Reinforcements: Jose Martinez & Andre Blake
There was a special “excitement” to the night, as Jim Curtin put it in his post-match press conference, and part of that excitement came from the imminent returns of Andre Blake (from serious injury) and Jose Martinez (from the Copa America).
Though known for their defensive excellence in recent years, the Philadelphia Union are 22nd in the league in goals conceded so far this season, largely due to defensive collapses in both the midfield and backline.
In his first game back, Martinez anchored the team and provided the defensive stability it had lacked for months. He recorded five interceptions, three tackles and completed 92.7% of his passes. Simply put, he was everywhere. (See heat map provided by WHOSCORED.com)
From a tactical standpoint, Martinez functions as a “clean up” midfielder. The moment the Union lost the ball, he was there to chase it down and get it back. On offense, his patience, ball switching, and threatening shots from 25+ yards (MLS is confident he can take them) kept New England honest throughout the match. Martinez's play is perfect for the “enforcer” role, opening up another side of football that gives the offense and defense the confidence to be up front all night.
leadership
This may be a bit off from a statistical standpoint, but despite being difficult to measure, it is useful for tactical analysis.
What a refreshing thing to have the three-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year back. We all know Blake is a highlight-reel guy when it comes to game-changing saves, but on Wednesday night, he wasn't called on to make a single save. (It's important to remember that New England's Ian Harkes beat him with a stunning goal in the 50th minute, but you can't really blame him for that.)
Beyond his ability as a goalkeeper, the level of leadership Blake shows and the confidence he inspires in his defensive line is immense. Within minutes of the game, he could be seen issuing instructions, re-directing the positioning of his centre-backs and cutting out cross after cross. It can be a thankless job at times, but his leadership on Wednesday drew the best from two struggling centre-backs, Glesnes (who scored a beautiful header) and Elliott (who assisted Ty Balibo's first goal).
Passing and Playmaking
Philadelphia's passing has been lacking in 2024. The Union is 25th in the league with an average success rate of 79.6%, as opposed to the 89% seen in this game. And this game didn't include the magical left foot of Jack McGlynn, who has by far the Union's best passing success rate this season at 85%.
I believe their passing success against New England was down to two things: positioning on the field and letting their best passer choose their timing.
As mentioned above, Martinez recorded a near-perfect 93%, Gazdag recorded 89% from the number 10 position, and perhaps most impressive was Kai Wagner's 95% passing rate, which also factored into his record three assists on the night (and I can't say this enough, he's invaluable to this team).
In this game, those three players accounted for 196 of Union's 560 touches (35%), which means a lot: The heat map below shows where Martinez, Gazdag and Wagner were positioned during the game.
If you look at the ground covered, it's almost the entire defensive half and almost half of the offensive half.
Their ability to find advantageous attacking positions throughout the match allowed them to opt for more deliberate passing, which unsurprisingly led to five goals.
This is the kind of play that the best playmakers are comfortable with, and if they can replicate this play game after game, it will skyrocket their way up the rankings in no time.
Finishing
Last but not least, don't forget the finishing touches.
Before I go any further, I want to give a shout-out to someone who has been completely under-appreciated thus far: Ty Balibo.
He's been an incredible addition to the Union attack: His high work rate puts pressure on the defense, his smart positioning gives him high-percentage shooting opportunities and his flawless finishing has fans questioning whether Carranza was even needed in the first place.
Well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but he's scored six goals in seven appearances. That's impressive. And what's even more impressive is that Balibo recorded his first MLS hat trick with just one dribble and four shots (see chart below). A header, a slow pass to the far corner and a half volley. He just scored.
He is proving that Jim Curtin was completely wrong in deciding to bench him – and we're all happy about that.
Conclusion
Wednesday offered a glimpse of what Union could be behind the drama of the past few months. With the League Cup on the horizon and the transfer window just opening, it's fair to say even the skeptics are cautiously hopeful. The big question now is whether Union can harness the promise, health and quality of this squad to salvage their season.
