Philadelphia Union begins a crucial 3-match homestand tonight against DC United. Sitting 3-points shy of first-place Atlanta United FC, Philadelphia should do their best to take advantage of a Rooney-less DC side in hopes of bouncing back after a 2-0 road loss at Chicago Fire a week ago.
Following a failed opportunity to earn a result against a team below them in the table, Philadelphia now hosts a desperate DC United team in the first of three-straight home contests.
Two of those home matches will be against MLS’ best. A week from tonight, first-place Atlanta United FC comes to town, and in mid-September the best of the best so far this year, LAFC, will visit Chester.
But by far the most important match is always the next one, meaning all eyes on tonight is the motto.
“Three big games coming up,” said Head Coach Jim Curtin this week. “Some of our performances [recently] haven’t been as good as they were in the beginning of the year. We want to find out now – as the big games come up – which Philadelphia team is this?”
Inconsistency and a lack of urgency have been the two main weaknesses of the best team in Union franchise history. But determination, grit, and scrappiness are a few of the groups’ main attributes. Curtin knows this and will rely on his team’s will-power ahead of tonight’s rivalry clash.
“They’ve shown character and girt all year and I expect the same against DC United,” said Curtin of his team. “We need to stay in that top four to host a playoff game. We’re going to fight like hell to finish first but at the same time it’s going to be a fight where every point matters.”
And the final playoff push begins tonight. How will Philadelphia perform with a packed house against a nearby rival?
Considering the absence of superstar Wayne Rooney in DC’s lineup tonight (red card suspension), Philadelphia already has a massive leg up on their opponent. If you throw in the results of the last match these two played, the odds tilt even further in Philadelphia’s favor. But can they capitalize?
Kacper Przybylko will need to stay in the great form he’s been in for that to happen. Kacper leads the team with 11 regular season goals while earning 19 starts. He’s started every match dating back to April 27th, playing all 90+ minutes in every outing except one. He’s tallied seven goals over his last 10 matches with 14 shots in his last four games.
“I feel great,” said Kacper when asked how it feels to be the go-to guy in this stage of the season. “We have a great position in the table and I can’t wait for the last games so we can get a good finish for the playoffs.”
“In the beginning, there was a lot of competition, I needed to fight for that spot,” said Kacper. “It’s normal in this industry. I really worked hard and now it’s paying off.”
Despite the 11 goals so far this year, Kacper has gained perhaps more notoriety for his off-the-ball running and humble personality in the locker room.
During Tuesday night’s Town Hall with Sporting Director Ernst Tanner and CBO Tim McDermott, Kacper received some encouraging praise during what Tanner mentioned is a rarity from him: praising a particular player in public.
“When we were bringing [Kacper] in, we put a lot of trust and effort in his development and he is paying it back now. If you see when he is running and the effort he puts into the team and the amount of goals he is scoring for us – that is really exceptional,” said Tanner of the 26-year old forward.
And Kacper heard of the kind words too. “That’s a huge thing to have the Sporting Director and Coach behind you,” said Kacper. “It gives you a lot of motivation and power to have the confidence behind you. So sometimes we don’t score goals so I try to give it back when I can with the running and my pressing.”
Keep a close eye on him tonight, as he’ll be hungry for more goals considering the goose egg Philly dropped in Chicago.
Another main key for Philadelphia is the way in which they start tonight’s match. Sure, they’ve buried teams throughout this season and even embarrassed a few along the way. But still, despite the success, Philadelphia isn’t a team that you can simply ‘bank on’ to earn a positive result in important matches like tonight.
But they can still flip that script.
“I think that us not being happy with it, I think that shows we are a club that’s changing its mindset,” explained Curtin when asked about being content with where they’re at.
With six matches left, content is hopefully the last word being used to describe the locker room atmosphere.
“After the game we lost to Chicago, we were a bit down, but we enjoy the time too,” said Kacper. “There’s also a good atmosphere out here. We focus on the practice but we also have a good time.”
It’s been a collective effort to have a good time in the locker room. Curtin mentioned this several times now this season. The team doesn’t splinter off into groups or cliques. All are welcome inside the clubhouse.
“We’re all one big group,” said Kacper. “It’s not like some past teams where certain groups break off. We’re one big group which is why I always have a big smile when I walk into the locker room.”
Kacper will hope the smiles continue tonight. Kickoff is set for 7:30 PM and ALUMNI NIGHT festivities begin on the Toyota Plaza at 5:30 PM.
GAME NOTES
Get there early. Stay there late.
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