Preseason Match Recap: Philadelphia Union 5 – 0 Montreal Impact In Game two of Suncoast Invitational

The Union cruised to a huge 5-0 win against Montreal Impact in Game two of Suncoast Invitational.Montreal used this preseason friendly as an exercise to play their new/young players, and trialists to see how they would fare. Philadelphia took the opposite approach playing 9/11ths of what could be their starting 11. There was a lot of positive takeaways from this match. Let’s take a look back at it all.

1st Half:

Philadelphia came out raring to go against a Montreal side that was seemingly surprised by the Union’s willingness to press. The inexperience of the Montreal side showed. The Union were on the ball early and often in Montreal’s half. The attack was balanced. Fafa Picault and Keegan Rosenberry worked the right-wing; David Accam and Fabinho stormed the left. The attack came from the wings and it produced results. So did pressing high.

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CJ Sapong started the goal fest in the 13th minute when he was gifted a ball in the box. A Montreal center-half misplayed a ball and CJ was in. He was taken down in the box, drawing a penalty kick which he converted. The press created similar results all half. Montreal was careless when they had the ball leading to great chances for the Union.

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Homegrown left back, Matt Real, came on for an injured Fabinho in the 35th minute. He had a great showing working with David Accam. Real was able to dispossess Montreal in their own half, streaked down the line. He made his way into the box, drawing defenders out, and found a wide open David Accam. King David had space and time and thumped an effort home to give the Union a two goal lead. Heading into the half, the Union had a handle on the game, but they were not done yet.

2nd Half:

The Union made one change at the half bringing on Marcus Epps in for Fafa Picault. As the half started, the Union proved to be the better side again. They picked up right where they left off; pressing high, maintaining the majority of possession and attacking on the wings. Five minutes into the half, the Union found another goal.

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Marcus Epps used some trickery to put CJ Sapong in on goal. His sick back heel caught Montreal unawares, and Sapong curled in his second goal of the game. The movement and mayhem the Union caused was a sight for sore eyes, and they kept it going.

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On a short corner, the Union found the ball in the box again, at the feet of David Accam. Accam ran at defenders towards the end line. Drawing their attention, he saw an open Union player. He chipped a perfect pass to Auston Trusty, and he nodded home the effort giving the Union a 4-0 lead. After this the Union made a mass substitution to get other players a chance to get in on the goal fest.

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Two of the subs that came on got to work right away. Fabian Herbers dispossessed Montreal and started a break. He found a streaking Epps. The second year player used his speed to move past Montreal’s defenders, while drawing their attention. Jay Simpson got into the danger area of the box, Epps found him and the Englishman put the effort home to make it 5-0.

The Union dictated the game, even when some of Montreal’s starters came in at the end of the match. They did this by the style of play they are looking to implement as theirs for the 2018 season.

Style of play:

Something that has plagued Philadelphia for years now has been a lack of identity on the pitch. This tide looks to be turning for 2018. Against Montreal the Union were committed to pressing high to keep pressure on Montreal in their own half. This cause many problems for the Impact, resulting in pretty much all of the goals. This play has been what coach Jim Curtin has wanted for a while now. It looks like he has the players to finally do that.

Another aspect of this style of play was the positioning and attitude of the players not directly involved in the press. There seemed to always be on player pressing and another making a move to support the press. The secondary player either made a run forward if the press caused Montreal to move backward. If the press looked to fail the secondary player checked back to help stop Montreal should they beat the player pressing them. This lead to many quick counters, and is something that the Union can build on as they move toward the regular season.

When the Union held possession, they looked to get everyone involved. Many times Haris Medunjanin dropped deep splitting the center backs to create options, and help the Union get more players forward. Auston Trusty and Jack Elliot wend wide, allowing the outside backs to move into the attack. The wingers then checked inside drawing defenders, and creating a clear path on the wings.

This type of play can be very successful when execute to perfection, and hiccups and loss of possession could see a counter attack come to bite Philadelphia. Against Montreal it was perfect, and that was due to the players executing and standing out in the process.

Players that stood out:

Matt Real:

Real was able to come in early and show his versatility. He was able to do well defensively, and made impressive runs to create offense. His play on his assist, showcase his worth. Could we see him taking over Fabinho’s spot, should the veteran have picked up a significant knock?

Auston Trusty:

Trusty has officially solidified himself as the starting left-center back. He was magnificent playing out of the back, and showed that he can be a target in the box on set pieces. He scored the one goal, and almost had a second that he rang off the crossbar.

Fafa Picault:

Fafa did really well on the right-wing against Montreal. He didn’t get the start against DC in the first Suncoast Invitational game, and was looking to solidify himself as the starter on the right-wing. His speed and ability to beat defenders makes him a solid candidate for that position. He and Accam on the wings could create many problems on the counter attack, with their blazing speed.

Marcus Epps:

Epps came in for Fafa, and made a case for being the right-winger as well. He was very technical when on the ball, a skill that Fafa sometimes doesn’t have. Epps connected passes, and created offense with his speed. He is turning into a very promising player.

Next match Saturday:

The Union have one more preseason game Saturday night against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Before that match, the Union will be looking to build off this massive victory. Who knows maybe there will even be a new Czech number 10 that the Union integrate into their offense before they take on the Rowdies.

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Box Score:

Philadelphia Union:

John McCarthy; Keegan Rosenberry (Raymon Gaddis 61’), Jack Elliott (Mark McKenzie 83’), Auston Trusty, Fabinho (Matt Real 35’); Haris Medunjanin (Derrick Jones 61’), Alejandro Bedoya; Fafa Picault (Marcus Epps 46’), Anthony Fontana (Warren Creavalle 75’), David Accam (Fabian Herbers 75’); CJ Sapong (Jay Simpson 75’)

Montreal Impact:

James Pantemis (Clement Diop 46’); Chris Duvall, Thomas Meilleur-Giguere (Victor Cabrera 58’), Daniel Lovitz, Jukka Raitala; Daniel Choiniere (Samuel Piette 58’), Ken Krolicki (Mathieu Choiniere 71’), Marco Donadel (Shamit Shome 45’), Michael Salazar (Ignacio Piatti 58’); Anthony Jackson-Hamel (Matteo Mancosu 52’), Clement Bahiya (Raheem Edwards 58’)