Before he faces off against Los Angeles Football Club and the coach that drafted him as a player, Philadelphia Union Head Coach Jim Curtin spoke to the media in a midweek press conference. Here are some key takeaways.
Bob the builder
“It’ll feel strange, no question,” Curtin agreed, when asked about facing Bob Bradley, who drafted him as coach of Chicago Fire. “Bob's a guy that I owe my playing career to. I owe him, with the environment that he created in Chicago, my coaching career too. He's fair, he's honest, he coaches the right way, he's not a guy that looks for accolades or looks for people to talk about him or his teams. He's a man of action and one that I respect a great deal. To have the opportunity to coach against him will be unique, for sure.”
Bradley has helped LAFC into a playoff position in their first MLS season, and his roster is a complementary mix of vets and high-ceiling youngsters like Diego Rossi, who Curtin called “a dangerous, dangerous winger.”
Controlling the ‘Caps
There was nothing strange about the Union’s performance last weekend, except, perhaps, for how comprehensive it was. “I thought that the best takeaway from the game was our ability to counter press,” Curtin said. “Really smothered Vancouver, obviously created a ton of chances, I think 25 shots on the day. Limited them to zero shots on goal, so made Andre [Blake]'s job easy. I think you saw Borek [Dockal] find little pockets and be able to turn and face the defense.”
Dockal had two goals against the Caps, and he was a dominant force throughout the match. The Union need their playmaker to be at a similar level against an LAFC side that pushes forward and leaves holes in behind.
Hitting the road
“It’s a challenge,” Curtin sighed. Teams struggle when traveling across the country, and, as Vancouver showed last weekend, being off your game can get punished in modern MLS. “When you get on a flight for six, six and a half hours, it's not easy to get yourself acclimated. We will train later today in the afternoon. Two full training sessions out there [in Los Angeles] to try and get us acclimated as quickly as possible.”
