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The Philadelphia Union fell to Real Salt Lake in a 4-0 rout on Saturday in a game that saw fans angry about the reffing, then excited about a goal from a recent signing, then once again mad about reffing. Here’s Three Takeaways, one for each dropped point, for the loss in Rio Tinto.
Wooten Shows Strength in Debut
Union fans were excited to see German-American forward Andrew Wooten come on against RSL late in the match. Wooten didn’t score, but he did give Union fans something to be excited about, as he did put the ball in the back of the net, only for it to get called back.
Wooten wasn’t able to show off much, as the Union wasn’t able to do much on offense the whole game, however, when he did get near the ball he seemed to have a strong impact. Hopefully, Philly fans will be able to see him get more than 20 minutes of action when the Union return home to take on the Chicago Fire.
Fabinho Continues to Age
The Union made the decision to start Brazilian defender Fabinho against Real Salt Lake after Kai Wagner failed to clear a fitness test before the match. Fabinho, 34, showed that he continues to age and get slower every year. He always seemed to be behind the play, and lost several balls that led to strong attacks for RSL.
Meanwhile, many were confused as to why homegrown Matt Real didn’t get the call-up, after his performance in the waning minutes against Orlando City SC the week prior, which led to a late goal to steal a point.
Do the Union Deserve First?
The short answer is, yes, but only because nobody else does (aside from maybe NYCFC, who has a higher PPG). The Union are in a dangerous place, as they’ve only picked up five points in the five games after the Gold Cup break. The team is going to have to work to get back to the top of their game.
Next week’s game against 10th-place Chicago should be revealing, as the team should be an easy challenge to beat, especially at home. If Philadelphia doesn’t win, and soundly, Union fans should become very worried for the state of their team. Until then, fans can only hope Jim Curtin is working out the kinks in training.