CHESTER, Pa. – After the Philadelphia Union needed 120 minutes and then penalty kicks to escape their US Open Cup matchup with the Rochester Rhinos on a very hot night 1759311395" tabindex="0">Tuesday, head coach Jim Curtin would have loved to have some fresh legs available for Saturday’s tough road game at the LA Galaxy (1759311397" tabindex="0">10:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE).
Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t have that luxury.
With many players struggling to return from injury, the Union will face the Galaxy on the other side of the country with a thin and weary squad.
“Obviously it’s a tough stretch and it’s a stretch that I thought we’d be getting a lot of bodies back healthy,” Curtin said 1759311398" tabindex="0">Thursday, shortly before the team departed for Los Angeles. “But it turns out that’s not the case.”
The Union are particularly hurting in the attack, with Fernando Aristeguieta (left fibula contusion) and Conor Casey (left quad strain) not progressing as quickly as Curtin had hoped. The Union coach also revealed that Sebastien Le Toux suffered a grade 2 MCL sprain in1759311399" tabindex="0"> Tuesday’s game and will miss about two to four weeks of action.
That leaves C.J. Sapong, who played all 120 minutes 1759311400" tabindex="0">Tuesday, as the team’s only true striker.
“We’re thin, obviously up top, and after the 120 minutes, it’s going to be difficult,” Curtin said. “But we have to go in as the underdog against the defending champs in a tough place to play and put a team out there that’s going to compete for points on the road.”
Center back Steven Vitoria will also miss his eighth straight game after starting the first nine, due to both his nagging hamstring issues and the fact that he will be the best man at his brother’s wedding this weekend. And Curtin also said that midfielder Michael Lahoud, who had emerged as a starter before going down injured in early May, “had a setback.”
The good news is that midfielder Brian Carroll and fullback Sheanon Williams, two of the major players responsible for the Union winning three of their last five league games, are well rested after getting the night off vs. Rochester. And Curtin indicated that he plans to rotate his three fullbacks – Williams, Ray Gaddis and Fabinho – as the Union follow 1759311401" tabindex="0">Saturday’s game with home games against Seattle next Wednesday and against Montreal a week from Saturday.
“To have Sheanon, Ray and Fabi in this tough stretch is a good thing because all three guys are capable starters in MLS,” Curtin said. “All three guys have done a good job. Ray coming back now is a positive off the injury. We’ll have to use all three in a smart way, but I feel confident in all three getting the job done.”
Although Curtin probably doesn’t have enough healthy bodies to rotate his squad in other areas of the field, he’s confident his players will handle it and continue making strides forward after a brutal start to the season.
“They’re ready for these kinds of battles,” the Union coach said. “All over the world, teams play three times a week quite often. Is travel a little different in this country? For sure. When you jump on a plane for a couple of thousand miles, that’s different than it is in Europe where you’re maybe just jumping on a bus. It affects guys differently.
“But I’ve talked to them about taking care of their bodies, massages, whatever it takes. They’ve done a good job eating right, sleeping right, and they’ll be up for the busy load.”
Dave Zeitlin covers the Union for MLSsoccer.com. Email him at djzeitlin@gmail.com.
