Throughout this past week, Union assistant coach John Hackworth said he talked to his team about needing to have the courage to take more shots.
If thats the case, Saturdays game in Seattle would not be considered a very courageous effort.
Mustering only one shot on goal, the Union were shut out for the fourth time this season, falling 1-0 to the host Sounders at CenturyLink Field.
As we do every Monday, heres a closer look back at the gameand what lies ahead for the Union.
Three thoughts from Saturdays game
1) As has been the case for much of this season, the biggest theme of the game was the Unions lack of creativity, activity or general ideas in the offensive third. The only shot they attempted was a slow dribbler from Lionard Pajoy that Seattle rookie goalie Bryan Meredith stopped with ease. At first, the Union coaches said it was only a matter of time until the offensive players gelled together. By now, however, everyone seems genuinely concerned and frustrated by the clubs inability to pull the trigger and shoot the ball.
2) The Union caught a tough break in the first half when Seattles Andy Rose wasnt whistled for a yellow card on a dangerous tackle from behind on Freddy Adu. This was a big deal because Rose was already carrying a yellow card, so another one would have sent him off and given the Union a one-man advantage. Replays show Rose probably deserved a second yellow, which could have very well changed the game's outcome.
3) Raymon Gaddis may have found himself slightly out of position when Seattles Mauro Rosales received a beautiful pass from Fredy Montero and scored the games only goal. But it would be unfair to point much blame on the rookie defender, especially after he was asked to move from his natural position of right back over to the left side of the defense. In fact, aside from the goal, Gaddis was probably one of the Unions most productive players Saturday.
Three questions for the upcoming week
1) With an international friendly against the German club FC Schalke 04 on Wednesday, followed by a key league game against the New York Red Bulls on Sunday, will the Union rest some starters for the first of those two games? Judging by their lineup history in exhibitions, that is the most likely scenario. And if that is the case, some of the teams youngest players will get a great opportunity to show what they can do. With the Union struggling, perhaps it will even be something of an audition for them to make a case to get into the starting lineup.
2) Union manager Peter Nowak will return this week after serving a two-game suspension for his role in a fight with Chivas USA on April 21 (although Hackworth may remain in charge on the sidelines for Wednesdays game, as hes done for other international exhibitions). Will that help the Union snap their two-game losing streak? Or, perhaps more pressing, will Nowak keep the two-striker formation the team used this past week, return stalwart Brian Carroll to the starting lineup, or make any other surprises in the teams lineup against a potent Red Bulls squad?
3) With a well-known German club and the Unions biggest rival coming to town this week, PPL Park should be rocking. But will it be? The Union fans are certainly passionate and loyal, but there also seems to be some discontent with how this season has gone so far. It will be interesting to see if that feeling manifests itself this week at PPL Park for what could be two memorable games.
Fact of the week
So far this season, San Joses Chris Wondolowski and New Yorks Thierry Henry each have more shots on goal (19) than the entire Union team (18). No other club in the league has less than 26 shots on goal.
Quote of the week
Obviously for us offensive players, we want to score more goals and create more chances. Weve just got to put the ball in the back of the net.Freddy Adu
Player of the week
There werent too many standouts, but goalie Zac MacMath had another strong effort, making four saves and surviving an onslaught from Seattle during parts of Saturdays game.
Dave Zeitlin covers the Union for MLSsoccer.com and CSNPhilly.com. Email him at djzeitlin@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @DaveZeitlin.