WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: PHILY UNION
Welcome back to What You Need To Know, a preview for Austin FC fans to check in on their next opponent.
After a demoralizing 2-2 draw on Saturday, Austin FC are back in action tonight against the Philadelphia Union. Playing their best match to date Austin took a 2-1 lead into the 93’ when Célio Pompeu scored an equalizer that had been coming for the previous ten minutes.
We saw Austin play with a compact defensive line and scored two goals from dead ball situations while being out possessed, out shot, and giving up more corners. That’s been a theme so far this season, and even dating back to the end of last season. The question is how much this is a function of coaching and a deliberate tactic without Sebastian Driussi available and how much this is a change in overall strategy as Austin tries to play more defensively. With Driussi again questionable tonight we may not get a resounding answer to this until next week against Orlando City.
History vs. Austin FC:
Austin FC and the Philadelphia Union have never played an official match before.
Recent Matches:
Their last MLS match against Seattle was abandoned after 5’ due to field conditions and they lost 6-0 to Pachuca to be knocked out of the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Tuesday.
Players to Watch:
Daniel Gazdag
The Hungarian midfielder is coming off a down year for him, only scoring 14 goals (down from 22 in 2022) but still tying for the team lead. He plays as an advanced midfielder who makes runs into the box to create chances and is the player Jhohan Valencia will have to be most concerned with defensively.
Andre Blake
Blake has consistently been one of the best goalkeepers in MLS, despite how he gave up one of the most bizarre own goals you’ll ever see just a few weeks ago. He has played at Q2 before, starting for the Jamaican National team against the US for the World Cup Qualifier in October 2021.
Jóse Martínez
“El Brujo” (The wizard) has one of the best nicknames in the league. I expect Philadelphia to rotate their lineup but he was taken off at halftime against Pachuca with this match in mind. Martinez will shield the back line and close down open midfield gaps when Austin tries to push forward centrally.
Keys to the Match:
CONCACAF Champions Cup (CCC)
The Union were eliminated on Tuesday night by Pachuca in the Round of 16 as part of a 6-0 defeat where they looked disinterested, tired, and ready to go home. Tonight will be their 8th match since February 20, (26 days) with half being on the road. It’s been a brutal schedule for them to start the season, a big reason why they’re doing so poorly out of the gate.
Out of the Kiln
Thusfar this season Austin FC has scored 3 goals, all by defenders, and the 3 assists are from two central midfielders and a fullback. Stoke City, known as the Potters, got promoted to the Premier League and stayed up for a long time punching above their weight due to principles of playing stout compact defense, scoring off set pieces, and using long throws as attacking weapons. Austin is emulating that strategy (one of the goals was directly off a corner, the other from a long throw in) to poor results so far, but with Driussi’s return looming, could we go back to seeing an attacking Austin FC that plays to the principles Coach Josh Wolff has been known to advocate for?
Accountability
In this week’s media availability Philadelphia head coach Jim Curtin said:
"An unacceptable performance from the group, and as the leader, I take responsibility. It was a night that went wrong from the start. We should never get beat by a team 6-0... Not a good representation of this group. I am fully confident that they will bounce back with a strong performance and look like us."
This is the mark of a leader, someone who has led Philadelphia to being a model of what an MLS club should be. Bouncing back after an embarrassing defeat by getting back to their fundamentals and playing the way they want to play.
See you at Q2!
WRITTEN BY: SCOTT SPECHT
