Head Coach Jim Curtin orchestrated another energizing Philadelphia Union performance on Sunday night, this time in front of a packed audience of fans at Subaru Park. The 4-0 win was an important one, and after the final whistle, the team's leader met with the media to recap the action.
Confidence is key
Before the match, Curtin urged his team to enter the match with confidence considering their recent run of form, and that’s just what he they did after finding their footing in the opening stretch.
"I thought the first 10 minutes, we were a little off, maybe a little fatigued from New York City. But after that, I think the goal woke us up, and I thought we performed very well. It was a good professional performance. and important to keep a clean sheet," Curtin said to open his press conference.
"I said it to the guys as we went out to the field, it should feel good, and we should take the field with confidence knowing that we have a group that's been in good run of form, and also a group that's fully healthy and available for the first time in a while."
Front three on fire
In the past two games, Tai Baribo, Daniel Gazdag, and Mikael Uhre have each hit the back of the net, helping the team secure essential points in their push for a postseason berth.While Baribo is still new to the mix, their chemistry has been steady building, and Curtin explained tactically why trio has been so effective as of late.
"With the front three, and you can go look at the New York City game. You can look at tonight. Sometimes soccer is very simple. When they're very close together, we score goals. You can see in the film, and New York City was a great example, all three of those guys could almost hold hands when the ball hit the back of the net in every instance," Curtin said.
"That's something that we work with them. We preach to them. We're going to go as far as those guys go, they can finish plays off and they're very dangerous."
Mikael Magic
Of that front three, Mikael Uhre has scored in each of the team's last four matches, and all of those goals have come in the first half of play. His form has been an influential factor in the team's recent success, and Curtin gave insight into his recent conversations with the Danish DP regarding his role in the attack.
"I've said it a million times, and I've said it to Mikael, the more he touches the ball in the run of play, it leads to more involvement in the game," Curtin said.
"He has to avoid the spells where there's 15 to 20 minutes where you don't see him, and those are the things that I think he's avoided in the recent games. He's been able to even come off the centerbacks a little bit, pop up in different spots. Everybody knows he's going to try to run in behind. So sometimes now, just to set up the defense, coming a little bit underneath, getting a touch or two, getting some involvement, getting comfortable leads to opening up the defense a little bit more."
