PBP: 2023 CCL Semifinals - Leg 2: Los Angeles FC vs. Union, May 2, 2023 p/d/p

3 - 0

Absolutely boneheaded from Mbaizo. I think Curtin got the selection wrong. Flach is better on the left side of mf. I would have preferred him there and Bueno at d-mid.

Oh well. Perhaps we can get things going in MLS now.

 

His first yellow was boneheaded. His second was charmin soft. Then again the Union SHOULD have been playing a man down for nearly the entire game if Fisher had rightly sent Bedoya off in the first few minutes for his boneheaded tackle.

Flach wasn't entirely awful, and the team held well until the Red Card. After that it was only a matter of time before LAFC ran away from them.

I'm worried about the next couple of weeks though. This could very well send their season spiraling down the drain based on their upcoming schedule.

 

This is just the same Union it's always been.

 

Pretty much what I expected after seeing the lineup. I know they have people who specialize in teaching throw ins, corners, free kicks and other specialty areas. Do they have anyone who can come in and teach about lineups and substitutions?

They have that you say? It's called a what? A new manager? Maybe we could get one of those.

For all of Curtin's positives it seems his inability to manage in game substitutions is what most hampers this team's ability in clutch games. Seems to be his unwavering loyalty to some players. We may not be able to get to the next level with him and he may need to move on to another team to learn that lesson. He is a good manager who has made progress but his lineups and substitutions are often baffling.

On to Open Cup and regular season. He seems less rigid with who he is playing when there is less pressure.

 

Again, WHO would you have brought in, and WHO would they replace? Also, are these magical substitutes better then the players they are replacing?

I have seen this narrative for the past 9 years. The Union don't have difference makers off of the bench. What they have are nice role players that can do specific jobs. The Philly Union are a team that is better than the sum of its' parts. When one or more parts are missing....they're just not as good. When one or more parts are having an off game, they struggle as a team.

All over social media last night the "hot take" was that Curtin got outcoached. When they went down to 10 men with 30 minutes left in the game........WTF did people want him to do exactly??? Go attack heavy!?!?!?!?! He does that, and LAFC ends this series way sooner then the 82' as they would have kicked into 5th gear had Curtin brought Torres and Sullivan on at the 60' mark.

 

Out-coached does seem a bit harsh. The series turned in the first game on Martinez getting injured. It realy is the the one position on the field we don't have a good 1 for 1 replacement for as demonstrated by our own amateur attempts to address it in this thread. That said the defense still did really well in my opinion having only given up a goal in each leg 11v11. Really if I was looking at it from a post mortem coaching perspective we didn't score despite having really good opportunities. Anyway it was a one goal game/series till LA got a the second on a shorthanded union at the 80+ min. The story on mlssoccer calling it a resounding "rout" really doesn't do justice to how close the game actually was till the end. Anyway losing was a horrible relief and hopefully now without the distraction we can just get back to taking out our frustrations on the rest of the MLS in regular league play.

 

Back at my casa in AZ after attending the match.

I had mentally planned/predicted that LAFC would score 1st, then the Union would score 2 goals, then LAFC would score in the 89th and 90th to win 3-2 and eliminate the Union.

I felt going into Leg 2, Leg 1 was the embodiment of “That’s So Union.” We absolutely dominate the match, and yet we only score one goal and draw. Even with a healthy Martinez, I felt that by not winning 2-0, 3-1, etc. we let our chance slip away of moving on to the Champions League Final.

But alas, I already had a planned vacation with my fiancé to San Diego, and my manager granted me an additional day off, so we were able to travel to LA, spend the day at Knotts Berry Farm, before heading to Banc of California/BMO Stadium. I was hoping her being in the state of California during the match would be a good luck charm, but nada.

Anyways, some observations.

For those that attended the MLS Cup, LAFC fans are now once again allowed to drink beers straight from the can. During the MLS Cup, all beers were required to be poured into cups due to fans throwing trash on the field. They of course threw trash on the field during the MLS Cup, but I guess winning makes people forget.

The big MLS Cup they had outside the stadium for the MLS Cup is now inside the stadium. Which leads me to wonder, does MLS make a big MLS Cup for every MLS Cup and gift it to the winner? Is there a big MLS Cup at Yankee Stadium at the moment? Or is LAFC treated different since they're the golden goose?



Right off the bat, you can tell the difference in quality between a World Cup SemiFinal Liga MX Ref to an MLS Ref. The Liga MX Ref let the teams play in the 1st Leg. The MLS Ref was not letting either team play and was terrible for both teams. Wasn’t one sided. He just wanted to be the center of attention.

With the 1st Leg, from what all the articles stated and in texting Union fans, the fan intensity matched the US Open Cup Finals and the Playoffs. For LAFC fans, they were treating it like another MLS regular season match. The 3252 was not at the same level as the MLS Cup. It honestly wasn’t till after the 2nd goal where the stadium was “loud.”

I still haven’t seen a replay of the Bedoya tackle, but since it literally occurred in front of me, it didn’t seem like a bad tackle. Even the LAFC fans around me weren’t demanding a red card. I guess the replays say otherwise though.



Even with Mbazio getting the Red Card, I don’t think he was the worst player for us. I think that title belongs to Bedoya. I hate to say it, but Bedoya looked tired on the field the whole match. He was getting beat on every ball, missed a wide-open header, etc. There was a play at the start of the 2nd Half, where Bedoya made this amazing jumping interception, and the counter attack was on, 4 v 3, and after making the amazing interception, he dribbled and passed it directly to LAFC. Just irritating.

The most frustrating part of the match (and this has been the case all season), is Curtin not using subs. I can’t really criticize Curtin since we’re ran on a shoestring budget, but I don’t understand why we are not making 2 or 3 subs before the 70th minute to get fresh legs on the field to continue applying pressure against LAFC. Right before LAFC’s 2nd goal, for a good 30 seconds, the LAFC defenders were just passing the ball amongst themselves and no one from the Union was challenging. Immediately after the 30 second kickaround, they push forward and score. I just wonder would that have happened if we were pressuring the defenders. I understand we’re down a man, but we’re losing and we need just one goal to take it to penalties. Where is the intensity?! The game was not lost yet.

I think the saddest part about this is the Union are good enough just to disappoint. With yesterday’s elimination, we’ve now lost/been eliminated in the SemiFinals 5 Times: (MLS Playoffs: 2021; Champions League: 2021, 2023; US Open Cup: 2012, MLS is Back Tourney: 2020) and have lost in the Finals 4 Times: (MLS Cup: 2022, US Open Cup: 2014, 2015, 2018). We’re blood brothers with the Revs.

But MLS gets exactly what they want. They get their shining star in LAFC in the Champions League Final with their multi billions in ownership (where they have more owners than players) while the shoestring budget Union just gets to try again further down the road.

Completely random note: My fiancé and I had booked an East Coast trip in June to attend my brother’s graduation, and naturally, I booked it around attending the Montreal match on June 3rd, so I thought, with my luck, the Union will advance and I won't be able to see another match at Subaru Park, but alas, the Union gonna Union in a match that matters.

Bring on the Red Bulls and Minnesota.

 

"Again, WHO would you have brought in, and WHO would they replace? Also, are these magical substitutes better then the players they are replacing?"

I don't think I would have chosen the lineup Curtin started.

That decision being made, Perea for Bedoya at halftime, by the 60th at the latest if not for the red. Alternatively, Lowe in for Bedoya and switch to a 3-5-2.

If still 1-0 at 70th minute Torres for either one of the forwards.

Not sure what to do once Mbaizo sent off but at that point losing 1-0 v 5-0 doesn't really make a difference so probably Lowe for Bedoya and go 3-4-2 and sub at 70 as above. Once it was 2-0 Sullivan for Uhre since he and McGlynn seem to have some chemisty.

A fresh player and a different formation may be better than a fatigued starter.

 

Jim needs to study the tape of the CCL Final performance by Leon in each leg, and then show his team. Drill into them that being disciplined and ruthless with your chances....they'll win MLS Cup, and also kick the crap out of LAFC.

 

I think we were the first adversity they actually had to face in the bracket and they were certainly helped against us by a significant injury and a stupid card/sending off on our part and it was still a one goal game into the 80th of the second leg. Anyway so it goes. It looks like LA are going to be rewarded for their failed run with an insanely packed June schedule. lol I hope all their !@#$ing legs fall off. They are the leagues baby tho so they will probably be able to just get Zlatan or some shit out of retirement for a few weeks to help them out.

 

It's ironic how the narrative after their Semifinal win against Philly was how they dominated and "Blew Philly Away!" Which was not true at all. To your point it took them being a man up into the 82' minute to put Philly away. Imagine if Curtin had used the 3-5-2 earlier in the season?

I think that semifinal series took a toll on LA physically and emotionally. Now they'll have to deal with the disappointment of being played off of the park by Leon.

Still can't believe Cherundolo whined about the schedule and his teams depth after their loss last night.