CHESTER, Pa. -- When the Union leave the tunnel under the thundering roar of the River End and enter the field at PPL Park on Sunday to face the Houston Dynamo in the first leg of a two-game aggregate MLS Cup Playoff series, the young players will not be short on hand-wringing competitive emotion.
But its how they channel that rush that could determine the second-year clubs fate.
Thats the challenge, said Danny Califf. Its all about emotion, its all about desire in the playoffs. You need to match the other team and exceed the other teams desire before soccer even comes into play. Its something you have to know going in and be conscious of it when the game startsbeing able to control your emotions. If things dont go well, being able to flush it and start anew. Its all about emotion and desire.
Adding to the buzz is the fact that Sunday will mark the first time in team history that the Union will see a postseason game. And for all but six players on the active roster, it will be their first leap into the MLS playoffs. For coach Peter Nowak, getting the young guns ready for playoff soccer means keeping it simple. It also means staying out of their ear with new information.
You dont talk to them at all, Nowak said, discussing how he prepares his inexperienced players. The more you talk to them creates a negative effect. We know the qualities of the Dynamo, we know how dangerous they are. You cannot overwhelm our guys with information, we have to play the game weve played for 34 weeks. The most important part is matching the physicality of the other team. They are going to come and they are going to come strong.
With youth comes the unknown. As most after-season tournaments go, different players react differently to the pressure, the intensity and the emotions that accompany a do-or-die situation. Admitting he isnt sure what to expect from his group, Nowak is just as interested as everyone else in seeing what the Union will bring to the table against a red-hot Dynamo team. What he does expect, however, is confident play.
Excited, yes, he said about seeing his team in action. In this job, you always believe and always want to give those guys confidence. Its easy to put your head down and say, its good enough to just get to the playoffs. Its about improving the mental part and be confident. The playoffs are a simple recipebe effective, be efficient.
Efficiency, as Nowak explained, means locking defensive assignments and not making any mistakes. The MLS postseason is a defensive battle, and if the Union want to be successful, they have to be sharp on the back end. In particular, that means shutting down Dynamo playmaker Brad Davis, who has 16 helpers on the season.
Its about trying to deny him the ball as much as you can, Califf said of Davis. Were going to try to keep the ball off his foot as much as possible. Hes a tremendous player and hell find the ball, regardless. But its important for us to try to deny service to him. When he does get it, its important for us in the back to have a hold on where the guys are, where Carlo Costly is, Brian Ching is and Calen Carr is. Those are the targets, we need to be aware of that.
Approaching the playoff battle, the Union are coming off a pair of disappointing results -- a draw to Toronto FC that was covered up by a post-season berth and a cringe-inducing loss to New York Red Bulls in the season finale. On the other side, the Dynamo have been scorching, without a loss since Sept. 10 and firing off a 4-0-2 record in their last six games.
You have to play 90 minutes of a good game, Nowak said. The playoffs isnt about who won the last 10 games or 20 games, its about who is going to win the series.
Game-planning for aggregate
For many non-soccer followers, a two-game aggregate series can pose some awkward questions. However, despite its unusual nature, its quite simple.
Instead of the series being decided by a best-of, determined by wins like in other sports, an aggregate series is decided by total goals after two games. If the two teams are tied in total goals after 180 minutes, the contest will go to overtime and eventually penalty kicks, should it be necessary. For example, if the Union defeat the Dynamo, 1-0, in Game 1, the Dynamo would have to win the second game by two goals to take the series.
As Califf mentioned, it adds an interesting dynamic to preparation and game-planning.
You have to be a lot smarter, especially in the first leg, said the former captain. If youre down 1-0, you cant throw caution to the wind and try and get the equalizer. You cant end up taking two or three, because that will come back to bite you in the second leg. Its about damage control if youre down. If they score, you want to make sure keep it to just one goal and if they win you dont want to expose yourself to many goals against.
Injury front
Although midfielder Justin Mapp and striker Danny Mwanga are recovering from lower-body injuries, they will be healthy enough to play on Sunday and will be in the active lineup. The same cant be said for veteran midfielder Veljko Paunovic, who suffered a hamstring strain against Toronto FC on Oct. 15.
Despite practicing with the team, Paunovic is not expected to be on the game-time roster for Sunday, but could play in the series.
Velkjo is training with us but is not in full capacity, said Nowak of Paunovic, who has three goals on the season. Its tough to say if hell be ready for Sunday, with those type of injuries its tough to predict how it will play out. I dont think its major enough to say hes out of the whole series but Im not a doctor.
E-mail Ryan Bright at ryanbright13@gmail.com