Photo: Ron Soliman
Coming off a goalless draw in Charlotte over the weekend, the Union returned home to face Toronto FC on Wednesday night for their second consecutive 0-0 draw and third consecutive clean sheet. Jim Curtin's Union were desperate to redeem their fleeting home win streak, but the Toronto FC manager made it nearly impossible for the Boys in Blue to find any kind of breakthrough.
In the end, the draw extended Union's unbeaten home record, but for some feel Like a loss.
Toronto's tactical advantage
You're probably familiar with John Herdman, who coached Canada at the 2022 World Cup. His team ultimately lost in the group stage, finishing last in Group F behind Morocco, Croatia and Belgium. But on Wednesday night, Herdman proved why he took over as national team coach in the first place.
Toronto lined up in a 3-5-2-like formation that allowed his team to dominate and control the midfield for most of the match, with Herdman especially employing a man-marking system that completely neutralised Union playmakers Jack McGlynn and Daniel Gazdag.
“We knew once we got through the midfield they would go man-to-man and try to make it difficult for us,” Curtin said after the match.
Union clearly prefer to attack down the right flank, but when the ball does find its way down that side it usually finds its way somehow through the feet of McGlynn and Gazdag, both of whom are very good players when it comes to finding space.
This is especially true for McGlynn, who enjoys using the space he creates to turn, pick up his head and make a pass to change the point of attack from left to right.
Lately, nearly all of Union’s attacks that originate from the Union defensive third have gone through the feet of Jack McGlynn.
On Wednesday, Herdman appeared to instruct midfielder Matthew Longstaff to watch McGlynn's every move while Philadelphia had possession. Every time McGlynn picked up the ball, Longstaff harassed the Union playmaker and created the space McGlynn usually creates for himself that simply wasn't there.
The added pressure forced McGlynn into some uncharacteristic turnovers and effectively neutralised Union's build-up before it even began.
“I think it was a tough night for Jack…. We probably asked him to stay with Kai defensively a little too much but I don't think it was his best night,” Curtin said after the game.
“If we can get the ball into the pocket further forward, that's good for us. He can pick up the ball and the backline has to drop back to make a great final pass. And tonight he was receiving the ball with people behind him, twisting his body to get out of a tight spot, flicking it. That's not his best attribute and he didn't make the most of it tonight.”
Daniel Gazdag was also completely eliminated by Toronto's man-marking, as he was forced to drop deeper to escape his marker and assist the Union build-up, ultimately leaving Mickael Oule and Quinn Sullivan further forward in the field.
Toronto's number of players and man-marking in midfield made it extremely difficult for the Union to play directly.
Playing with a back three allows the team to do this – essentially having three defenders at the back at all times to protect against quick switches allows for better defense when rested and allows for more flexibility with man-marking and shadowing. Needless to say, the back three defence is a phenomenon that the Union have struggled to break over the last few seasons.
Leon Flach's conundrum
The idea that Leon Flack would step up his defense is merely idea At this point, he contributed greatly to three consecutive clean sheets and helped turn the team's defensive strength around – his dedication to his defensive responsibilities and the defensive organisation of the team as a whole was invaluable in that regard.
(Flaha heat map for the Toronto game, via Whoscored.com)
(Heatmap of Jose Martinez 4/27 vs. RSL from Whoscored.com)
With McGlynn and Gazdag effectively ruled out of the game, Flack has yet to prove he can seamlessly step up and provide the consistency and chance creation he needs. He has tried to improve his possession play somewhat in the last few games, but he is simply not at his best. Jose Martinez
When it comes to building up from the back, his movement isn't good enough, which is evident from the heatmap above. If Flack had the passing range of Medunjanin or McGlynn, he might fare better.
But he doesn't.
The space he creates and the awareness of defenders he draws towards his teammates just isn't on Martinez's level, and at one point on Wednesday evening the team was effectively playing with nine field players as they built up from the back.
“In the first half, basically our two centre-backs and Leon were at one level and then we had almost seven players charging into their backline,” Curtin pointed out. “In the second half, we put Leon in between them and let the centre-backs dribble and create a few more chances.”
The biggest complaint about this is that if teams are always going to drop the No.6 between the two centre-backs to create more space in midfield, then why not go with a back three?
This calls into question the flexibility of formations that Curtin has been preaching.
If your only objective is to strengthen the defense, then Flack is the option. If your only objective is to provide a shield in front of the centre-backs, then Flack is the option. He is particularly good when introduced as a second-half substitute to shore up the lead.
But if this team's goal is to produce a positive chance creation differential, Flak isn't a realistic 90-minute option to play six games every night.
When Martinez was brought on for McGlynn in the 78th minute, it was immediately clear and things started to develop offensively, but also defensively. No longer was there a static player in possession, no longer had six players in between the centre-backs to thwart counterattacks. Toronto had two of their best chances of the night immediately after the substitution.
Clearly, both Martinez and Flack are not performing as well as they should in the Diamond Six at the moment.
Maybe Martinez is more of a No.8, maybe the 4-4-2 diamond isn't what it used to be, maybe the club needs more changes on the field to get back on track.
Ultimately, fixing this defensive weakness won't be a matter of “swapping” players within the diamond – whether that's a back three, a flat 4-4-2 or something else, Curtin will need to go back to the drawing board to maximise the strengths of the players at his disposal.
Green Grass
It was a 0-0 draw so there are no goals to dissect or debate.
Maybe it has nothing to do with tactics, but it does have some relevance: The grass at Subaru Park last night was in the best condition it has been so far in 2024. The pitch looked nearly as good as it did when the Tahoma grass was first laid in the summer of 2022.
(Field 5/29 vs. Toronto)
Ironically, the first game played on the new turf was a 7-0 win over D.C. United in July 2022, propelling a previously stagnant team to an MLS Cup appearance.
Between last season and the start of this season, the pitch turned an ugly brown color, and what was once one of the best-kept fields in MLS is now just a worn-out patch of land come 2022, barely resembling its former self.
(Field 3/30 vs. Minnesota)
The discolouration appears to have become briefly noticeable shortly after the match on March 9 was rained out and the field was completely flooded by monsoon water.
(Field 3/8 vs. SEA postponed)
With the field stained, the team flew to Mexico the following Tuesday, where they were run off the pitch in a 6-0 defeat by Pachuca, their Champions Cup dreams gone.
The road trip and tight schedule meant that the blemishes on their home ground were felt by the league players. The team responded by going on a five-game unbeaten streak, but the 2024 Union One of four wins This season they took to the field in front of their own fans to prove it.
What was once an unquestionable home-field advantage has turned into home-field anxiety. “Obviously guys are a little bit nervous about making mistakes at home, but that's not the style of play we have,” Curtin said.
That said, Wednesday's match marked the team's third consecutive game without conceding a goal and also saw the park's grass look its best for a long time.
These three consecutive clean sheets could be the cornerstone for this beleaguered team, as could new turf being laid in June 2022. The team's fortunes may not be as bright as they were immediately after the turf was laid, but is this team's situation really that far off at this point in the 2022 season?
A new unbeaten run has begun at home, but can the team follow through and rediscover their former form as the summer approaches?
