Union not satisfied with tie in strong performance

The Union have ramped up their expectations this season, and the game Wednesday night offered another example of that. Even though they controlled play for much of the night against one of the top teams in Major League Soccer, they were disappointed by 2-2 draw against the visiting Los Angeles Galaxy.

In their previous game, a 1-1 draw at home with the San Jose Earthquakes, the game had the feeling of a loss because the Union surrendered the equalizer in the 83rd minute while up a man.

On the surface, this one seemed more like a win since the Union consistently put the heat on the Galaxy. The Union outshot Los Angeles, 22-4, although they managed only six of those shots on goal.

Maybe it was a moral victory for many of the 17,985 at Talen Energy Stadium, but the players and coaching staff had a different perspective.

"To be honest, the way the game flowed and the way we performed, it feels like two lost [points], similar to last week," said defender Keegan Rosenberry, who scored his first MLS goal to tie the score in the 63rd minute. "That may be surprising to some people, but I think we generated a lot of chances and I thought we were the better team tonight."

The Union are 3-0-2 at home, and even though both ties were against strong Western Conference teams, the mind-set was that the team was looking for more.

"It is still two points dropped and that is the hard part," coach Jim Curtin said. "We have a tough time getting over it."

The Union don't have much time to worry about the game because on Saturday they visit Montreal, a team they trail by a point for first place in the Eastern Conference. The Union (4-3-2, 14 points) also own a game in hand.

Maybe in years past the Union would have felt like this was a win, especially against one of the signature programs in MLS.

But there is a new mind-set on the team, which is why no one was celebrating, even after playing a terrific game against a Galaxy team that is a serious MLS Cup contender.