With Sporting KC returning home to take on the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday, I caught up with Philly.com's Jonathan Tannenwald to preview the match. The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT with live coverage available on KMCI (38 the Spot), SKCTV, Sports Radio 810 WBH, and La Gran D 1340 AM.
Jonathon Feyerherm: How would you sum up Philadelphia’s season heading into this match?
Jonathan Tannenwald: It’s been really disappointing. I don’t think there’s any way around that. They were picked to be a playoff team with some moves they made in the offseason. They had every reason to think that they would be (a playoff team), but they’ve had cohesion problems. They had a couple good results early, then some bad luck went their way and they’ve just not been able to snap out of it. Part of it is probably down to the coaching staff. You had a guy like defender Austin Berry, who didn’t play well his first game back (from injury) and went to the bench, and the guy who replaced him was Aaron Wheeler, a converted forward. He’s okay, but he doesn’t have the natural instincts of a defender, so he got caught out (of position) a couple times, they gave up some goals and it ended up costing them a couple points.
JF: What were the expectations for Philadelphia heading into this season?
JT: Expectations were to make the playoffs, quite simply. They’ve only been (to the playoffs) once in their history and they’ve missed the last two years in a row. For the amount of money that they went out and spent in the offseason and the caliber of players they went out and signed, the expectation was simply to make the playoffs. And right now, it doesn’t look like they’re going to.
JF: How important is new signing Maurice Edu’s role on the team?
JT: Maurice Edu was brought in to be a leader and a box-to-box player. He’s certainly been a good leader, that’s for sure. But being a box-to-box guy in a system that changes from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1, his role hasn’t always been well defined. That (situation) has led him to not always be in the right position. He’s come under criticism from some fans for that. He’s not really a true attacking midfielder and he’s not really a true defensive midfielder. So sometimes he’s in the same spot on the field as other players, which causes spacing problems. He can certainly be a player who contributes to the attack, but he’s never going to be a deep-lying playmaker the way that someone like Michael Bradley has shown he can be. To expect him to be that is a little much. I’d rather see him playing to his strengths—being able to move around a lot and cover a lot of territory.
JF: Which players have been bright spots for the Union so far this season?
JT: Vincent Nogueira has been terrific. He’s an early candidate for Newcomer of the Year in Major League Soccer. He’s been a little spark plug in attack. He’s a great passer, covers tons of ground, and has probably become the best player on the team. Some people question Cristian Maidana, but he’s probably our most creative guy on the team.
JF: What has gone right for the Union and what can they improve on?
JT: In defense, goalkeeper Zac MacMath has had a terrific season. Unfortunately, that’s about it. They don’t have a quality goal scorer. They thought they’d be able to unlock Andrew Wenger’s potential and it hasn’t happened. The midfield spacing isn’t good. They’ve got players stepping on each other’s toes a little too much. And there’s a coach who’s in the serious doghouse in John Hackworth. A lot of people have the impression that we haven’t seen the best 11 players on the field for the Union. Part of that has been injury, but now the guys are healthy. So some of that comes back on the coach. And now they have to play at Kansas City and Los Angeles. It’s a rough stretch and it’s not going to get any (easier).
JF: Does Philadelphia’s win last year at Sporting Park give them extra confidence for Wednesday?
JT: If all of Sporting’s (starters) weren’t going to be playing, I’d give Philly a shot. Knowing that Kansas City is going to be at full strength and knowing how well they have been playing in recent weeks, I have a hard time seeing the Union getting a result from this game.
JF: What are your general thoughts on Sporting Kansas City?
JT: They didn’t come out of the blocks great, but we’ve seen over the last couple weeks that they’ve hit their stride. Dom Dwyer is scoring, Benny Feilhaber is creating, Oriol Rosell is doing all kinds of things, and Matt Besler and Aurelien Collin are absolute rocks in defense. I still think they’re the best team in the Eastern Conference. I think New York will give them a run for their money once Tim Cahill gets back from the World Cup. I think when Michael Bradley comes back from the World Cup, Toronto will be a top team. I think New York, Toronto and Sporting Kansas City will be the top three teams in the East.
JF: What are you expecting to see from Wednesday’s match?
JT: I’m expecting to see Sporting KC’s pressure cause problems in possession for the Union. Depending on the team selection, that could really cause Philly some trouble.
