CHESTER, Pa. -- Heading into Thursdays match at Robertson Stadium with a one-goal deficit, the Union need to supply a healthy dose of offense to advance past the Houston Dynamo in the second leg of the MLS Cup Playoff aggregate series.
With Sebastien Le Toux holding steady at 11 goals and the departed Carlos Ruiz having earned six of the teams 44 goalsthe two rank No. 1 and 2, respectivelyits clear that what the Union truly need is someone else to put the ball in the net.
Its not pressure on one of us individually, its pressure on the entire team, said Danny Mwanga, who started the first leg as a striker but was unable to get on the board. You could say that our offense needs to step up and score, but to do so, it has to be a team effort. Its a fight and a whole team has to fight.
It puts a little bit of pressure on us and its a challenge, but were capable of doing it. Weve been in the situation where we need a goal and our offense has always come through.
But while Mwanga taps the team effort needed to up the offense, he should be more specific. The Union need added depth to their scoring. Sitting third on the team in goals with five is Mwanga, who hasnt found the back of the net since June 25 against the Chicago Fire. The same goes for Freddy Adu, who has two goals and one assist in the 11 games hes played with the Union this season. Roger Torres has one goal in his last eight appearances and Jack McInerney found net once in his 18 games.
With the need for upgraded pace on the offensive side come Thursday, coach Peter Nowak and the Union could very well lean on this group of sporadic producers to help save their season.
We have to be a little more effective in our attack, said assistant coach John Hackworth, who was pointing at the Unions 10 shots on goal and numerous missed chances on Sunday in the playoff opener. There are some things we think we can do to put them in a better position and allow them a better chance to execute in front of goal. Thats all we can really do.
However, despite the added postseason pressure now on the shoulders of the offense, it should be noted that the inconsistent attacking-themed players all share something in common: theyre young.
Led by Adu, the oldest at just 22, Mwanga and Torres are both just 20 and McInerney is the baby at 19. In battling their inexperience, the Union are forced to put weight on these players to produce, without letting the pressure to score change their game or become counter-productive.
When youre playing up top you need to score goals, but at the same time you have to be patient, said Mwanga. In actuality, the more pressure you put on yourself to score goals, the less chances you end up getting. Its the nature of the game. I have to focus and Im sure things will start falling together for me.
But with the season on the line and pressure building, the Union can only hope their young stars find that groove quickly and do so under the fire of elimination.
E-mail Ryan Bright at ryanbright13@gmail.com