Union, at midpoint, look to repeat first-half success
The Union officially begin the second half of their Major League Soccer season Saturday in Houston against the Dynamo, and they are in a place not many forecast.
The Union officially begin the second half of their Major League Soccer season Saturday in Houston against the Dynamo, and they are in a place not many forecast.
Coming off a 10-17-7 season, the Union (7-5-5, 26 points) are in first place in the Eastern Conference, where the top six teams will make the playoffs.
Granted, there is plenty of soccer left, and just seven points separate the Union from the seventh-place spot. But the Union have surely aced this course in terms of grading the season so far.
With 29 goals, the Union entered the weekend as the highest-scoring MLS team.
"To be in first place in the Eastern Conference, to have scored the most goals in MLS . . . I didn't expect. I have to be honest," Union coach Jim Curtin said.
Many would say the same thing. New sporting director Earnie Stewart changed the culture and a majority of the roster, and this is a team that no longer folds when it gets down a goal.
Five times it has come back to earn points when down a goal, with two wins and three ties.
Can they keep it up?
Since midfielder Vincent Nogueira and the team mutually parted ways due to health reasons, the Union are 1-2 and have allowed nine goals in MLS games.
Yet with an attack that features players who can routinely break down defenders - such as Ilsinho, Roland Alberg and Tranquillo Barnetta - the Union should continue to score goals.
They also should improve when designated player Maurice Edu returns. Edu has been out all season with a stress fracture in his left leg. He is projected to return either this month or in August, and he should provide a defensive presence in the midfield.
Up until the recent three-game skid, Andre Blake had been among the top MLS keepers. Blake, who had an exhausting June while also competing for Jamaica in Copa Amercia, looked better in Wednesday's 2-1 U.S. Open Cup win over the New York Red Bulls.
Counting Open Cups, Wednesday's win snapped a string of five straight games in which the Union allowed two or more goals.
The defense is young but not all at fault, especially since Ilsinho, Alberg and Barnetta specialize in offense. With Nogueira gone, Barnetta has been playing a holding midfield, but he also still attacks.
The back four are young and have made mistakes but have also played well for long stretches.
Right back Keegan Rosenberry has been the biggest surprise. The No. 3 overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft out of Georgetown, Rosenberry, 22, has played every MLS minute. He also leads MLS defenders in the most recent fan all-star voting that was released earlier this week.
The other main starters in the back have been Richie Marquez, 24, Fabinho, 31, and Josh Yaro, Rosenberry's Georgetown teammate, who is 21 and recently returned from a shoulder injury. Ken Tribbett, who has started nine games at center back, is 23. Ray Gaddis, 26, has started four games on the outside.
What has helped the Union is that the scoring has been balanced. Eleven players, including Nogueira, have scored at least one goal. Chris Pontius leads with six, followed by C.J. Sapong and Alberg, with five each.
Sapong's absence since suffering a sprained right ankle on June 1 has been glaring. He is a physical player who wears on defenders and contributes defensively as well as any forward in MLS.
So the Union could be looking for forward depth or another defensive midfielder when the secondary transfer window opens from July 4 through Aug. 3.
If they stand pat, the Union could still be competitive. But whether they can match their first-half performance remains to be seen.
@sjnard