Brotherly Game - THE WHOLE STORY: Matchday 17 Union at New England RevolutionThe beautiful game with a Philadelphia attitudehttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48005/brotherlygame-fave.png2014-07-01T07:00:04-04:00http://www.brotherlygame.com/rss/stream/56245512014-07-01T07:00:04-04:002014-07-01T07:00:04-04:00Revolution 1-3 Union: From Wide To Long To a Win
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<figcaption>Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>A new formation. A new lineup. A new commitment to defense and counterattacking. How the Union went from wide to long and stole a win. </p> <p>The Union jump started the 2<sup>nd</sup> half of their season with a comfortable 3-1 road win over their New England rival. Sebastian Le Toux continued his recent resurgence with a brace and <span>Danny Cruz</span> sent home the third goal with an impressive strike. Jim Curtin won his first MLS game with a new formation, a new lineup and a solid defensive performance. But there were a few more wrinkles in the new look Union that helped them surprise the home crowd.</p>
<p><b>From Wide to Long - Stat of the Match</b></p>
<p><b>The Union attempted 57 long ball passes (passes more than 25 yards long) and 16 crosses</b>. The reason those stats are interesting is because the Union's season long ratio of long passes to crosses was 2.0 going into the match. The 3.6 ratio against New England represents two things.</p>
<p>1) The 57 long passes was the second highest total of the season. The Union were trying to get the ball quickly up the pitch on counters rather than using shorter passes to maintain possession as they pushed forward.</p>
<p>2) Prior to this match, the Union were tops in the league in crosses, averaging 25 per match. The 40% drop against the Revolution represents a steep decline from the average and shows the Union were not as concerned with getting the ball wide but rather finding the space wherever it materialized. As you'll see in the Big Picture below, the Union were working far more interchangeably up front than they've been in the past.</p>
<p>The game funnel this week is the opposite of what we're used to seeing. Usually the Union control possession only to lose the battle of shots, quality shots or goals. This time they lost all of those battles except the one that matters, goals. They only took twelve shots but they were taken with more space than usual and they converted three. From an expected goals perspective the Union should have lost 2.0 to 0.8. When that kind of a difference happens on the road the away team only wins 15% of the time. It's good to be on that side of the odds.</p>
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<p><b>Stat Zero of the Match</b></p>
<p><b>Ray Gaddis didn't have his best game. </b>The Revolution attacked 50% more often down the right side of the pitch (Fabinho's side) than the left side (Gaddis' side) yet the Revolution took 50% more shots from Gaddis' side. Further he completed just 68% of his passes--quite low for a defender. He completed just 1 of 7 long balls and missed on both crossing attempts. There have definitely been better games for Ray.</p>
<p><b>Stat Hero of the Match</b></p>
<p>The eye test was good enough this week. <b>Sebastian Le Toux's opportunistic play on a Revolution mistake gave the Union a surprising 1-0 advantage going into half time</b>. And then just when it looked as though New England might equalize, he iced the game with a cool shot in the lower left corner of the goal. Otherwise Le Toux didn't register much in the game, but he was constantly putting pressure on the Revolution's defense, finding space and creating for others. It's good to see Le Toux back and contributing where he's most comfortable, up top.</p>
<p><b>The Big Picture</b></p>
<p>Jim Curtin changed formations, abandoning the 4-3-3 and moving to a 4-2-3-1. But he also sat the team back and played the top 4 players interchangeably. Below are charts of the average starting player positions for the last two matches from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/803968/MatchReport/USA-Major-League-Soccer-2014-Philadelphia-Union-Vancouver-Whitecaps">Whoscored.com</a>.</p>
<p align="center"><a target="_blank" href="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/assets/4687017/Player_Positions_Combined.PNG"><img src="http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/assets/4687017/Player_Positions_Combined_medium.PNG" alt="Player_positions_combined_medium" class="photo"></a> <br id="1404086752121"></p>
<p>Here are my observations:</p>
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<li>Note how deep the team is against New England. Seven players were in the back half against New England and there were just three against Vancouver. The Union scored 3 goals in each game, but played better defense against New England.</li>
<li>The top 5 played much more wide against Vancouver and stayed in their positions generally. Given the width, it comes as little surprise that the Union attempted 45 crosses in that match.</li>
<li>Notice how narrow the top four are against New England. In reality they were not that close together, but rather switching sides regularly, resulting in the average position in the middle of the pitch. But that indicates the top four were given more freedom to play. Casey was also playing a little deeper, even behind Maidana. His job shifted from target striker to more of a holder for Maidana, Le Toux, and Cruz.</li>
<li>Notice the difference in Edu's positioning. His actual position changed from DCM to center back, but Edu was playing deep even for a central defender and that allowed Williams to stray more wide and closer to the midfield</li>
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<p><span>It will be interesting to see if the changes evident in this one match will continue under Curtin. Are the days of the cross happy Union gone? Is this going to be more of a direct attacking team? How deep will the defense play as the team gets comfortable with their new positions?</span></p>
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<div>For once this season the fans can look forward to how they'll play the next match, instead of watching the horror show on repeat.</div>
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<div>Let us know what you think of the new look Union in the poll below.</div>
https://www.brotherlygame.com/2014/7/1/5855724/revolution-unionunionoscopy2014-06-30T07:00:02-04:002014-06-30T07:00:02-04:00Are The Union A Counter-Attacking Team?
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<img alt="Jim Curtin has a 100% record for the Union - how long will that last?" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/sgKETMXSAQm0QhKLrfbCwc956hc=/0x32:4000x2699/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/34985515/20140628_lbm_sx4_096.JPG.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Jim Curtin has a 100% record for the Union - how long will that last? | Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Every week we "Monday Morning Manage" every game with our fellow Union faithful. What could have been done better? What were the missed opportunities? Did that sub really need to happen? We bring all the talking points to you each week right here.</p> <p>We're back everyone, and hope that you are all enjoying the fantastic spectacle that is the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-cup-2014" class="sbn-auto-link">World Cup</a>. Since the last Game Changers post, the <a href="https://www.brotherlygame.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Union</a> fired John Hackworth, announced Jim Curtin as interim manager, and won two extra time games in the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/us-open-golf" class="sbn-auto-link">U.S. Open</a> Cup, and are continuing their "new coach high".</p>
<p>So let's jump right into it. Here are this past Saturday's game changing moments.</p>
<p><b>1) A re-arrangement in the defensive midfield</b></p>
<p>All through <span>Hackworth's</span> career as the Union manager, <span>Amobi Okugo</span> was seen as a central defender first and foremost. He had done well there alongside <span>Jeff Parke</span> and prior to that Colombian World Cup defender <span>Carlos Valdes</span>. This year, without a stable central defensive partner, it's not been the usual Amobi on display. <span>Maurice Edu</span> came along, and with Brain Carroll the captain in Hackworth's eyes, Okugo was even further away from playing in midfield. However, Curtin seems to like Okugo in midfield. Edu has now played central defense alongside <span>Sheanon Williams</span>, and Okugo's been bumped up to midfield, playing alongside <span>Michael Lahoud</span> against the <a href="https://www.thebentmusket.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New England Revolution</a></p>
<p>This change seems to have worked as well as when Hackworth brought Okugo and <span>Jack McInerney</span> in from the cold when he took over from Piotr Nowak in 2012. Unlike the 5-3 loss at PPL in May, Okugo and Lahoud didn't give <span>Lee Nguyen</span> the room to pick the Union defense apart. The whole team stayed narrow, organised, and after the first 20 minutes or so didn't really give the Revs much of a look at MacMath's goal.</p>
<p><b>2) <span>Zac MacMath</span> makes another big save (and the Union get a bit lucky)</b></p>
<p>However, in the first 20 minutes of the game, New England seemed to have plenty of space, particularly down the Union right hand side, where Ray Gaddis was tucked in. For <a target="_blank" href="http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2014-06-28-new-england-revolution-vs-philadelphia-union/details/video/19047">one of these chances</a>, <span>Patrick Mullins</span> was sent through, but his low shot was well saved by Zac MacMath down to his left hand side. The Union then got very lucky, as <span>Teal Bunbury</span> could only hit the rebound into Fabinho, who was sitting on the ground at the time, and <span>Diego Fagundez</span> missed the ball entirely. From then, the Union seemed to grow in confidence, playing stronger and giving the Revolution little space to work in.</p>
<p><b>3) <span>Sebastien Le Toux</span> going back up top</b></p>
<p>It is obvious that Sebastien Le Toux is not a winger. He doesn't have the dribbling ability, and his passing is generally poor for a midfielder. However, recently Hackworth has only really ever used him as a winger. Curtin, on the other hand, has deployed Le Toux, far more central, playing as a striker off <span>Conor Casey</span>. That is where Le Toux found himself when Jack Mac went on his scoring run last season. It's not surprising that when you put two strikers around the box, they can work well off each other and score goals as Le Toux did on Saturday. If the Union are to do well without making any signings, they will need to use Le Toux up front with Casey.</p>
<p><b>4) The Revs made a gigantic defensive blunder</b></p>
<p>When we think back to the <a href="https://www.lagconfidential.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">LA Galaxy</a> game, these types of blunders were leading to goals against the Union. This time, however, the shoe was on the other foot as Le Toux took advantage of what really was <a target="_blank" href="http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2014-06-28-new-england-revolution-vs-philadelphia-union/details/video/19065%20">a terrible decision</a> by <span>Jose Goncalves</span>.</p>
<p>There really isn't much more to say about the goal that can't be said by looking at the video. It was a long punt by Zac MacMath which Conor Casey knocked on. Then, with the Union putting a lot of pressure on the Revs defense, Goncalves decided to head it back to <span>Brad Knighton</span> in goal. Big mistake, as Le Toux was already running that way. If Goncalves heads it out to the right - there's no Union goal. But instead, Le Toux latched onto the ball and scored what will probably go down as one of the easiest goals of his career. Defensive blunders are a lot more fun when the other team makes them.</p>
<p><b>5) The Union going to a counter-attack style instead of trying to control the game</b></p>
<p>John Hackworth had a plan. He was going to play beautiful, possession soccer and dominate the game for his wins. However, the Union players did not have the quality to win with that plan. The creativity hasn't been there for the last two years, and all of the big results in his reign as manager were from playing a different, more counter-attacking style. The Union are a counter-attacking team, and Jim Curtin seems to understand that. The tactics were simple; sit back with seven men behind the ball, and release <span>Danny Cruz</span>, Le Toux and <span>Cristian Maidana</span> to make runs off of Conor Casey. It worked to perfection for all three Union goals. Point three above talked about goal one, goal two came from a solo run from Danny Cruz showing what he is capable of before letting loose an electric strike, and goal three came from a break where <span>Andrew Wenger</span> doing well to pick out an open Seba for the Frenchman's second of the game.</p>
<p>Playing this way requires two things: First of all is speed and someone who can hold the ball up in the opposing half. With Casey being a good hold up forward, and Le Toux and Cruz providing the speed, the Union have that that. Secondly, teams need a very well organised defense. It was only one game, but despite giving <span>Chris Tierney</span> a lot of space to get crosses in, the Union they looked far more organised than they have been in the past under Hackworth. Lahoud and Amobi played well in the middle of the midfield, and the defense remained compact, rarely getting caught out of position.</p>
<p>If the Union continue to play as well as they did on Saturday, things should continue to look up. A chance to win silverware in the U.S. Open Cup, and a prolonged playoff run will provide all the reasons in the world for Curtin to keep the job permanently. It's amazing what a change in management can bring, and according to Lahoud, the players also feel a different team.</p>
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<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Awesome team win tonight! Hats off to the <a href="https://twitter.com/SonsofBen">@SonsofBen</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/PhilaUnion">@PhilaUnion</a> supporters who made the trip up. Looks like there's a new team in town.</p>
— Michael Lahoud (@MikeLahoud) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeLahoud/statuses/483068796295729152">June 29, 2014</a>
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<p>Lets see what happens on July 4th when the Union travel to Dallas as there were plenty of good signs providing optimism on Saturday. And to think the Union did not even have their season MVP to date, <span>Vincent Nogueira</span>, available for selection.</p>
https://www.brotherlygame.com/2014/6/30/5855686/union-revolution-analysis-le-toux-danny-cruz-goalsbluetooner2014-06-28T23:26:08-04:002014-06-28T23:26:08-04:00RECAP: Union 1-3 Revolution
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<figcaption>Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Led by Sebastien Le Toux's brace, the Philadelphia Union earned three points for themselves on the road at Gillette Stadium.</p> <p>After taking a three-week break from MLS play to focus on the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-cup-2014">World Cup</a>, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.brotherlygame.com/">Philadelphia Union</a> returned to league action tonight and, led by <span>Sebastien Le Toux</span>, notched a much deserved 3-1 victory over their hosts, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thebentmusket.com/">New England Revolution</a>.</p>
<p>The match had a bit of a cagey start. With both teams coming off long World Cup breaks, perhaps this was to be expected. Add to the fact that the game was shortly following two dramatic World Cup matches, and tonight's game became no less easy to watch at the start. The first real action of the match came in the 10th minute when <span>Patrick Mullins</span> had a shot saved by <span>Zac MacMath</span> only for MacMath to cough up a rebound that led to a scramble in front of goal that ultimately ended with <span>Diego Fagundez</span> whiffing on an attempt and Le Toux clearing the mess away.</p>
<p>The Union's first opportunity came in the 27th minute when a Le Toux left-footed shot rang off the post and went away from goal. Though all of Chile felt Le Toux's pain, the positive signs shown there from Le Toux would be the real harbinger of things to come, and not the hard luck bounces. And those signs manifested themselves in the 42nd minute, although not in the way many may have suspected. Pressure from <span>Danny Cruz</span> forced a dreadful header from <span>Jose Goncalves</span> intended for <span>Brad Knighton</span> but landing in the middle of the 18-yard box in no man's land instead. The ball went to Le Toux who easily poked it into the net past the former Union goalkeeper to make the score 1-0. For Le Toux, it was a lucky break followed by precise capitalization, and for Goncalves, it was the kind of header you awake in a cold sweat from immediately following the worst of nightmares.</p>
<p>The second half began with the Union sitting back a bit and the Revolution dominating possession. However, with Maurice Edu and Sheanon Williams in central defense, the Union were able to remain compact enough while still having the speed to keep up with the Revs attack, prohibiting them from mounting a serious attempt at MacMath's goal. The failure of the Revolution would come back to bite them* in the 69th minute when Danny Cruz sent a screamer from outsidethe 18-yard box whizzing past a helpless Knighton to put the Union ahead 2-0 on the road.</p>
<p><i>*The Revs did more than</i><a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/soccer/luis-suarez-world-cup-biting-scandal-teeth-article-1.1847521" target="_blank"> just lose their balance</a><i>.</i></p>
<p>In the 73rd minute the Revs finally broke free thanks to a great run from Kelyn Rowe who was able to find a regretfully unmarked Saer Sene alone. Sene finished the shot no problem and just like that the Revolution found themselves back in the game with 17 minutes plus stoppage time remaining. Three minutes later the Revs cam that close to tying it. A New England corner kick rattled around to A.J. Soares in the box who got off a nice shot but MacMath reached out and stopped it with his arm, denying New England the much sought after equalizer.</p>
<p>The Union had a great opportunity one minute later to put the game away for good. <span>Cristian Maidana</span> was alone with an open shot but instead elected to pass it to second half substitute <span>Andrew Wenger</span> but the pass was unable to find him. If ever there was a sign that things could continue to fall apart late for the Union this was it, however, that did not happen. Instead one minute after Maidana's mistimed pass, Seba made amends. Le Toux played Wenger out wide then after receiving the ball back from the former Impact player, Seba took a couple of touches and launched it past Knighton to put the Union up 3-1, ending the match as a contest and securing three points for the Union.</p>
<p>Up next for the Union is another road affair, this time an Independence Day Friday night dance in Dallas. But before that, the United States will be faced with slightly more import matters, as Tuesday marks the day of their World Cup Round of 16 showdown with the youthful Belgians. Go go USA!</p>
https://www.brotherlygame.com/2014/6/28/5853584/union-revolution-recap-sebastien-le-toux-danny-cruzJustin F.2014-06-28T19:02:23-04:002014-06-28T19:02:23-04:00GAME THREAD: Revolution vs. Union
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<figcaption>Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Jim Curtin makes his long-awaited MLS debut as the Philadelphia Union travel to New England for the first time this season for their third meeting with the Revolution this season.</p> <table align="center" border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="5">
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<th colspan="3" align="center" bgcolor="silver">UNION GAME #17</th>
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<td width="240"><center> <a href="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/imported_assets/2264841/qtfoxrlfgs3gjvif4ao608tia.gif"><img src="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/imported_assets/2264841/qtfoxrlfgs3gjvif4ao608tia_medium.gif" class="photo" alt="Qtfoxrlfgs3gjvif4ao608tia_medium"></a> </center></td>
<th align="center" width="20">VS</th>
<td width="240"><center> <a href="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/imported_assets/2264835/qee7soq7augbn2jofb315sw1i.gif"><img src="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/imported_assets/2264835/qee7soq7augbn2jofb315sw1i_medium.gif" class="photo" alt="Qee7soq7augbn2jofb315sw1i_medium"></a> </center></td>
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<td colspan="3" align="center" bgcolor="silver"><b>Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA</b></td>
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<td colspan="3" align="center"><b>June 29, 2014</b></td>
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<td colspan="3" align="center"><b>7:30 PM ET</b></td>
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<td colspan="3" align="center"><b>CSN - JP Dellacamera and Peter Pappas</b></td>
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<tr>
<td colspan="3" align="center">
<b>Know Thy Enemy: </b><a href="http://www.thebentmusket.com/" target="_blank">The Bent Musket</a>
</td>
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<th colspan="3" align="center" bgcolor="silver">Starting XI</th>
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<td align="right" width="240">Patrick Mullins</td>
<th align="center" width="20">Forward</th>
<td width="240">Sebastien Le Toux, Conor Casey</td>
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<td align="right" width="240">
<p>Diego Fagundez, Lee Nguyen, Daigo Kobayashi, Teal Bunbury</p>
<p>Andy Dorman</p>
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<th align="center" width="20">Midfield</th>
<td width="240">
<p>Danny Cruz, Cristian Maidana, Amobi Okugo, Michael Lahoud</p>
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<td align="right" width="240">Chris Tierney, Jose Goncalves, A.J. Soares, Andrew Farrell,</td>
<th align="center" width="20">Defense</th>
<td width="240">Fabinho, Sheanon Williams, Maurice Edu, Ray Gaddis</td>
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<td align="right" width="240">Brad Knighton</td>
<th align="center" width="20">Goalkeeper</th>
<td width="240">Zac MacMath</td>
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<td align="right" width="240">Bobby Shuttleworth, Darrius Barnes, Stephen McCarthy, Scott Caldwell, Steve Neumann, Kelyn Rowe, Saer Sene</td>
<th align="center" width="20">Bench</th>
<td width="240">Andre Blake, Brian Carroll, Pedro Ribeiro, Leo Fernandes, Fred, Aaron Wheeler, Andrew Wenger</td>
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<th colspan="3" align="center" bgcolor="silver">Stats (<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2014/3/7/5481326/mls-advanced-statistics" target="_blank">Explained Here</a>)</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" width="240">.452 (17th)</td>
<th align="center" width="20">TSR</th>
<td width="240">.535 (3rd)</td>
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<td align="right" width="240">.405 (18th)</td>
<th align="center" width="20">DZR</th>
<td width="240">.492 (8th)</td>
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<td align="right" width="240">.473 (13th)</td>
<th align="center" width="20">xGR</th>
<td width="240">.514 (7th)</td>
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<th colspan="3" align="center" bgcolor="silver">Game Officials</th>
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<td colspan="3" align="center">Referee: Alan Kelly</td>
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<td colspan="3" align="center">Assistant: Peter Manikowski</td>
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<td colspan="3" align="center">Assistant: Claudio Badea</td>
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<td colspan="3" align="center">Fourth: Jorge Gonzalez</td>
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</tbody>
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<p> </p>
<p>Allow us to interrupt the 2014 FIFA World Cup for the return of MLS, and more specifically the Philadelphia Union where Jim Curtin will be making his managerial debut in the MLS regular season. While the Union have no players on their squad currently in Brazil, the New England Revolution will be without Honduran Jerry Bengston, still licking his wounds in Brazil after Honduras was well and truly throttled out of the World Cup.</p>
<p>Use this thread to comment on the game. Go Union! DOOP!</p>
https://www.brotherlygame.com/2014/6/28/5853324/philadelphia-union-new-england-revolution-game-threadJustin F.2014-06-27T14:00:02-04:002014-06-27T14:00:02-04:00Opposite View: 3 Questions About New England
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<img alt="Shooting a small crowd from a lower vantage point turns tens of fans into thousands of fans. Also, what is that thing in that guy's mouth?" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gq4UhpGZ8hRJizxv5fYm5jveBN0=/191x0:3808x2411/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/34903243/20140608_ads_sx4_323.JPG.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Shooting a small crowd from a lower vantage point turns tens of fans into thousands of fans. Also, what is that thing in that guy's mouth? | Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>This week we return to MLS action by chatting with Steve Stoehr of The Bent Musket, SB Nation's New England Revolution blog, about our intra-conference rivals (and upcoming US Open Cup opponent).</p> <blockquote style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;" class="gmail_quote">
<div dir="auto"><span>New England has been one of the best teams in MLS so far and really seemed to be humming along before the break. Do you think the World Cup break will hurt or help the Revolution?</span></div>
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<div><span>I think it's a bit of a help, since it gave the guys some welcome time off to nurse niggling injuries and regroup, especially after dropping their last two MLS results going into the break. It also helped having those two Open Cup matches. Picking up those two victories will create a sense of momentum going back into MLS play.</span></div>
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<div><span>The break is also important because the Revs will play something like 7 matches at a minimum in July. This is going to be one of the toughest schedule sequences New England has faced for as long as I can remember. A good 20 days off allows the club to gear up and get fit before they kill themselves in the next month or so. Midsummer won't be fun for the Revs.</span></div>
<div><span> </span></div>
<blockquote style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;" class="gmail_quote">
<div dir="auto">
<div><span>Our clubs will face off on Saturday and then again on Tuesday July 8 in the US Open Cup Quarterfinals. How big of a priority is the US Open Cup for the Revolution?</span></div>
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<div><span>The Revs have taken it seriously so far, as they did in 2013. Obviously it's not up to the level of the league, and for that reason there may be a drop-off in focus on the 8th that the Union could possibly exploit. However, Jay Heaps' use of his considerable depth in the last two matches is not an indication of a lackadaisical attitude toward the competition, rather it's a show of faith in the fringe players on the Revs' roster. I think now that the Revs are in the quarters and they're facing MLS competition, the lineups that we see in those matches will start to feature more regular starters than, say, Wednesday's match against Rochester.</span></div>
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<span>J</span><span>erry Bengtson didn't have the best run of form with Honduras in the World Cup, failing to get on the scoresheet as Honduras went 0-3-0 in the tournament. How do you think that will effect him going forward?</span>
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<div><span>It makes him worth less money in a post-Cup transfer. That's the biggest disappointment. At this juncture, it's unlikely that the Revs are looking for anything out of Jerry other than a good sale price, and now, like so many sitters and point-blank finishes, he's found a way to screw that up, too. Jerry won't get much time (though he might in the Open Cup) and, at this point, I think the Revs take what they can get for him if an offer comes in.</span></div>
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<span> </span><span>Tell the Philadelphia Union fans something we should know going into this match.</span>
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<div><span>Kelyn Rowe is absolutely bursting to be re-introduced into the starting lineup, and he took his opportunity against Rochester in both hands. The kid looked <i>sharp</i>, and could probably have had one or two more goals if some bounces had fell more his way. We may be starting to see the Kelyn Rowe of 2013 who torched defenses, scored from distance, and created goals at will. That said, you'll probably still see a healthy dose of Daigo Kobayashi, and the team's style of play changes dramatically depending on who is in the lineup at that moment. If you see Rowe, expect a lot of attempted killer balls and look to see him break forward into the box for scoring opportunities. If you see Daigo, you'll instead see Lee Nguyen become the total centerpiece, with Daigo playing facilitator in possession between the tiers of midfield. </span></div>
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<div><span><b>Predicted Starting XI:</b> Bobby Shuttleworth; Chris Tierney, José Gonçalves, A. J. Soares, Andrew Farrell; Andy Dorman; Diego Fagúndez, Lee Nguyen, Kelyn Rowe, Teal Bunbury; Patrick Mullins</span></div>
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<div><span><b>Score Prediction:</b> I predict a 3-2 win. I'm still worried about the solidity of this defense, but I think the offense will get its spark back, and the Revs are usually pretty effective at home.</span></div>
https://www.brotherlygame.com/2014/6/27/5849760/opposite-view-the-bent-musket-new-England-revolution-Philadelphia-unionEugene Rupinski2014-06-27T06:30:02-04:002014-06-27T06:30:02-04:00Union to face Revolution
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<figcaption>John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Philadelphia Union resume MLS league play with a trip to Foxborough to take on the Revolution. Second-place New England came into Philadelphia back in May, and left PPL Park with a 5-3 victory. The first meeting back in March resulted in a 1-0 Union win. This, the only visit in this season series to Gillette Stadium, serves as the rubber match.</p> <p><a href="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/assets/4677529/20140517_ajl_bg2_135_JPG_medium.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="photo" alt="20140517_ajl_bg2_135_jpg_medium_medium" src="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/assets/4677529/20140517_ajl_bg2_135_JPG_medium_medium.jpg"></a> <br id="1403828081021">It will be three whole weeks between MLS regular season matches when the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.brotherlygame.com/">Philadelphia Union</a> visit the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thebentmusket.com/">New England Revolution</a>. In the meantime, Union won two rounds of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/us-open-golf">U.S. Open</a> Cup to advance to that tournament's quarterfinal round. They haven't had that kind of success in their regular season, however. Languishing at 8th in the Eastern Conference, they are facing a New England side that demonstrated the gap in skill between these two teams when they raced out to a 5-1 lead. Union will hope to take some momentum from their USOC wins against Harrisburg and NY Cosmos and build their confidence as they embark upon the second half of their season.</p>
<p><br><br><b>What to Expect From the Union</b><br><br>Though they got two wins since the start of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-cup-2014">World Cup</a>, Union didn't come about them easily in spite of playing two lower division teams. 16 matches into the season, they have just 15 points, 8 points behind their Saturday night opponent. They need wins, and they need them now. This will be the first regular season match for interim manager Jim Curtin. He experimented with the lineup, switching <span>Maurice Edu</span> to central defense, putting <span>Amobi Okugo</span> in the holding midfield role. We may find out if Curtin was merely taking advantage of the USOC to experiment with his lineup, or if that's the way he feels this team can best win matches. The one lineup shuffle we've seen before that I expect to stick is <span>Sheanon Williams</span> at centerback. He's paired with several members of the back line now, and his quickness is very good at cutting passes out. He hasn't been as confident going forward and getting into the offense, which is not something that would be asked of him in central defense. It also gets them out of having to deal with the lesser athletic <span>Austin Berry</span> or Aaron Wheeler. It also allows them to keep Fabinho in the left fullback position, and Ray Gaddis out on the right.<br><br>If this is going to be the way of Curtin's Union, then Okugo in the center allows the team to proceed without Brian Carroll. This allows them to keep <span>Cristian Maidana</span> or <span>Vincent Nogueira</span> to play an advanced central role, while the other plays wide, to compliment either <span>Danny Cruz</span> or <span>Sebastien Le Toux</span> on the right side. <span>Andrew Wenger</span> has been a bit of a disappointment at the striker position, but he can play a complimentary role to <span>Conor Casey</span>, who has netted a couple of braces in recent matches and deserves to start here after some rest.<br><a href="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/assets/4677983/20140607_mta_bg2_217_JPG_medium.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="photo" alt="20140607_mta_bg2_217_jpg_medium_medium" src="http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/assets/4677983/20140607_mta_bg2_217_JPG_medium_medium.jpg"></a> <br><br><b>What to Expect From New England</b><br><br>New England's success against Philadelphia has been driven by the advantage they've had in the midfield. Former U.S. international <span>Lee Nguyen</span> has been particularly influential the past couple of seasons, and now that young homegrown player <span>Diego Fagundez</span> has grown a bit into his role, that midfield will be even more problematic. The success in winning the midfield battle has also been helped by Union playing Carroll, who is slower of foot and not a great possessor of the ball. Though Union have transitioned their captain out of their regular lineup, their new midfield still is not likely to be able to deal with the Revs. Their fluidity allowed them to get 2 goals from a defender, <span>Chris Tierney</span>, when last these two played. Expect that to happen again because of how strong their central defense has been confident with <span>Andrew Farrell</span> and AJ Soares.</p>
<p><b>Projected Union Starting XI</b></p>
<p align="center"><b><span>Zac MacMath</span></b></p>
<p align="center">Ray Gaddis - Sheanon Williams - <b>Amobi Okugo</b> - Fabinho</p>
<p align="center">Maurice Edu</p>
<p align="center">Sebastien Le Toux - <b>Vincent Nogueira</b></p>
<p align="center">Cristian Maidana</p>
<p align="center">Andrew Wenger - Conor Casey</p>
<p><br> I expect that Union will stick with a diamond midfield, with Le Toux getting the start as a reward for his solid play in the U.S. Open Cup. And, while I have Wenger and Casey as a strike pair, I expect one or the other to sink to the midfield and allow the other to play target/point forward. The midfield will need the extra body to maintain possession against a tough opponent.<br><br> <b>Score Prediction</b><br> New England 2 - 1 Philadelphia</p>
https://www.brotherlygame.com/2014/6/27/5847564/match-preview-union-v-new-england-revolutionNick Youngstein