CHESTER, Pa. -- Ripping their first win in eight games from the hands of the Eastern
Conference-leading Columbus Crew on Saturday, the rejuvenated Union have every reason to feel a sense of achievement as they prepare to face off against second-place Sporting Kansas City on Friday at Livestrong Park.
But they wont. At least, not if coach Peter Nowak has anything to say about it.
The players are not getting in the mindset that they won one game and now everything goes back to normal, said Nowak.
The locker room still realizes that, even though we won a game, that we still have a lot of work to do. But we are still learning as a group together. The responsibly and the ability to recognize our mistakes is a very good sign.
The victory over the Crew did more than invigorate the Unions playoff hopes, as an eight-game slide saw them trickle down the conference standings. It brought the Union to a 9-7-12 record and 39 points, placing them just one behind Kansas City (40) and the Crew, who have 41, for the group lead.
However, in doing so, the Unions fortune changed with their ability to shut down the opposing offense. Losing captain and goalie Faryd Mondragon to a broken finger, the second-year squad has leaned on 2011 first-round pick Zac MacMath to turn the tide and he has done just thatposting back-to-back shutouts against the Portland Timbers and Crew.
Everyone realized that in order for us to contain teams and get a shutout that we need to cover for each other and be more responsible, MacMath said. The whole team has stayed together, stayed in contact and worked for each other. That made the difference.
For me to do well, the team has to do well and thats the most important thing for us going forward.
But to take down potent Sporting Kansas City, which stand at 10-9-10 and 7-2-5 at home, the Union backline will have to be on constant guard against the high-scoring squad. Thanks to leading scorers Kei Kamara and Omar Bravo, who have eight goals each, and Teal Bunbury, who has seven, Kansas City ranks second in the conference and tied for third in the MLS in goals with 43.
Not only do they push numbers forward but they play pretty high, said Nowak about the Kansas City attack. Its about responding well to the pressure because thats how we expect them to come out and what we expect to be their game plan. We need to use our speed, move the ball through the zones and get our chances.
MacMath agreed with Nowaks assessment.
Its going to be a tough game, theyre in second place right now, the goalie said. Itll be a tough atmosphere and their field is a bit chopped up from a lot of games at home. Anytime we go on the road, were looking to play our game and get a win.
They have a lot of good attacking playerstheir four-five front is good at moving the ball and shooting at distance. If we can contain those guys we should be able to do well.
Aside from the hostile road environment, one variable the Union will have to work with is the exhausted field at Livestrong Park. Beginning their season on the road because of construction to the arena, Kansas City has played 16 of their last 21 games at home and the pitch has taken a toll because of it.
Ive heard about the pitch the other day, but Ive always saidif the pitch isnt in the greatest shape, you have to play simple, Nowak said. I think from a technical standpoint, we have a team that likes to put the ball on the ground move it around and if the field doesnt help this type of game, you dont try to do it, you try to play simple, more direct.
We cant change it, so we know that regardless of the situation well try to do the best work possible. Its more important for us to have the mentality that no matter what, the job needs to be done.
E-mail Ryan Bright at ryanbright13@gmail.com