Philadelphia Union defeated Inter Miami FC 4-1 on Saturday Night in front of a vibrant Subaru Park crowd, boosting their record to 10-4-5.
Head Coach Jim Curtin met with the media after the win, recapping the team's play.
Untapped potential
The Philadelphia Union left Subaru Park with three points after maintaining a three-goal lead against Inter Miami CF through the end of the game, but Head Coach Jim Curtin wasn’t pleased with much but the scoreboard.
“The fans go home happy with a four to one win, but I don't think we played our best soccer. Not even not even close,” Curtin said.
“They gave us some problems. It was difficult for us to get around the ball. We chased a lot and we talked at halftime about how we're at our best when we're all sprinting together 10 yards rather than jogging around for 100 plus yards, and I think they understood that. Didn't didn't really fix it in the second half, but give the guys credit for grinding out a 4-1 that maybe wasn't indicative of the game,” Curtin said.
A win is a win, and three points goes a long way when the standings are knotted as they presently are in the East. Nonetheless, Curtin recognizes the talent he has on his roster and expressed his certainty that their potential has yet to be fully realized.
“It's a big three points, grateful to the fans, that again made this place really, really loud. So again, it looks good on paper, but I think there are still a lot of things we can work on and improve.”
Good fortune for Flach
“I'm a big believer that when you work hard in this sport, good things happen for you.”
It’s a sentiment Curtin has shared time and time again, but on this occasion, the subject was Leon Flach and his powerful 48th minute goal from just outside the top of the box.
“The harder he works, I think he gets rewarded for things. To see him still pressing in the 90th minute and running and trying to win balls back for us was really good,” Curtin said.
“He was rewarded tonight with a really good goal, he hit that really well, kept it low and hit the target. Overall, really good game from Leon. It's been a good season for him. He does a lot of things that don't always show up on the stat sheet, and tonight he hit the stat sheet.”
The goal marked Flach’s first of the season and second-ever in the MLS. After the game, the midfielder couldn’t recall a moment in his soccer career when he’d shot and scored from outside of the box like he did to close the first half at Subaru Park.
"Never. I can't remember one," Flach said. "I'll probably have to recover after having two scores in two games. I don't know how to deal with that.”
Looking Ahead
The Union eased back into their schedule after a long break with a home game in front of a packed crowd at Subaru Park, but they will soon head back on the road for a three-game road trip to open July.
To close his postgame press conference, Curtin previewed what's ahead for the team.
"Yeah, it'll be tough. It's always is tough down in Atlanta. They have a great fan base, they have a great atmosphere down there. I think they got beat tonight, so they'll have a reaction naturally. It's always hard to go down there."
Atlanta is 7-8-5 after falling 4-0 to the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night. The team sits at sixth in the standings, just two spots below the Union.
"Now we'll have to be a little bit sharper, a little bit better on the road."
Philadelphia Union will kick off their away stretch at Atlanta United FC on Sunday, July 2nd. Kick from Atlanta is set for 4 p.m. ET with the contest broadcast on FOX, FOX Deportes as well as free to watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Sage Hurley - @SageHurl
