Union squander chance to gain ground on standings in 2nd straight loss

The Philadelphia Union are in a bit of a rough spot as they lost their second match in as many weeks. The team looked uninspired and lost at times in the past two matches. Philly has not been at full strength over the last four matches as international call-ups and injuries to key players have plagued this side. This latest match against LA Galaxy showcased just how shorthanded Philadelphia is without some of their key players.

Union falls to LA Galaxy 3-1

The late-night away day in Los Angeles presented an intriguing opportunity; Philly, a top-six team in the league took on a Galaxy side that began the night as one of the bottom-three teams in MLS. While the odds favored Philadelphia as the away side, the beginning of the game showed that the odds did not dictate how this match would be played.

Within the first 10 minutes, the Union had found LA more than five times, and Jose Martinez had picked up a yellow card. The Galaxy looked to draw Philly out of their comfort zone and then attack the open spaces in the midfield. This is how LA opened the scoring on the night. The Union pushed numbers forward and was dispossessed.

Galaxy star Riqui Puig was able to frustrate Martinez and get the ball out wide to the space that was vacated by Matt Real moving forward. A cross was then able to be played into the box that Tyler Boyd was able to get on the end of. The shot was a tame one, but it still handcuffed Union keeper Joe Bendik and went in.

After the first goal, the Union pushed more numbers forward. This saw centerback Jakob Glesnes playing almost as an attacking midfielder in the 36th minute as he was able to carry the ball to LA’s box and rip a shot. His shot was blocked but fell to the foot of Mikael Uhre who was able to shoot into an open net to tie the match. It looked like Philly might go into halftime tied, but LA had one late chance from a corner.

A good ball was played into the box, and there was chaotic Philadelphia defending. Three defenders were marking one Galaxy player, and goalkeeper Joe Bendik came off his line but did not play the ball. The ball hit the back of Union defender Olivier Mbaizo and went right past Bendik to make it 2-1 for Los Angeles. Had Bendik either come out to catch the ball, or stay on his line the chance likely would have been snuffed out; since he was in no-mans-land the chance was able to become a goal.

In the second half, Philadelphia failed to create real chances to get anything from this match. They created just five shots, none on target, no big chances created, and an xG of just 0.22. The match was finally put to bed when Riqui Puig showed a moment of brilliance in the 76th minute getting on the ball in his attacking half, he wrong-footed MLS defender of the year Jakob Glesnes and fired a perfect strike to make it 3-1. The match then dwindled out as another Union loss.

The Union failed to capitalize on a huge opportunity to jump from sixth in the league to a tie for third. Their lack of quality depth players has really plagued them in this recent stretch.

Missed opportunities to gain ground in the east

With Philly playing in the late-game window, they saw all of the teams ahead of them in the east and in the Supporters’ Shield race play their matches. Cincinnati drew at Charlotte, Nashville lost at Chicago, New England lost at Red Bull, Columbus drew vs NYCFC. The only team that was ahead of Philly that won on the night in the Supporters’ Shield race was St. Louis who won at Toronto.

A win against Lowly LA Galaxy would have moved the Union to third in the east and in the Supporters’ Shield race on 37 points. They would have been a point off of second place and eight points off of leaders FC Cincinnati. With the loss, Philly has now slid further down the standings in both their conference and makes their chances to compete for the Supporters’ Shiled a long shot.

With the second straight loss, Philly now sits in sixth in the eastern conference, dropping one spot. They also fell two spots in the Shield standings. This current stretch of matches is probably the most difficult stretch of the season; however, their slip-ups when the rest of their competition also misses a step is a big opportunity wasted. What is unfortunate as well is that many of these missed opportunities are happening because of the team’s lackluster depth options.

A lack of quality depth

The Union has had to make do without one of MLS’s best goalkeepers Andre Blake. He’s been away with Jamaica at the Gold Cup for the last few weeks. In his absence, Philly has had to turn to veteran Joe Bendik, and the falloff in quality is evident. Union fans are missing former-homegrown Matt Freese who was a decent backup for Blake in years past; Freese wanted a move to try to win a starting spot on another MLS team and is currently stuck as NYCFC’s backup now. While goalkeeping is a major issue for Philly when Blake is away, there are other problem spots as well.

Kai Wagner could be the best left back in MLS, and he is vital to putting out fires in wide positions and creating most of the Union’s width in their attack. He has been out for the last two weeks with an injury, and his replacement homegrowns Matt Real or Nathan Harriel don’t bring nearly as much as Wagner. Real is not as sure-footed moving forward in wide positions, and Harriel is a right-footed defender playing on the left. Wagner should be back this coming week, but his absence is always felt.

While the Union has been without these two key players in the losing streak, questions should also be raised about their depth in general. Losing striker Cory Burke this past offseason and not replacing him has limited Philly’s game-changing ability with their bench attackers. Their “new” signing Andres Parea, and Joaquin Torres have made little impact in the midfield and the attack. Only Damion Lowe has paid dividends as a third centerback. This is something that should be addressed sooner rather than later.

The Union needs game-changers that they can bring into matches if they want to climb back up the standings and compete to win a trophy this season. Their stars are there, but some have dropped off their outstanding 2022 form. An incoming summer transfer that is a difference maker in the attack, or on the ball could be the difference between finishing in the top-four of the league or clinging to a lower-seeded playoff spot.

Not all hope is lost

These past two matches have been brutal. Points were very winnable but the team squandered their chances and have come away with nothing. With that being said, there is still hope for a decent turnaround in their final two matches before the month-long Leagues Cup break. The Union play two matches against strong eastern conference opponents this week.

@ Nashville | Wed. July 12 | 8:30 pm EST
vs NYCFC | Sat. July 15 | 7:30 pm EST

It won’t be easy, but the Union have their work cut out for them this week. An away game at Nashville SC midweek will be difficult, but if Wagner returns, and possibly even Blake and Lowe from Jamaica, then this side might just get a much-needed W. Returning home on the weekend to take on NYCFC will present the opportunity to go in the Leagues Cup break with a bang, this team is desperate for points and a win, and they have been stellar at home.

Getting four-six points from both of these games this week could catapult Philly up the standings. Having 38-40 points through 23 matches played would be a huge momentum boost for this team. Falling short of this mark however could mean that we see this team fall from being a top MLS contender and being more of a middle-of-the-pack playoff side.