CHESTER, Pa. — Just four days after suffering one of the worst losses in franchise history, the Union (4-10-3) return home to face the Western Conference-leading Seattle Sounders (9-5-2) at PPL Park on Wednesday night (7 p.m., Comcast SportsNet).
Here are five things you need to know:
Looking in the mirror
Following their ugly 5-1 road defeat to the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday, Union head coach Jim Curtin said everyone needed to look in the mirror.
How have they responded since then?
“I think our guys have a real bad taste in their mouths, you know?” Curtin said. “It’s a long flight back, you have time to reflect and think about things. The message is though that it’s in the past. You have to have a short-term memory in this league and you can’t think about the last game because the next one’s coming up — that’s kind of the mentality we’ve had.”
While Saturday’s loss mirrored some equally poor performances from earlier in the year, it came after what had been a positive five-game stretch. So it will be interesting to see if the Union fall back into their early-season struggles or are able to rebuild the momentum they had in late May and early June.
“I think it’s a game that forced a lot of guys to assess themselves and assess what’s motivating them,” striker C.J. Sapong said. “I think that’s the biggest thing taken from a game like that. It’s tough, but I think everyone gets that self-reflection. Maybe we need to find what that inner motivation is again.”
Open Cup revenge
When it comes to motivation, the Union will have plenty for Wednesday’s game. After all, the last time the Sounders paid a visit to PPL Park, they handed the Union a crushing extra-time loss in the 2014 U.S. Open Cup championship game.
“You know who beat you in the final, there’s no doubt about that, in what was a good game but one that left an empty feeling for us,” Curtin said. “When you see those green jerseys (Wednesday), that will be the first thing probably that will go through everyone’s mind — that they have a trophy of ours. That should motivate guys, for sure.”
The Open Cup title was the fourth for the Sounders, who have been one of the league’s premier franchises since joining MLS a year before the Union did in 2009. They currently sit in first place in the competitive Western Conference with a 9-5-2 record.
“As a pro athlete, and as a pro coach, you want to test yourself against the best, and over the history of their existence, they’re one of the best teams in this league,” Curtin said. “Any chance they do come here, it’s more special, for sure.”
Offensive stars sidelined
Although the Sounders are loaded, their lineup won’t be as star-studded as usual.
All three Seattle players who scored in last year’s Open Cup title game will be sidelined for Wednesday’s game, including the dynamic striker duo of Clint Dempsey (suspension) and Obafemi Martins (right adductor strain).
That comes as a welcome relief to Curtin.
“It’s not really worth me talking about them because they’re not going to be out there for this game, but they are two special players,” the Union coach said. “I’m happy they’re not here.”
Of course, the Union have their own injury problems in the attack as Fernando Aristeguieta, Conor Casey and Sebastien Le Toux are all likely to be out of commission, joining midfielder Michael Lahoud and defender Steven Vitoria on the shelf.
The only good injury news for the Union is that teenage winger Eric Ayuk is poised to return after missing one game with a right ankle contusion.
Red-hot Sapong
So many offensive injuries have left a big burden on Sapong, the team’s lone healthy striker with a proven track record.
But he’s risen to the occasion with goals in three straight games and four of the last five. And he doesn’t mind all the extra minutes he’s playing after an uneven start to the season had him playing far more sporadically.
“For me, it feels good,” Sapong said. “I like being on the field. I like making an impact for the team. It actually gives me extra energy. Right now, I feel really good. I just want to keep going on the field and do my things off the field to make sure I’m as close to 100 percent as possible.”
This and that
· Wednesday’s contest begins a stretch of three home games in seven days for the Union, who host Montreal on Saturday before welcoming D.C. United for a U.S. Open Cup game next Tuesday. The team then has the July 4 weekend off before hosting Portland on July 11.
· The Union likely won’t add any reinforcements during their busy stretch. Curtin announced this week that the team opted not to sign Honduran midfielder Wilson Palacios, who had been on trial with the club.
· The Union have never lost to the Sounders at PPL Park in league play, beating them 3-1 in the first-ever game in the stadium in 2010 and playing them to draws there in 2011 and 2013.
· The Union have at least four more losses this season than any team in the Western Conference.
· The Sounders are coming off a 2-0 setback to the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, their first home loss in league play since March 14.