CHESTER, Pa. – It’s certainly been an eventful 24 hours for the Philadelphia Union.
On Sunday, ahead of the club's dramatic 1-0 win over D.C. United, the Sons of Ben supporters group staged a pregame protest, including marching to the stadium with a banner that read “Union Fans Deserve Better.”
The protest prompted a statement from CEO Nick Sakiewicz, who said, "We agree wholeheartedly with the Sons of Ben."
A day later, Sakiewicz continued the discussion, penning
an open letter to supporters
in which he further empathized with their frustrations.
"We are still not where we need to be," he wrote. "To be competitive season long, game in and game out, we need to continue to explore additional options to make the team successful.”
Sakiewicz also noted that the team “remains committed” to hiring a new head of soccer operations, adding that former Manchester United assistant coach Rene Meulensteen’s six-month consultancy will end this month and that the team will consider his “analysis and recommendations” before making the new hire.
Following the Union’s win, head coach Jim Curtin was asked about the protest, which the Sons of Ben opted not to continue into the stadium in a show of support for the players and Curtin himself.
“If you’re a fan of this team, you’re entitled to be pissed off at how this year has gone,” Curtin said. “I’m pissed off at how this year has gone. It’s not gone the way we wanted. I feel the same way. But to know they still support us on the field was excellent. It was special. It was electric in here. And you leave remembering that this is a place that teams hate coming [to]. … Our fans are the best.”
Indeed, the supporters certainly helped create a hostile environment for D.C. United, as Philly ended a four-game losing streak on a stoppage-time goal from fan favorite Zach Pfeffer.
“[The supporters] are here every week supporting us," Pfeffer said. "We want to go out there and entertain them and, most importantly, we want to grab three points every time we’re at home. We were able to do that [Sunday]. Now we have to keep going.”
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But despite all of the craziness surrounding the pregame protest and the excitement of the stoppage-time win over the Eastern Conference’s first-place team, Curtin took a measured tack when asked if the eventful Sunday was a turning point in Philly’s season.
“I don’t think we accomplished anything yet,” he said. “We won a soccer game at home. That’s what you’re supposed to do.”
Dave Zeitlin covers the Union for MLSsoccer.com. Email him at djzeitlin@gmail.com.
