March 15, 2016
Kevin Kinkead/for PhillyVoice
The Union practice Tuesday under dreary skies in Chester.
The Philadelphia Union returned to training on a dreary Tuesday morning, but spirits were bright after the 2-1 weekend win in Columbus.
Vince Nogueira, who missed the match with a late ankle injury, did not take part in the session. Tranquillo Barnetta, however, did participate and continues to recover from the knee tendinitis that's been keeping him on the sideline.
After training, manager Jim Curtin elaborated on Nogueira's injury, which left the team with six substitutes on the bench in Ohio.
"He had a little bit of injury in training," Curtin explained. "We talked to him after and he didn't think it was much. He got on the plane and woke up the next morning, maybe not feeling as good and as certain (as he was before). We talked to the medical staff, they put him through some tests, and we made the decision, literally right at the pregame meal, that we'd make the change and put Warren (Creavalle) in. We didn't want it to be a situation where Vince is out there for 15 minutes, then all of a sudden we have to burn a sub. We wanted him to be 100 percent to start the game. We informed Warren at the pregame meal, and he did a heck of a job. He came into a tough situation and broke up a lot of plays and did really well."
The Union haven't been the same on home turf since 2011.
That playoff team had seven wins, nine draws, and one loss at then-PPL Park, cruising into the playoffs with 30 points from 17 home games.
Last year's squad lost seven home games and earned just 25 out of 51 possible points. It was similar in 2014, when the club managed just six wins and 23 home points.
This season, the manager says home form is the key to returning to the playoffs.
"We set a goal for ourselves, a minimum of ten wins in that building," Curtin said. "Ten of 17 may not sound like a lot to people, but, you know, the franchise record is 12 wins in a year. If you get ten in that building, which I think is a realistic goal, you'll be in the playoffs. I believe that. If you look at the (tables), right around 14 wins pretty much assures you, obviously, ties are factored in, but if you get to 14 wins, historically that's been a benchmark (for getting into the postseason). Ten at home is the goal, minimum. It starts on Sunday against a good New England team."
Jim Curtin after training today: "A win against Columbus means nothing if we don’t back it up with three points in this building."
— Dave Zeitlin (@DaveZeitlin) March 15, 2016
Curtin was asked about the progress of his offense on Tuesday, and shared a sidebar regarding the fitness of Ilsinho.
"There's some things starting to gel," Curtin began. "It's not perfect yet. C.J. (Sapong) is still doing a lot of the holdup play and a lot of the dirty work. Ilsinho is starting to get used to his teammates and find his fitness. He's dropped about eight pounds since preseason, he said. His weight in the Champion's League I think was 188; I think he's still around 196..
(Reporters interject) - What do you want him to be, 180?
"I just want him to be playing well," Curtin laughed. "I don't care how much he weighs. That's just a reference point for where he's at, and he's still gaining fitness. He's a special player. We need him on the ball more, as much as we possibly can."
That's a staggering number for an attacking midfielder. 196 pounds? Obviously, it's never been an issue, considering how impressive Ilsinho's resume is. It's just crazy to think that a 5'10" soccer player can carry that much weight and have that much skill and success.
It's a feel-good story for all of the weekend beer league soccer players out there.
Chris Pontius is used to getting booed at Talen Energy Stadium.
Before coming to Chester, he was a regular target for abuse from the Sons of Ben. Even at the 2012 all-star game, when Pontius was representing Major League Soccer, there was still some animosity from the crowd.
"I think they cheered for the goal, but then still I heard some comments afterward," the winger joked on Tuesday. "Maybe it was, 'we like you for this game, but you still play for D.C. United'."
Pontius also shared a Philadelphia story involving a father and his son.
"They called me over, and he said, 'my son wants to talk to you'. So I started walking over there. Then, he told me, 'you just suck'. I was like, 'alright, thanks'."
