What a CCC Disaster
The Union suffered the worst loss in team history as well as the worst MLS loss in CONCACAF history.
Where to begin?
If the postponement of the Seattle game was not a sign of things to come, I don’t know what is. For the unaware, the match against Seattle last Saturday was postponed after playing the initial five minutes.
Take a look at the conditions that led to the decision:
However, this did not stop the Seattle faithful from making the most out of their team being in Philadelphia.
That cancellation, however, Curtin et al., thought that would lead to fresh legs to deal with the altitude. Hell, even Seattle’s coach, Brian Schmetzer, joked about how the Union “better have a good performance tonight, how about that?”
Alright, let’s get it over with. Here is how the two sides lined up for the match:
It did not take long for this game to get the CONCACAF seal of approval, as Pachuca was awarded a penalty kick in the fourth minute for what was a routine play in MLS.
From there, there was very little hope. Playing at a sold-out Estadio Hidalgo, better known by the Tuzos as "El Huracán" (The Hurricane), was always going to be a tough task, but NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE, expected the disaster that followed.
It became downright comical the types of mistakes that the team was making, though credit has to be given to the man of the match, Salomón Rondón. He was always going to be a tough task. Keeping him off the scoresheet for two matches? Nearly impossible.
Last night, he was a man amongst boys, fully displaying why his career led him to the Premier League, Argentine League, and multiple international appearances for Venezuela. "El Gladiador" was on full display.
Ultimately a night to forget as the Union set a club and competition record with the loss. This marks the Union’s worst-ever defeat and the worst defeat that an MLS team has suffered in the lifetime of this competition. An absolute disaster.
You may be asking about the worst losses on record for the club, well, here they are:
5-1 loss to New England on 8/25/13
5-1 loss to Galaxy on 6/20/15
5-1 loss to Montreal 7/23/16
4-0 loss to Charlotte 10/1/22
Here is what Jim Curtin had to say after the match regarding the performance of the team:
"Congratulations to Pachuca. They clearly deserved the victory tonight, stating the obvious. They beat us in all phases: attack, defense, transition, restarts. They outcompeted us and outworked us, which is uncharacteristic for our group. It hurts because it was not a good representation of the Philadelphia Union and MLS. Pachuca, on the night, was excellent. They are a well-coached team with incredibly talented players, and if you give them time and space, this is what it looks like. It is not good enough for us."
Additionally, he shared this about the performance:
"It is disappointing, like I said before, this wasn't us tonight. We are disappointed; we had a plan in place and conceded a penalty in the 4th minute, so the plan goes out the window. I thought Pachuca still came at us at that stage, and the goal before halftime is a real mental mistake that really hurts you because it now changes everything; we need to score twice. That was a big moment. Then the second half, Pachuca's quality took over and they embarrassed us."
A night to forget for the Philadelphia side, and it really feels like this team took three steps forward over the last five years, but, on the night with that result, took about 10 back.
On the other hand, Guillermo Almada, Pachuca’s coach, was quick to praise the Union and dismiss this result:
"No, that is not a realistic score in actual soccer. The difference in real soccer is a single goal. Sometimes you have accidents like tonight. Like I mentioned to you last time we spoke, we had 35-5 shots last year and only scored a single goal; we should have won but did not. I don't have the statistics tonight, but we were more effective, and that's very important in soccer. But we never expected a result like today; it's an anomaly."
With their match-up now set, Pachuca takes on Herediano of Costa Rica in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
When asked about the lessons he takes from this game, Almada shared:
"Like I said to the players, you have to believe in what you are capable of, especially the young ones making their debuts. When they have a night like today, plugged in, with lots of concentration and precision, we are difficult to play against regardless of the rival. We must still keep our feet on the ground; we haven't won anything. But we must insist, on this result, regardless of the score, Philadelphia is still a great team with great players and a great coach. We did really well against them, and that's due to what we did as a group."
The Union’s run in the tournament is now over, freeing up their mid-week schedule to focus on what is left, the league and Leagues Cup in August. The team turns the page to Austin, also a winless team that is dealing with injuries.
More to come, and please, now that midweeks are free in terms of coverage, WHO DO YOU WANT ME TO INTERVIEW?
Drop it in the comments or on Twitter. I have some ideas, but always love to gauge what you, as subscribers to this want.
Bonus:
Fernando Aristeguieta back to the academy.
Fernando "El Colorado" Aristeguieta's tenure as interim head coach of Club Puebla has come to an end. TUDN reports that Andrés Carevic will take over as the new manager, leaving his post at Costa Rican side Liga Deportiva Alajuelense.
The Mexican side, since Aristeguieta's appointment on February 24, drew one match and lost another, allowing a total of six goals and scoring two.
This was a great experience for the Venezuelan, who made 22 appearances for Philadelphia during the 2015 season.
Can’t dethrone Blake.
Since Blake joined the Union, he has propelled the following players to make many first-team appearances with different teams due to Blake being, well, Blake:
Romero - 36 Appearances
Coronel - 127 Appearances
MacMath - 138 Appearances
Freese - 33 Appearances
McCarthy - 95 Appearances - MLS CUP
In summary, many keepers have been worthy of featuring for the Union, but Blake has been an incredible player for Philadelphia.
Video Courtesy: CONCACAF, FS1, and FS2
How gracious of Almada! Gracias. And, let's buy Rondón. I liked him when he was at Everton.