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After last week’s poor performance against the Chicago Fire, the Philadelphia Union needed to respond and perform well at home against D.C United. With the 5-1 win against DC in the previous meeting, expectations were high that the Union would take all three points and continue to push for the top playoff spot in the east.
This match was highlighted not only by the individual standout play by Kacper Przybylko and Brenden Aaronson, but by Jim Curtain’s decision to alter the lineup and formation, starting Ilsinho for only the sixth time this season. The stats will show just how dominating the Union’s performance was this weekend, lets hope that leads to a strong final stretch of the season.
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Union vs D.C. United Stats - August 24, 2019
| Category | Philadelphia Union | D.C. United |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Philadelphia Union | D.C. United |
| Outside Box Shots | 5 | 3 |
| Danger Area Shots | 9 | 4 |
| xG | 2.14 | 0.65 |
| Chances Created | 12 | 3 |
| Big Chances | 3 | 0 |
In this match, as highlighted in the positional chart, the Union played a 4-2-3-1 with Brenden Aaronson and Ilsinho on the wings and Kacper Przybylko up top. However, although the lone striker in this formation, Przybylko thrived dropping deep, which brought a DC United center back out of position, allowing Ilsinho or Aaronson space to run into. This seems to be the Unions best formation, given Przybylko’s comfort on the ball and ability to hold up play extremely well.
Key Numbers
149- Passes completed in the final third for the Union, compared to DC’s 85
4-Tackles for both Mark McKenzie and Ray Gaddis, leading all players. Mark McKenzie’s return to the lineup was rewarded with a great all-around performance
12- Shots from open play for the Union, compared to DC’s 4
82- Completed passes for Haris Medunjanin, compared to his season average of 76.4
3- Crosses for Kai Wagner (75% Completion) compared to his average of 0.7 per game, highlighting that this formation allows for more reliance on crosses into the box
31- Completed passes in the final third for Monteiro (84%)
2 - Players (Medunjanin (1st) and Bedoya (5th) ) in the top 5 in MLS for the number of possession chains in which they completed a successful pass
28.51 - Expected goals by the Philadelphia Union from possession chains which Medunjanin has had a successful pass, but did not have the final pass or shot (leading all MLS)
Sources: American Soccer Analysis, Opta via Whoscored.net