As weird as it is to read, the Philadelphia Union are having the best start to a season since 2011. This is thanks to their dismantling of a Pirlo-less New York City FC team. The game and really the season so far for NYCFC never looked up to par as the Union handedly beat NYCFC. C.J. Sapong extends his goal scoring numbers as well as Chris Pontius to propel the team. The defense looked solid and effectively shut down the deadly attack of David Villa and Khiry Shelton.
C.J. Sapong, Chris Pontius, and Other Keys to Early Union Success
Their record so far is 4W-3L-0D with 12 points, enough to stand tied atop the Eastern Conference table with the team leading on goal differential over the Montreal Impact. Here’s a couple of little interesting facts we have found so far.
1.) The Union have not lost back to back games so far. The last back to back loss occurrence came late last season in October.
2.) The Union have only given up 2+ goals once since their opening loss to FC Dallas. That one game came away against the Seattle Sounders, whose stadium is ranked in the top 100 toughest stadiums to play in.
3.) The Union have won five straight home games dating back to last October as well against Orlando City.
4.) Jim Curtin has fielded six different starting 11 in seven games.
5.) C.J Sapong has scored in all three of the Unions home games
When you look at these facts, it becomes apparent that this team is far from the team it was last year. To put this into perspective, through seven games last year, the Union had only acquired 6 points out of the possible 21. In fact the team won its fourth game on June 3rd of last year. A whole month and a week later then this year total. It’s been an incredible turn around that’s been fueled by a few factors.
The first factor to look at is the emergence of the young defense. Rookie Keegan Rosenberry has started every game so far this season. And it’s been well earned as well. He has shown some improvement in his defensive abilities and has displayed his unique passing abilities. He has not recorded an assist as of yet, but Jim Curtin recognizes his ability of crossing the ball. So much so that he has set a goal for Rosenberry to cross the ball three times a half. Joshua Yaro has appeared and also started twice so far this season in place for an injured Ken Tribbett. He has shown value and has made a case for a starting spot regularly. Richie Marquez has been the anchor of the defense all season. After earning a starting spot last season, he has not disappointed Jim Curtin since. On average, they have faced about 14 shots per game, but so far this season they have only conceded six goals.
Next, the Union have a reliable attacking force to use. Scoring goals is the name of the game and two players so far have taken that to heart. C.J Sapong, like stated above, has scored in all three of the Unions home matches this season. On Saturday he’ll be going for four in a row at home. He’s scored four times in seven games and his average match rating is an impressive 7.29 with one man of the match award. With this hot start of his, Sapong’s name is catching fire for Copa America Centenario in Jurgen Klinsmann’s squad. Chris Pontius has also showed he has put his leg injury aside to score. He netted a brace against the Columbus Crew in March to make himself known in the team. He scored against NYCFC to bring his total up to three goals this season. His average rating for this year so far is a 7.24.
