Sporting Kansas City is riding high on a seven-game unbeaten streak, including victories in each of their last four matches. Similarly, the Philadelphia Union have lost just once in 10 games across all competitions under interim manager Jim Curtin. I caught up with Jonathan Tannenwald of Philly.com to hit the biggest talking points of Friday's 7 p.m. match, which will be televised nationally on NBC Sports Network and broadcast on Sports Radio 810 (English) and La Gran D 1340 AM (Spanish).
JF: How has Philadelphia adjusted to interim coach Jim Curtin since he took over in June?
JT: At most of their positions, I think they’re in a really good place. Jim Curtin has simplified things. He’s a former player in MLS and he’s obviously got a great pedigree. He won a U.S. Open Cup with Chicago (as a player). He’s got a great pedigree and he’s really well respected. He understands the rules of the game, and his overriding principle is to put guys in their best positions to play on the field and let chemistry work from there.
JF: Philadelphia just acquired goalkeeper Rais Mbolhi, who played well for Algeria at the 2014 World Cup. Is he going to play on Friday?
JT: He’s eligible but he’s not going to play. Curtin is going to give him this weekend to settle in. He said at the press conference (on Wednesday) that Zac MacMath is going to start on Friday.
JF: What did you take away from Philadelphia’s 2-1 win at Sporting KC on May 14?
JT: If that game has any impact on either team, it’s going to be Kansas City. Peter Vermes will remind them that they didn’t play so well the last time the two teams played at Sporting Park. As I often do, I have a hard time seeing Kansas City losing at home. If everyone’s healthy for the Union, they are a very good team. The problem is, they aren’t (healthy). I don’t know if Cristian Maidana is going to play tomorrow, and he’s their No. 1 playmaker. If he’s not on the field, it’s a big loss for them. I don’t know how they would make up for him. If Conor Casey comes in there, roughs things up and is that target forward with guys running off him, that (would help). I often find it difficult for the Union to beat Kansas City, and then they end up going out and doing it. So maybe I should just eat my words and let the game play out.
JF: What has stood out to you during Sporting KC’s seven-game unbeaten streak?
JT: The most important thing they’ve done—as everyone else around the country would say—is put the money on the table for Graham Zusi and Matt Besler. They really made a statement that MLS is indeed going to keep their top, young Americans in the league. That matters a lot; it’s a big statement. Credit is due to Robb Heinemann for putting the money down on the table and showing he wants to do that, and also showing that it can be done in one of Major League Soccer’s smaller markets. There are a lot of people in Philadelphia who look at Sporting Kansas City and ask “Why can’t we do that?” There really are a lot of people in Philadelphia who say that.
JF: Which player has pleasantly surprised this season for Philadelphia?
JT: If I had to pick one standout, it would be Raymon Gaddis. He’s a right back by nature, but he’s done a terrific job playing left back. He’s become a real shutdown defender, and (Curtin) sort of structured the system so that he doesn’t have to push too far forward the way wingbacks sometimes have to in a 4-2-3-1. He’s fine staying home and cleaning stuff up. He’s probably the guy who is the most All-Star worthy on the Union this year. He’s had a terrific season.
JF: How do you expect Philadelphia to approach the game?
JT: I can’t see them going out and playing that creatively and expansively if Maidana is not going to be on the field. So they’ll probably be defensive and sit back. I’d be very interested to see if this is a game where Jim Curtin pairs Maurice Edu and Amobi Okugo together in midfield and puts Ethan White and Austin Berry at centerback. If you do that, Maurice and Amobi can move around pretty well with and without the ball. They can bring the ball forward and let Whte and Berry do the big stuff in the back. But if Maidana is out, I don’t see them being all that creative. When they attack, I expect it’ll be pretty direct, and it’ll be down the wings rather than through the middle.
JF: What are you looking forward to in Friday’s match?
JT: I think this game is going to won in the midfield, as is often the case. In terms of a one-on-one matchup, it’s going to be a battle of the big, bald guys—Conor Casey vs. Aurelien Collin. I think that always has potential to be a lot of fun.
