Philadelphia Union left South Florida empty handed after falling 3-1 in a competitive battle against Inter Miami on Saturday night. The disappointing result against the league-leading team aside, there was no lack of determination from Philadelphia on the pitch, as they held their own until the final whistle against Miami’s star-studded cast.
Before embarking on the team’s trip back to Philadelphia, Head Coach Jim Curtin spoke to the media, recapping his team’s performance.
Finishing chances
In his press conference, Curtin shared with the media that per his data staff, the Philadelphia Union has scored the most total goals in all of Major League Soccer over the past three seasons. Hitting the back of the net has been a strength as of late, but on Saturday night at Chase Stadium, but the Boys in Blue weren’t able to overcome Lionel Messi’s two-goal comeback effort in his return to play.
"[Miami] obviously has some real quality. Obviously, Messi made some plays we could have done better on. The second goal, for sure, a little bit soft and goes down the middle. We could maybe get a block before that instance as well, but good players punish you,” Curtin said.
"We hung around at 2-1. They gave us a couple real opportunities and clear cut chances, and it just was a night where we didn't finish them off. To go on the road and have that many looks is frustrating, but against the strongest team in our league you can't let those chances slip. You have to be ruthless, and we weren't tonight.”
The 3-1 scoreline doesn't reflect it, but Philadelphia Union had no shortage of chances against Inter Miami. They ended the night with 20 total shots, but of their eight on target, Mikael Uhre was the only player to make it count, scoring a goal in the opening minute of the match to set the pace early just like he did against New York Red Bulls two weeks prior.
“Scoring goals hasn't been our problem. Our data team pieced it together, but over the last three years, we've scored the most goals in the league, and I don't think many teams would pick us as that. Our foundation is still our defense, so we don't like to concede three. The one at the end, we're throwing numbers forward and a little desperate at the end. So I agree that the scoreline flatters them for the amount of chances that we had,” Curtin said.
Playoff push persists
The match remained competitive until the final whistle, and Philadelphia Union have a solid performance to build on as they regroup for another pair of matches in quick succession. They'll go again midweek, and Curtin was clear on how important the team's upcoming results will be in keeping their postseason hopes alive.
“Our margin for error has been self-created, right? We made mistakes early in the year, some of them were injuries. Some of them were international call ups and things we knew were coming, and we paid for it. We've started to dig ourselves out of that hole for sure. We’ve had some good performances in recent weeks, three league wins in a row that were really spread out over a long stretch. Good performances in Leagues Cup as well. Tonight was a good performance, but it needs to be a great performance when you play against the quality of Miami,” Curtin said.
“We have a tough schedule. The rest of the way, it's in our hands, But if the team can regroup and perform like that, then add Andre and a healthy Danley to the group, we can certainly make a push,” Curtin said.
There’s just six games left on the schedule, and every point will be essential in their push for a playoff spot. Next up, Philadelphia will travel to New York City on Wednesday, then host D.C. United at home on Sunday.
"It's no easy task to go to New York City and win, but it's something we've done before, and it's not impossible. Then, obviously for the two home games, we have to be at our very best and those have to be wins. We've put ourselves in this hole, but I agree with you, we are playing much better and we have created a lot of opportunities. We were close tonight to taking points back to Philly, which isn't easy against this team.”
