and creating as many deep opportunities as possible.
The silver lining here is that Brian Carroll and fullback Sheanon Williams who have been major assets in the Union’s recent success, are well rested after missing the game against Rochester.
The key to this game has to be intelligence. The Union can’t afford to be sloppy or adventurous in this fixture. Whilst defensively there is room for rotation, that leisure isn’t apparent in other areas of the field. With players like Sapong and Pfeffer having already played lengthy amounts of time on Wednesday, this game has to be approached differently. Passing has been a big critique for the Dooper’s this year and if they misplace easy passes here, the counter attack of the Galaxy will be very hard to stop. Short passing around the midfield with the occasional slicing through ball to change the pace of play may provide enough for the Union to hold on.
The elusive play of the wing backs in previous fixtures will still be of use here but instead of attacking, they need to play a much more supportive role. If Fabinho and Williams start, they need to press slightly higher up the pitch in order to aid the defensive midfielders and cover the searching balls that are likely to fall in between the defense and midfield. Eliminating Zardes from the game by complete man coverage from Edu would really give the Galaxy some work to do.
There are a lot of variables in this game, both sides will be tired but the Union would have travelled a long distance for this one. The teams are both vying for late playoff spots and a win is crucial, but with the schedule like it is and the roster as thinned out as it is, I think the Union would be more than happy taking a point away and playing at about 80-85%. There are some big games coming up and we need all the fire power we have.
Prediction-
Robbie Keane had an explosive goal scoring return having been absent from the score sheets and indeed the team for quite some time. The Union will have to be wary but with both teams facing similar issues, it wouldn’t surprise me to see a low scoring affair. Possession is going to be absolutely critical for the away side, as will trying to draw defenders into unfamiliar positions to allow Sapong to create an opportunity. It’s a very tactical affair and I can’t see either side dominating. We’re saying each team will take a point.
Score-
L.A Galaxy 1-1 Philadelphia Union
