It has been six years since the Philadelphia Union entered Major League Soccer, long enough to establish itself and long enough to create rivalries.
And yet, neither one has happened.
The Union has been the most nondescript team in the league. They have made the playoffs just once, have a lifetime record well below .500 and their games against the Red Bulls and D.C. United, the teams closest to Philadelphia geographically, just don’t create the buzz MLS was hoping for.
Tonight, when the Red Bulls (4-1-5) take on the Union (2-7-3) at Red Bull Arena, the talk among the Red Bulls was not about a rivalry, but not overlooking a bad team and thinking ahead to the match against the Seattle Sounders May 31.
“I feel we are a better team than Philly and we have to come into this game with that mentality,” midfielder Sacha Kljestan said. “We know that they’re going to sit in and crowd the midfield and we have to be aware of that and we have to do a good job of moving the ball and moving the ball fast in their end. We want to do a good job at the start of the game.”
Added midfielder Lloyd Sam: “We’re not going to overlook them. I played against them a lot of times. It’s always a tough game, especially at their place, but we’re at home and we’re not going to overlook them. We’re going to go out and win the game.”
That’s all you can say when you’re playing a team mired in eighth place in the 10-team Eastern Conference. A team that has scored just 11 goals in 12 games and allowed a league-high 21. … A team that has a minus-10 goal differential, the largest in MLS. … A team that is playing without U.S. national team midfielder Maurice Edu, who will sit out the match with a yellow-card suspension. … A team that is 0-5-1 all time at Red Bull Arena. … A team that snapped a 296-minute scoreless drought in its last game.
“He’s one of their top players and he’s not playing, so I guess that’s a good thing,” Sam said about Edu. “I’m sure they’ve got someone else to put in that can do the job. Whether he’s playing or not, we’ve still got to go out and do the right things.
“In years past, every game I come out of it thinking, ‘Wow, that was a tough game,’ so I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it is, and I don’t know their personnel this year, but they really get up for games with us, it seems like. … To me, it’s a rivalry.”
Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch said he’s not worried about his team looking past the Union. He believes once the game starts the players, energized by the home crowd, will get into it quickly.
“I’m not concerned that we’re going to look past Philadelphia,” Marsch said. “It’s a close rival and I think everybody’s smart enough to know that even though they’ve struggled, that coming off a win, they’re a dangerous team, and if we allow them to get the lead or sit back and counter and not be on top of the game with urgency from the start, they can easily come here and win that game. We’re going to be ready on all levels to win that match.”
The Union does have one thing in their favor: Conor Casey. The forward has been a MetroStars/Red Bulls killer since he came into the league, and his physical style of play could pose a problem for the Red Bulls’ defense.
“We don’t want to play to his strengths. He’s very good when he gets his body on a defender, when he knows where the defenders are, and he’s strong enough to hold them off,” midfielder Sacha Kljestan said.
“Maybe when you’re the center back and you’re going up against him you almost give him a yard of space, and you either anticipate to go in front of him or wait until he controls the ball and then you get tight. We don’t want to play into their strengths, and that is when their wide guys get a run on the ball, and also letting Conor have a lot of joy when he has the ball. Play to our strengths, not theirs.”
Sam believes the Red Bulls need to track Casey, even without the ball. He’s that slippery.
“We have to know where he is for starters and stop service from coming in,” he said. “I’ve been in a lot of games. He’s one that can’t be overlooked. He’s a danger man for them for sure. I don’t know how many goals he’s scored against us but it seems like a lot since I’ve been here.”
The Union beat the Red Bulls in the preseason, and even though it was a game that didn’t count, the game – and Casey – made an impression on Marsch
“(Casey) did well against us in preseason. He came underneath and found gaps,” Marsch said. “He was able to hold balls and bring other players into the mix and get himself in the box and be dangerous. He’s good when the ball gets wide, and when the ball gets wide we have to find out where he is and close down space and make sure that we battle and be on top of loose balls. The defensive wing play will be important.
As for the rivalry, Marsch feel it may need more time.
“I think there is a rivalry, but this club already has a really strong, built-in rivalry with D.C. so it kind of took a back seat, but there’s obviously close proximity,” he said. “It’s been back and forth. The Red Bulls have been successful at home and Philly has been successful at home. We need to make sure that from the start that we control this game.”
Frank Giase has covered Major League Soccer since the league's inception in 1996. Follow him on twitter at @Frank Giase. He can also be reached at fgiase@gmail.com.
