Photo: Earl Gardner
Memorial Day, 2014 – rock bottom for Philadelphia Union.
It took just three months and 14 games for a promising season to crash and burn in spectacular Philadelphia fashion.
Here we sit, now two games away from the World Cup break, with a record of 2-7-5 and 11 points. The players and the CEO have backed the coach, while the owner has remained characteristically silent. The anger of fans seems to be turning to apathy, as the tenure of John Hackworth quickly approaches Tom Corbett-esque levels on the lame duck scale.
Where exactly do you go from here?
It’s true that the team is just five points out of playoff contention, but eight other teams in the Eastern Conference have games in hand on the Union. That gap will widen when squads like Toronto (five games in hand) and Chicago (three games in hand) start to catch up.
If the Union lose to Chivas USA this week, the team will return home with the distinction of having won just three of its last 24 games. The poor form has carried over from the end of 2013, and the reality is that this team has not performed well since the end of last July. That’s a stretch of some ten months, and doesn’t even include all of the asterisks and aberrations that define last year.
There might not be one specific reason for the proverbial $#@! hitting the fan, but here’s a look at what exactly happened since we rang in the new year.
January 1, 2014 – A restless fan base yearns for new blood after the team stays quiet in the Re-Entry Draft, electing to sign midfielder Corben Bone while passing on available talent like Fabian Espindola and Bobby Boswell.
January 14, 2014 – The Union name retired defender Chris Albright as assistant technical director. At the time, it was believed the front office would groom Albright to take on a future role as a full-blown technical director or general manager.
January 15, 2014 – The first big signing of the offseason, Philadelphia adds left-footed winger Cristian Maidana. The 26-year-old, with experience in Europe, would be the first piece added to a new look Union midfield.
January 16, 2014 – The MLS SuperDraft takes place in Philadelphia. The Union trade up to No. 1 to select goalkeeper Andre Blake, then trade down and acquire former Reading United product Pedro Ribeiro. In the later rounds, the team selects Kevin Cope, Robbie Derschang, Aodhan Quinn, Richie Marquez, Alex Sweetin, and Luca Gimenez. At the start of the 2014 season, an injured Ribeiro joins Marquez in Harrisburg, while Blake backs up Zac MacMath and the other five players are cut. Experts call the draft a success with the acquisition of Blake, Ribeiro, and allocation money.
January 27, 2014– U.S. International Maurice Edu returns to MLS and signs with the Union on loan from Stoke City. To facilitate the signing, Philadelphia sends Jeff Parke to D.C. United for Ethan White and the top spot in the allocation order.
Union draft picks have played a total of zero minutes in 2014
January 29, 2014 – Assistant coach Brendan Burke leaves the team. The departure of the popular Burke, who also managed affiliate Reading, is never fully explained on the record.
January 30, 2014 – The final piece of the midfield puzzle: The Union sign French midfielder Vincent Nogueira. The Sochaux captain is seen as a huge steal for the Union as the technical staff and front office completes an entire rebuild in the middle of the park.
February 3, 2014 – Union signs goalkeeper Brian Holt to backup MacMath and Blake. Holt had spent the majority of 2013 training with the team.
February 7, 2014 – Former U.S. International and Montreal assistant Mike Sorber replaces the departed Burke on the Union technical staff.
February 23rd, 2014 – I write a story about John Hackworth’s switch from the 4-4-2 to the 4-3-3. Philadelphia, which was mostly successful with the 4-4-2 in 2013, would be reverting to the system Hackworth used for the second half of 2012.
February 24th, 2014 – The Union’s excellent offseason continues, with the signing of center back Austin Berry. The 2012 rookie of the year was acquired from Chicago for just $100,000 in allocation money.
The rest of February, 2014 – Foreshadowing? The team slogs through a preseason in which it scores just four goals in six games against four MLS opponents, plus Orlando City. Striker Jack McInerney scores three of the four goals in those matches.
March 8, 2014 – The Union play a great game on the road in the season opener. Fans grumble after a late collapse costs the team three points and a win. The 1-1 draw would gradually lose luster, as Portland stumbles through March and April.
March 15, 2014 – Union wins its first game of the year. It’s a 1-0 shutout against a New England team with early season struggles.
March 22, 2014 – Philadelphia falls short, losing 2-1 on the road to Columbus. Converted forward Aaron Wheeler makes his first professional start in defense and rises to No. 2 on the center back depth chart.
March 29, 2014 – Ten-man Montreal nicks a road point against the Union. Another late error gifts the Impact a counterattacking goal, and Frank Klopas’ team earns its first point of the season.
April 4, 2014 – John Hackworth trades McInerney, the team’s leading goal scorer over the past two seasons, to Montreal for former No. 1 draft pick Andrew Wenger. Rumors suggest that McInerney did not want to resign with the team and that he wanted more money. On the field, it looked like Hackworth would have a bigger and stronger center forward to play in his 4-3-3 system. Despite McInerney’s superior goal scoring record, his poacher skill set was not seen as a fit in the formation.
April 5, 2014 – Union cough up an 86th minute equalizing goal on the road in Chicago. Zac MacMath’s penalty kick save preserves a 2-2 draw.
April 8, 2014 – Unable to facilitate a trade, Union part ways with midfielder Keon Daniel.
April 12, 2014 – Philly gets a late goal from Edu and scrapes for a 2-2 home draw with Real Salt Lake. Union players caught ball-watching on both RSL goals.
April 16, 2014 – The beginning of a long skid. Union lose 2 to 1, falling to 0-6-1 all-time inside of Red Bull Arena. Attempted broadcast/simulcast on WACP-TV suffers from game-long audio issues.
April 19, 2014 – Philadelphia returns home and lays an egg, stumbling to a 0-0 draw with Houston.
April 26, 2014 – John Hackworth makes changes to the lineup, starting Danny Cruz and Fabinho on the road against Montreal. Philadelphia is shut out 1-0 and Montreal earns its first win of the season.
April 28th, 2014 – The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Laura McCrystal writes this piece about the lack of development around PPL Park. Nick Sakiewicz calls the Chester business environment “inconsistent.”
April 29, 2014 – Hackworth offers up some unusual quotes on the fitness and cultural habits and adjustment of Maidana’s family.
May 3, 2014 – Union take the lead against Seattle, in Seattle, on an own goal. The Sounders storm back with two second half goals to doom Philadelphia to its third loss in four games.
May 10, 2014 – Calls for the firing of Hackworth reach an all-time high. Philadelphia is shut out again at home, this time a 1-0 loss to D.C. United. At this point, Philadelphia had not scored from the run of play since the RSL game on April 12th.
May 14, 2014 – Backs against the wall, the Union, missing Maurice Edu, Brian Carroll, and Michael Lahoud, grind out a great win in Kansas City. Amobi Okugo moves into his natural midfield role, Sheanon Williams deputizes in central defense, and Austin Berry plays well in a 2-1 road win against the defending champions. After Danny Cruz’s opening goal, a handful of players run to the sidelines and embrace the under-fire Hackworth.
After the game, Sheanon Williams sends out this tweet:
https://twitter.com/sheanonwilliams/statuses/466784509774802945
May 15th, 2014 – Team CEO and operating partner Nick Sakiewicz publicly backs John Hackworth and explains that team is “scouring the marketplace” to bring in attacking talent.
May 17, 2014 – All momentum is squashed, when the Zolos concede five goals in a home loss to New England. Playing three games in eight days, a tired performance was compounded by listless defending from the back line.
May 22, 2014 – Maurice Edu is cut from the Team USA World Cup squad.
May 25, 2014 – Landon Donovan scores brace to become all-time leading goal scorer in MLS history. Union defend poorly in 4-1 loss to Los Angeles.
May 26, 2015 – Union reach the Memorial Day holiday with a record of 2-7-5. The points per game ratio of 0.79 is second worst in MLS, and eight other teams in the Eastern Conference have games in hand on Philadelphia.
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So where did everything go wrong?
It’s hard to point to one specific moment, but you can see little hints of foreshadowing throughout the timeline. The fact that Jack McInerney scored most of the goals in the preseason and the team scored so few goals in February is an indicator of the regular season offensive struggles.
The McInerney trade is an obvious point to consider. At the time, it’s true that Jack had carried over some of his 2013 slump into 2014, and it just didn’t seem like a poacher fit into the 4-3-3 system the team was trying to play. The issue, however, is that the technical staff never tried a 4-4-2 with McInerney and another striker before shipping him off to Montreal. Wenger has the size and strength to play as a target forward but lacks the finishing quality that McInerney brought to the 2012 and 2013 squads.
On the other hand, maybe the players and coaches just haven’t been good enough. Conor Casey looks like he’s cooked. John Hackworth has made some poor decisions (Aaron Wheeler), Sheanon Williams and Amobi Okugo have not been their normal selves this season, and the jury is still out on just how good Edu and Maidana are. Brian Carroll isn’t getting any younger, and homegrown players like Pfeffer, McLaughlin, and Hernandez aren’t really in the picture. Ribeiro and Blake haven’t even seen the field.
The list goes on, and the losses continue.
“Wenger has the size and strength to play as a target forward but lacks the finishing quality that McInerney brought to the 2012 and 2013 squads.”
You’re being too kind. Wenger has no soccer skills at all. JAcks ability to find space and move off the ball is a legitimate soccer sense that people praise Keane to no end for.
Hackworth basically traded a soccer player for a rugby player.
Not fair. Wenger has beat people on the dribble this year, something Jack never showed us. I think Wenger suffers from a lack of confidence, but he’s got better skills than Jack.
Agree with Ken. 95% of Mac’s goals were within 6 yards of goal off feeds or rebounds. That’s not an exageration and certainly for me not worth 250K a year. Wenger already showed the ability to create for himself multiple times this year but just didn’t finish his chances (the play where he gates the defender and the play where he cut back in between two defenders at the top of the box come to mind though I can’t recall the opponents) I only saw Mac create for himself once ever last year against DC.
Really the only thing that matters is goals. Wenger is more talented than he appears, and Jack’s quality is more about putting himself into good positions then scoring from 30 yards out. But in Jack’s defense, he still put those balls in the back of the net, while Wenger has struggled to do that. I was 50/50 on the trade at first, since I knew at the time it was a downgrade but it was a long-term decision, but unless Wenger starts scoring I can’t support the trade.
You’re being too harsh with your hyperbole. You say he has “no soccer skills at all”, which couldn’t be more incorrect. _I_ have no soccer skills at all. Andrew Wenger has enough soccer skills to be a runner-up (as defender) AND winner (as forward) of the Hermann Trophy while at Duke. Andrew Wenger has enough soccer skills to be a professional in this country’s top flight.
No way, James. Wenger is a talented player, just not in the way Jack was. Wenger is VERY strong on the ball and would be excellent with a complimenting striker.
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Jack McInerney is nowhere near Robbie Keane!
Jack Mac isn’t even close to having the skill and mindset of Keane. In my opinion, there is absolutely no comparison between them.
Keane is a professional European, Jack is just a college athlete.
Keane and Jack have similar skill sets, but Keane’s skills are at a much higher level than Jack’s.
So is his age and experience.
Didn’t The Union sign Carrol to another year? I think you need to add that to the list as it was the start of stocking CDMs and not strikers
Thank you for highlighting that Williams Tweet. Based on his “assist” the other night I’d hate to see how he’d play when he’s not going to war.
+1
I guess it’s time to talk to some of my friends and relatives who are DC United supporters, and find out what coping strategies they used last year.
It’s called “Winning the US Open Cup”
+1
I miss Jack 🙁
Something else the shit we are stuck in. Can’t score a gol. Say what you want about the guy. He showed he could score. He is a young man. He was a home grown player we sent off- not on loan somewhere- just parted ways with.
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why?
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cause he was going to cost us some money?
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is it coincidence the slide this team has taken on happened right about the time we sent him away? Coincidence? Maybe? Maybe not.
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His diagonal tight runs in the box… no one on this team capable of those darting little runs in the box. The runs he could be making behind the defense with Noguiera feeding through balls. theres no one on this team capable of that. we packed him up, why cause he was a pain in the ass in the locker room? Maybe. People said he was showing up his team mates on the field? He had fire. Balls. Something this SAD SACK shit team has none of.
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Good one FO. And you call me to buy tickets? For who? For What?
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Was Jack going to be a world class striker? probably not. COuld he score 10-15 a year with his eyes closed? Yup. Funny how good a player is that can guarantee you 10 goals a year. Like the pitcher good for 12 wins every season. Bank it.
Karma is Hack being fired after trading the player he owed his job to.
+1 You nailed it!
Both Wenger and Jack would have been a perfect fit for the Union. Their styles would have complimented each other. But at the end of the day in comparison with the compare Wenger is a far better soccer player than Jack– even if Wenger scored no goals this year.Wenger can carry the ball, wear down an opposing defender with his physical play and can hold the ball. All these Jack cannot do.
If only physical play and holding the ball put the ball in the net.
I know. I am fascinated by the talk of Wenger vs Mac. How many times Mac tracked back to collect the ball in our defensive end. he is an end to end striker, wasn’t afraid- and just a kid. slumping a bit, maybe. burly hold up strikers are great when you have players capable of scoring goals- particularly when a hold up striker is all Casey is anymore and already on the team. Jack is the exact striker type this team needs in the 4-3-3. He scored. Wenger doesn’t. Simple.
Jack was awful in the 4-3-3.
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A successful ‘track-back’ striker touches the ball more than 9 times, which is what I believe Jack was giving us towards the end.
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Both strikers have/are struggling in the Hack system.
Hack plays a 4-5-1, not a 4-3-3. A 4-3-3 would imply that there was support from the wingers in such a system. There is none because there are no wingers. Wenger struggles because he cannot finish. Jack struggled because he lacks the skill set to play as a lone striker. Blame the coach for failing to adapt his system to his roster.
Intellectual honesty though would tell us he only had a very small sample size to work from though. Guy got shit canned pretty much right after season started.
Wenger also drops back and defends (although it’s questionable whether he sometimes does this to the detriment of the team) Mac rarely left the midway line
I agree with Center that they would have been good compliments to one another as they play completely different games.
The Union used to have a video on their sight that showed every Union goal from 2013. Go back and watch that video and show me a goal (aside from the aforementioned DC United away goal) where Jack’s inherint talent resulted in the goal.
the inherent talent is in the goal.
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jeeze um people.
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goal scorers score goals. I don’t want Mario Mandzukic touching the ball— except right before he finds himself in the exact right spot at the exact right time- to tap in or finish what was started for him.
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goal scorers score goals.
It’s nice having your voice around as a regular, Kevin.
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I think comparing McInerney to Wenger is sort of like comparing a power-hitting slow-as-molasses left fielder and a swift, slick centerfielder who gets on base, hits a bunch of doubles, etc. Both can nominally be said to play the same position – outfield – but comparing them just isn’t fair. And I think that’s true for Wenger and McInerney. Yes, both nominally play the same position – forward – but they’re different players with different skill sets. Both have talent and are good at their skill.
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And, really, there’s no need to denegrate one to build up the other either. That’s pretty tacky, in my opinion, and doesn’t help you make your case.
+1
First, thanks, it’s appreciated.
Second, I’m not sure where in the article I denigrated either guy. I think I basically just explained that they are two different types of players.
-kk
And just to follow up, I said at the beginning of the season, when I still worked for the team, that I felt like 4-4-2 was a better fit for this group of players.
I didn’t think it made sense to go back to the 4-3-3, and I would have liked to see Jack play next to another striker in some type of formation that uses two forwards.
Sorry, Kevin. I was unclear. Everything after “glad to have you here” was aimed at the commenters above me. My apologies for the lack of clarity.
I got you, no problem at all.
-kk
+ Precisely!
What an amazing timeline of events. It’s physically painful to read it when it is put on paper like that.
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I believe the problem that runs through all of this is Hack. Until a new manager is brought in who will play guys in their positions, not let a converted forward learn (on the job) how to play CB, stick with a starting 11 and formation for more than a game, etc…. this team will be exactly as we see it.
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He can’t manage… plain and simple.
Thanks for the spotlighting of the timeline. I vaguely recall being hopeful about this season as the winter proceeded, and then was actually excited in the early games. Things have deteriorated so quickly that I actually turned off the game the other night rather than watch the dismemberment of the defense. I understand that you have a world class player that has just been disrespected showing the world that he has something still in the tank; that is a really bad time to encounter him when your team still plays like they are introducing themselves, each to the other. You refer to “ballwatching”, and that is an ongoing issue with communication on the back line. The coaching that cannot get these guys to mark a shirt while defending set pieces is a continuing problem. And, while the we no longer are forced to watch late goals surrendered in EVERY game, they both still appear too frequently and have been supplemented by early goals. I heard a coach say to his team once that he needed to start hiring a different bus for the team- it seemed that the team either didn’t want to get off of the bus and play, or couldn’t wait to get back on the bus. This team looks like that is a problem as well.
I don’t team get the Wegner love and the Jack hate. Strikers/ Forwards are supposed to score goals. I understand hold up play and tracking back and yada yada yada but a Striker needs to score goals. This Wegner kid just doesn’t get it done.
Probably has something to do with so many buying into the Hackworth mindset that every player should play every position on the field. Versatility! Total football! Hack probably thinks himself as the American Cruyff. I can see why he wanted Wenger.
The problem with Wenger is obvious. He is a striker that cannot finish. 7 goals in 2,674 minutes over his career. He’ll score, on average, once every four games, although he hasn’t even managed that while he’s been here. Hackworth tried to outsmart everyone with that trade but he only outsmarted himself. McInerney had many limitations but he could finish. Now, no one can finish.
Yes Sir.
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No disrespecting Wenger. He’s fine. He just not scoring goals. We need someone to make the runs to score goals not hold up play. Conor Casey can hold up play. Aaron Wheeler can hold up play, so just like our redundant 3 DMs we have 3 redundant strikers that play best with their back to the goal and no goals from the run of play- which if we have forgotten is really important. Silly all around.
It may seam trivial but you left out the press conference, when hackworth laughed off the question of a new mascot. If I recall it correctly that’s when this season’s mojo was lost!
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They could have started a cool tradition during this fifth season with the Ben Franklin goal celebration, but they didn’t now we can’t score with four guys on the goal line at ppl park.
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Seems like we got some bad mojo swirling around the park these days
LOL! I don’t think I’d want to suit up as a Union mascot right now. The Delaware looks awfully deep.
Yes there is a strange disturbance in the force!
To me this all adds up to Hackworth not having a clue as to how to effectively manage the skills players bring to the Union. From what I know of any real professional manager, the idea is to put your players in positions to succeed and take advantage of their skills. If Jack is you striker then you put players around him with the skills, movement, and touch so that he’s in a position to finish. If Wenger is your striker than you have players with the skills to make runs into the box while he’s using his physicality to create space for himself and others. If Le Toux is puting the ball into the net doing what he does then you plan your offense around that. You don’t start Cruz and Hoppenot for example if they don’t have the skills to make the team effective as a unit. Defensively you don’t convert players who’ve never played the position into CB’s and sit players you’ve brought in who are CB’s and have been playing as professionals. The book on Berry is that he is a very good stay at home CB. So you team him with someone more mobile. White could probably fill that roll if Hackworth new how to coach them. Then your flanks could be Gaddis on the right and Williams on the left. You don’t experiment with Wheeler during the actual season. You also don’t hang onto someone like Carroll who’s only skill now is as a sweeper who turns the ball over at critical times. This is where you could take advantage of Okugo and Edu playing together if you’re smart enough as a coach to plan strategy to do so. Bottom line again, you put players in position to use their skills and you plan your strategy to take advantage of those skills. All this comparing McInerney to Wenger etc.. is a waste of time. The problem is Hackworth and only Hackworth. He can not manage at the professional level. The Union has the talent to do some damage in this league. They don’t need an U17/assistant coach who thinks he can coach. They need a bonafide professional who can coach and has hopefully played at the pro level.
I thought it went off the rails during that debacle at NE last season, where the offside goal was still discussed as if it wasn’t offside. He showed then he’d lost the plot and wasn’t capable of guiding the team into the playoffs. The whole “desperate” situation bit before playing midfielders who had been exiled, until it was finally apparent to Hack we were desperate. All the new midfield did was paper over the cracks in his lack of a plan. It worked, they suckered me into a 9 game plan.
Great article.
The timeline was depressing enough then you had to put in the stats on the number of minutes played by our first round selections.
Not buying tickets till a coaching change.
The Union have 8 players on the All-Star Ballot. Only Noguiera has my vote.
I will likely vote for MacMath as well. I still give him credit for youth.
Wait, you don’t think Le Toux deserves to go as a forward? 😉
as much as the guy in row R section 128 seat 3 needs another sausage and pepper…. 🙂
That’s a damn fine stadium sandwich, right there. Add in the deli mustard, and BANG! (And a good price, too; have you ever seen the “sausage” at the Wells Fargo Center? Sheesh.)
I pick out my bitch the minute I walk in, tell the dude, see that one there? hold it.
that in a nutshell is my decent into madness.
Hackworth’s coaching reminds me of a line heard a few times in the movie, “Full Metal Jacket” ‘We’re in a world of shit, guys!’
you are on the right track but it’s more like.
“It’s a shit sandwich and we all got to take a bite” “full metal jacket”
I find it interesting that this team, like Philly itself, has thrived in the underdog role and has gotten big contributions from players either brushed aside by other teams or simply not as talented as their DP colleagues. I look at Danny Califf, whose skills were not as polished as an Omar Gonzalez but his heart and leadership qualities were unmatched. And Le Toux, who was brushed aside by Seattle only to lead this team in scoring over the first 2 years. But since they – and others – have been pushed aside by Philly this team has never been able to replace them. There is still no permanent solution at center back. Since Jordan Harvey left there have been 3+ left backs here. When Le Toux left, the striker void went unfilled until Jack went on a tear, and now he is gone and Le Toux has not played striker since. Zac is finally coming into form at keeper, but it looked scary there for awhile. I’m not suggesting that all those players are MLS XI worthy, just making a point that this team has traded or released players who have contributed to this team over the years, and the front office has tried to replace them with more experience or better talent, and they have failed. The glaring holes on this team have existed for years, and they are not being addressed.
The only player that was let go when he played a vital role for this Union team was Justin Mapp. I was so shocked when I found out he wasn’t one of the players to have a definite roster spot I will never ever understand why we excluded him from our roster. That one really hurt……
Yea that was a big one, shock to me too. Le Toux was never a threat to win the Golden Boot, but he was the team’s best scorer before Jack last year – and Jack slumped after he returned from Gold Cup duty. Califf was a good leader and face for the franchise. Mondragon was the same, plus the best keeper the team has every had. None of the players released were Best XI, I won’t argue that, in fact I don’t really argue they played vital roles, but I would argue that their contributions, big or small, on field or off, have not been replaced for various reasons. I don’t even mean to imply we suck because we traded them, but perhaps it’s like a curse that hangs over us for Nowak trading away two faces of the franchise.
On Wenger compared to Jack Mac, Lets forget about both of them. I wanna see a striker that can check back to the ball and hold the ball, who has great touch on the ball and is not afraid to take on defenders when needed. I want a striker who can put the ball in the back of the net by picking out corners and not taking shots at the keeper(Jack Mac), who can find space and distribute and create plays as well. I guess what I am asking for is to once again look overseas for the perfect striker. If I had to compare anyone to this stature I would say someone like Di Vaio.
“The perfect striker”? Who the hell is that? And if he exists (or ever existed), why would he come here? The “perfect striker” is the best one you can afford who scores the most goals playing with your team however he does it.
It’s been a while since i’ve posted anything in the comments, mostly just because of currently being disgusted with this team…but the last couple comments made me think of what the Union XI could be right now.. if the team wasn’t so mismanaged both currently and historically
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4-1-3-2 Formation (or diamond)
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MacMath (GK), Harvey (LB), Valdes/Parke (CB), Williams (RB), Okugo (CDM), Mapp (LW), Salinas (RW), Noguiera (CM/CAM), McInerney and LeToux/Casey/etc (F)
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I think that XI would be pretty entertaining to watch (and score some damn goals)…you could argue having Jacobsen, Edu, Maidana, MOF, etc in there too.