Can Union thrive moving forward or will lack of finishing slow them down?

After suffering a disappointing 3-1 home loss at the hands of Portland Timbers Saturday night, the question for Philadelphia becomes one concerning high-quality finishing as they strive to remain in the league’s ‘elite’ discussions.

Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Following the opening half hour of play Saturday night, Philadelphia showcased some promising play. However, Portland began to slowly break them down thanks to the skilled and newly acquired designated play Brian Fernandez. The key for Philadelphia was to contain Fernandez but ultimately the former Liga MX standout proved too much to handle. Couple his play with Portland’s terrifyingly effective counter-attacking capabilities and it becomes easy to see how the Union let points slip away.

The loss Saturday makes it just four on the season for Head Coach Jim Curtin. But perhaps more worrisome is the manner in which his team fell. And of course, letting a result go by without a point at home is never a promising showing. The loss also makes it two straight home matches without a win, making this three-match homestretch into something much less advantageous than previously hoped for.

Wednesday night they’ll attempt to salvage this stretch of home contests with yet another Western Conference club in Colorado Rapids entering town. Colorado are winners of two straight matches after besting LA Galaxy at LA and Columbus Crew SC at home Saturday.

The Union simply must make the most of this final home match in a string of three. To go winless in three straight home matches is a sure fire way to kill any of the remaining momentum the team has built since reaching the top of the Eastern Conference table a few weeks back.

Perhaps one reason for the recent two match slump is the absence of an elite goal scorer in Curtin’s starting XI. Sure, the impressive depth and roster flexibility has been integral to the team’s success this season as has their grittiness on the pitch and ability to remain in neat defensive shape in games, but one missing link or perhaps a weakening link is the ability to put the ball in the back of the net on a consistent basis as of late. The prolonged absence of Cory Burke to do visa issues has been a bit of a detour for Curtin as well.

Striker Kacper Przybylko netted his fourth goal of the campaign. He’s appeared in seven matches so far this season for Philadelphia and has become the main target offensively for the Union recently. While it’s a positive the international striker found the net once more Saturday, it’s also a bit deflating to see him miss an easy chance to score an equalizer during the same match. As a team, Philadelphia failed to convert a few times Saturday night on their way to the 3-1 loss.

The story of the year so far – and it’s been background noise in season’s past – is whether or not Philadelphia can routinely compete and come out victorious against the top-tier in MLS. While they’ve shown glimpses of excitement and elite-level performances, the consistency has been lacking.

Wednesday night’s match-up is potentially labeled with the dreaded ‘must-win’ sticker. A win is needed to right the ship and continue back on the path to a top three Eastern Conference club.