Philadelphia Union is in Cincinnati for a midweek matchup against one of the league's highest-performing squads for the second of three games in an eight day span. Before the team departed Chester for the flight to Ohio, Head Coach Jim Curtin met with the media, previewing the upcoming contest.
Familiar foe
Cincinnati, led by Head Coach Pat Noonan, is a very familiar opponent for the Philly side, and since the former Union assistant signed on at the helm of the Ohio side in December 2021, he’s elevated the team to new heights, most recently claiming the 2023 Supporters’ Shield and advancing to the Eastern Conference Final where they fell to intrastate rivals Columbus Crew. They defeated the Union to get there, scoring a 94th minute goal to win 1-0 and end Philly's season. The heartbreaker was the last time Philadelphia visited TQL Stadium, and Noonan's side has maintained their dominance since then. Philadelphia has a tough task ahead after a dissappointing loss to Inter Miami at home, and Curtin started his press confrence with a glimpse into his squad's mindset and gameplan as Wednesday's match draws near.
"Obviously a really tough, inexcusable result for the players and the staff. Sometimes the best remedy is to have a midweek game and have an opportunity to have a response and stick together. Going on the road be hard to play against a really good Cincinnati team, a team that's I think one of the best teams in our league, and we know we're a little bit short handed and they'll be a little bit short handed," Curtin said.
"On the road now, we have to try to do the things that make us good, be nice and compact. Where we've let ourselves down I think in a lot of ways this year, and we just talked about it in film, is in both boxes we've come up a little bit small. We had opportunities against Miami to kill the game off. We didn't get that done, and we learned that this game can be cruel and you get punished when you don't take advantage of those opportunities. So we need to be better and it starts with me as the leader of the group."
Injury updates
The team is already shorthanded due to the Euros and COPA America tournaments, and unfortunately for the Union, a new name was added to the list of missing players. Team captain Alejandro Bedoya suffered an injury against Inter Miami on Saturday, leaving him out for multiple matches starting with Cincinnati. Curtin explained what the 37-year-old midfielder's absence could mean for the team both on the pitch and in the locker room in upcoming games.
"It hurts to lose Ale, especially at this time right when we're already shorthanded and thin. To lose your your calming presence on the field, especially when you go up two men...that hurts and we didn't navigate it well. I I take the responsibility for that," Curtin said.
"He'll be out two to three weeks, quad injury. Obviously we miss him in the locker room on the road now in Cincinnati, on the field, obviously all the things that he brings and does for us. It doesn't get any easier. That's why I say take out five starters in any team in this league and it becomes a lot more difficult. So we have to find a way and I have other step up to grind out a result to be really compact and tough to play against," Curtin said.
Depth
As has been emphasized before the season even began, depth players will be called on to step up in the weeks to come, and Philadelphia’s bench against Cincinnati could be one of their youngest this season.
"A couple players that have been doing well in Union II have been in training, we'll make some selections, and then try to fill out the squad as we go on the road to a tough place in Cincinnati," Curtin said.
"You'll see a bench that has a lot of youth on it, a bench that needs to be ready to help for whatever the game needs, and we're going to need everybody in the room to find a way to get ourselves out of a tough stretch."
