Jim Curtin and the Philadelphia Union find themselves in a familiar place Wednesday. After falling short at home, the Union need of a road result to get back on track in the playoff hunt.
That’s been the case most of the season, though the Union aren’t necessarily alone in that, however little consolation that provides on their trip to Orlando City (7:30 p.m., AppleTV+).
The Union (9-12-10, 37 points) enter in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, occupants of the last playoff spot.
They are even on points with eighth-place Toronto, which hosts New York Red Bulls and is idle on the weekend, and 10th-place Montreal, which goes to 11th-place Atlanta and is one of two teams on 34 points. The Union trail Toronto in the wins tiebreaker with a game in hand and are well ahead of Montreal on the first relevant tiebreaker, which is goal differential.
It’s at the point in the season where the Union need just barely crest 40 points in order to fend off the horde of chasers and secure a playoff berth.
Their remaining schedule is rough: at fourth-place Orlando, at second-place Columbus Saturday, then at third-place Cincinnati in two weeks.
A record of 1-1-1 over the finish straight probably gets it done, though any difficult is a predicament of their own making by managing just a 1-1 draw with Atlanta last week.
“We recognize that’s two points we need to now chase,” Curtin said.
A road result and a home win in the finale will do it for the Union. Even just one might get the job done, though Curtin is loath to let it come down to Decision Day.
The opportunity is there to avoid that fate. Orlando (13-11-7, 46 points) has been in great form, winner of four of five and nine of its last 13 (9-3-1). But the Lions are just 6-5-4 at Exploria Stadium.
The Union know something about that: They’re fighting for their playoff lives because of a 4-7-5 mark at home.
Away from Chester, the Union are 5-5-5.
They’re not alone in home struggles: in the Eastern Conference, only Inter Miami has 10 home wins, and only Columbus — with eight home wins and three games left — has a chance to join them. The Union’s steeliness on the road is a big reason why they’ve kept themselves in touch, and they need to draw upon it again.
Orlando can all but sew up home-field advantage in the first round with a win.
It stands two points up on the tangle of New York teams, owning tiebreakers on both. But at 46 goals allowed, only two fewer than the Union and seventh-most in the East, Oscar Pareja’s team is hardly impermeable.
“When you do get chances against them, in the transition moments, because they are aggressive in pushing both outside backs high, you have to get at them and get at them quick,” Curtin said. “Because once they’re behind the ball, his teams are always very difficult and organized and tough to break down. You see how dynamic they are in the attack.”
The Union have wins at both New York clubs, sandwiching what Curtin thought was a strong performance in Miami that included scoring first but ultimately ended in Lionel Mess-inspired 3-1 loss.
The Union are healthy, emerging with no concerns from the Atlanta game. Danley Jean Jacques, who was vital to controlling the spaces against Red Bulls, is fully healthy, and the Union will likely opt for a defensive posture to get behind the ball and counter.
That has worked well, and the club is in good goal-scoring form, with 13 in the last five games.
The clock is ticking on the season. But the Union still possess some measure of control over their path, though that lessens with each opportunity missed.
“You want to control your own destiny while you’re in control of it, which we are now,” Curtin said. “Winning is ultimately the thing that takes all the uncertainty out of it.”
