The Philadelphia Union haven’t had LAFC’s unbeaten start to the MLS regular season or their relatively stress-free path to the Concacaf Champions League semifinals.
But LAFC’s semifinal opponent in a series that begins Wednesday night at Subaru Park (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT, FS1) has a quality that is just as dangerous: The experience of encountering some early season adversity and coming out the other side.
While the Union aren’t occupying the lofty place in the Eastern Conference standings most expected, they might be better for their early season struggles if recent performances are any indication.
Those speed bumps have helped the Union re-invent themselves or at least explore alternative ways to earn results. Consider the month of April, in which Philadelphia played three different formations in three different time zones while losing only once in six games.
And while it’s not necessarily likely that manager Jim Curtin will opt for a totally experimental look against LAFC — he’s deployed some version of a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield in the teams’ last three meetings — some sort of unexpected wrinkle may be in the works.
Going Lowe again?
Against Atlas, the Union made a couple key changes in their first leg, a 1-0 victory sealed by Daniel Gazdag’s late penalty.
The most obvious was a switch to a 4-3-2-1 Christmas tree formation before halftime in an attempt to wrest control of midfield. But just as important was an unforeseen start for center back Damion Lowe, who was tasked with keeping close to Atlas talisman Julian Quinones.
Quinones is every bit the attacking threat as LAFC’s in-form Denis Bouanga. The latter’s position on the wing means it's unlikely Lowe would be selected to play the role of spy again. But the recent past suggests manager Jim Curtin won’t hesitate to deploy an unconventional solution if he believes it could limit his opponent’s best player.
As many as Deni
Not one, not two, but 3️⃣ bangers. pic.twitter.com/bRBxu02Esb
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 24, 2023
And speaking of Bouanga, the Union don’t singlehandedly have an offensive force that has matched the Gabon international this season. But in the striking tandem of Julian Carranza and Mikael Uhre, Curtin has a duo that does enough defensive work to consistently play together. The pair have scored enough recently to offset Bouanga’s production.
Uhre is coming off his first MLS hat trick in last Saturday’s 4-2 home win over Toronto FC. Carranza had three goals and two assists in his last three games. And with Gazdag serving as the team’s penalty taker, Uhre and Carranza have outproduced Bouanga and Carlos Vela in league play in goal contributions that don’t originate from the spot.
But perhaps the biggest question is whether Wednesday’s first leg will resemble the manic contests these teams have already played over their brief history.
Shootout or shutout?
These teams have already combined for 23 goals in five matches and 480 total minutes (including 30 minutes of extra time in the 2022 MLS Cup.)
However, four of those five games occurred in Southern California. The fifth at Subaru Park finished as a 1-1 draw in 2019. And in previous remarks surrounding the quarterfinal with Atlas, Curtin has shown a willingness to make home matches uglier on account of the away goals rule.
That was a major reason for the formation change in the first quarterfinal leg and jettisoning Uhre to the bench. A win would be vital, Curtin knew, but with the away goals rule in place serving as a tiebreaker, a clean sheet would be nearly as valuable.
LAFC’s sizzling attack has produced more modestly on its travels this season, at least in league play. While the Black and Gold have posted identical 3-0 road wins in their two CCL away matches, they’ve drawn three of four games away in league play while scoring only four times and posting a +1 goal differential.