Photo by miguelangelnunez, CC BY 2.0 Will the home of Philadelphia Union be a happy hunting ground in 2018?
Even a rare recent victory over near neighbors D.C. United hasn’t been able to lift the frustration and stagnation surrounding the Philadelphia Union. The Pennsylvania club has averaged just over a point per game so far this season, with 11 points from their opening 10 matches in the Eastern Conference. The upshot of their sluggish start to the season is that the qualification for the MLS Cup finals is already looking nigh impossible. That’s because the front-runners in the Eastern Conference have already opened more than a 10-point gap between themselves and the Union.
Off the Pace Set by Atlanta United
The latest prices for Major League Soccer across the leading sportsbooks tend to have Union at odds of 100/1 or more to lift the MLS Cup this season. In truth, the odds could or should be 10,000/1, given the investment that the likes of Atlanta United have poured into their squad of late. United’s investment has yielded 25 goals in their opening 11 fixtures. When you compare that with the meager eight goals that the Union has managed from their first ten games, it’s easy to see that Atlanta’s investment has been well-placed.
The Nightmare of Jay Simpson
Much of the Union’s struggles in front have been due to a lack of goals from former Arsenal trainee Jay Simpson, who has endured an injury-hit nightmare since joining Philadelphia. Simpson was a player in red-hot form at his former club in England, Leyton Orient, which plied their trade in the English Football League Two. After 25 goals and 3 assists in the 2015-16 season, Simpson was looking to translate that form with performances in the MLS for the Union. However, last season, Simpson managed just 39 minutes of action due to injury. It is reported that Simpson is the Union’s fourth-highest wage earner at the club, which, considering his lack of time on the pitch, makes his spell here something of a disaster. It’s also worth contrasting Simpson as the Union’s fourth-highest earner with LA Galaxy’s fourth-highest earner, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, to realize that the playing field is not leveled in the MLS.
Simpson has even fallen behind in attacking the pecking order to Cory Burke. Head coach Jim Curtin admitted that Burke is ahead of Simpson based on his performances in training and his reliability in fitness. The team’s talisman, C. J. Sapong, has averaged a goal every three games since joining the Union back in 2015. Nevertheless, the former Sporting Kansas City powerhouse needs far more support than the mercurial talents of Ilsinho if they are to be anything more than bottom-half fodder in the Eastern Conference this season and in the years to come.
Can the Moneyball approach work for the Union?
In recent years, the club has adopted a Moneyball approach to procuring talent. And sporting director Earnie Stewart has a history of demonstrating that the Moneyball way of finding new players and creating a squad can work, as exemplified by his time in the Netherlands. However, Moneyball is not a one-size-fits-all system. Although plucking potential talent from relative obscurity is admirable, there’s no guarantee of success. Union’s resources are above league average, but with results well below league average, it’s clear that something needs to change if they are to begin challenging the MLS elite.
