Philadelphia Union fell 1-0 to Columbus Crew in their return to Major League Soccer play on Wednesday night. After the final whistle, Head Coach Jim Curtin met with the media, recapping the loss.
Early efforts
Both Philadelphia Union and Columbus Crew were just three days removed from their respective Sunday night Leagues Cup matches during Wednesday's contest. Curtin's crew jumped at the chance to attack early when multiple Crew starters sat out for the first half, but the Boys in Blue weren't able to hit the back of the net. In his postgame press conference, Curtin reflected on his team's early efforts and some positives he saw in the opening minutes.
"I thought we actually had a good first 15 minutes. We hit the post, hit the bar, had five or six corner kicks consecutively. We didn't get a goal, and then you knew what they would be be bringing into the game at around the 60th, 70th minute. At that point when we didn't have a lead, we knew it was going to be difficult," Curtin said.
Columbus Crew came to town as the defending MLS and Leagues Cup Champions, and after they added impact players like Diego Rossi and Cucho Hernandez late in the second half, Philadelphia Union was unable to hold the match scoreless.
"Still would've liked to at least get a point out of tonight, so that part hurts. The guys put a ton effort in on a hot night, ran, worked hard, but it wasn't enough against a strong opponent in Columbus," Curtin said.
Depending on depth
It's no secret Philadelphia Union has faced a strenous summer schedule, and it won't let up just yet. A rivalry match against New York Red Bull looms near, and Curtin gave a glimpse into what his squad could look like come Saturday.
"We'll see how guys recover again tonight. Definitely took a lot out of our guys. We put a lot into the game. So did Columbus. Lot of tired bodies on the field at the end of the game. We'll have to assess things, see where guys are at, and then kind of go from there," Curtin said.
"Yeah, we'll need guys to step up for sure. We'll have a few changes, but not a ton, just because it's a big game again so we can't really afford to just rest and rotate a ton."
