From the time of its emergence 11 Philadelphia Union player will miss the Eastern Conference finals on Sunday due to MLS health and safety protocols, attention has been properly focused on the five starters will sit out.
People who like goalkeepers Andre Blake and the captain Alejandro Bedoya will be the audience. The same goes for the usual three quarters of the back line, with central defenders Jack Elliott and Jakob Glesnes as well as left-back Kai Wagner also out. But the knock-on effect is that the Alliance will have precious little depth to change the course of the game if that is required. Competitor New York City FC also missing a number of key players, most notably the MLS Golden Shoe winner Valentin Castellanos, but clearly coach Ronny Deila has more resources on the bench than his counterpart Jim Curtin.
In the end, that proved to be the difference, like New York City from behind won 2-1 ask for a replacement Talles Magnolate goal and set up a Saturday MLS Cup match against Portland Wood (3 p.m. ET, live on ABC).
Conference finals are rarely remembered by fans of the winning team, even with a traditional trophy presentation at the end. MLS Cup makes more impression. But given that Union’s great performance – as well as the return of the NYCFC – that Sunday encounter will likely linger in the memory for a little longer than most people.
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Circumstances alone create a unique combination. Sixth, there were rumors that the Union was suffering personnel damage. On Saturday, it was confirmed that 11 players would be absent, and there were concerns that the game could turn into a farce unlike a conference finale. For Curtin, even filling out his squad card was a challenge.
“When I wrote the team message at the beginning of the game, there were a few names that I didn’t quite know how to spell, so I had to do a few peeks at the back of the jersey, which was a situation. the situation is certainly unique,” he said.
Fortunately, that blowout scenario was avoided. While Deila praised the Union players who came on, and noted that Philadelphia’s style had not changed, he acknowledged that the home team’s declining numbers changed the morale of the game.
“There’s another pressure on us to be more of ‘We have to win’, instead of ‘It’s great to win,'” he said.
Perhaps that explains the rather tedious nature of the first half, when NYCFC held the ball for the most part but never really threatened the Union goal. In fact, Philadelphia’s patchwork backline is led by Aurelien Collin – who has played a minute of competitive football for Philadelphia in the past two seasons – looks more comfortable in the better hour. And when Kacper Przybylko When Alex Callens owns an own goal in the 63rd minute, it looks like Union will get their “Rocky” moment.
But after scaling the mountain, Union’s legs weren’t strong enough to stay there. The lead lasted all 110 seconds, with Maxi Moralez Hammer Smash House a Restoration to NYCFC Upgrades. Since then, the Blues have played downhill.
“I think we needed a bit of time to get the crowd involved, to have that five-minute period that now puts a little bit of stress and pressure on New York City,” said Curtin. “Maybe they start throwing numbers forward and we can hit them on the counter.”
By then, Deila had made a trio of substitutions, moving to record signing Magno, Gudmundur Thorarinsson and Ismael Tajouri-Shradi, all of which help create balance for visitors. Thorarinsson has moved forward with greater effect Malte Amundsen, while Tajouri-Shradi and Magno boosted the Blues’ attack in the final third.
As for Curtin, he was stressed, with little choice when his bravery was initially blown away.
“They had some weapons from the bench that I would just say are expensive,” said Curtin.
The most expensive shipment of all is delivered when the time remaining is normally less than two minutes. Thorarinsson was robbed Olivier Mbaizo, and brought in Magno — a $12 million mid-season acquisition — to send the game winner home from close range in the 88th minute.
The goal is cruel to the Alliance, especially when Nathan Harriel had sent a free header over the bar just minutes earlier. But that seemed worth it with an NYCFC side slowly ramping up the pressure after halftime.
“I think we were the dominant team in the second half,” Deila said. “And we knew that in the final minutes we would have more space and [create] more opportunities, and we did. The alternatives have worked really, really well. You have seen how fresh they are. “
Curtin is the type of manager who never makes excuses, but he can’t help but let his mind drift into hypothetical situations. Nine months of sweat and effort have gone down the drain due to a virus that persists stubbornly in American life. Without going into specifics and emphasizing that he is a firm believer in science, Curtin feels that the league’s COVID-19 protocols could do with some tweaking. “We have 11 healthy boys to play a football game that’s not here because they have a version of push-ups.”
He added, “You’re speechless, man. I just feel bad for the people who aren’t here, because again, they’ve had an incredible season. COVID sucks. I don’t know what else to say Protocols are protocols, but can they be updated, adapted to the norm? .”
That pain will linger for a while in Philadelphia. Meanwhile, NYCFC will be the team going through in the MLS Cup.
“What we’ve done so far, it’s been amazing,” Deila said. “But the biggest event will come on Saturday.”
