Ah, another day, another player that has been shipped off by the Nowak regime. The latest victim? None other than number one draft pick Danny Mwanga, a forward who has both impressed and disappointed in his tenure as a Union player. Nowak continues to show players the door, despite having a successful season last year. This, combined with the Union’s horrid start to the season has given rise to many fans, including myself, asking the all important question: who’s to blame for this? Is it Nowak? The players themselves? Tactics? Team chemistry? Ultimately, it is most likely a combination of these things, but some are more culpable than others.
Nowak: The honeymoon period is all but over when it comes to the team’s only manager in its fledgling history. Nowak has a lot of control when it comes to front office dealings, and is largely the one responsible for the carousel of players coming in and out. He has shipped off three Union staples: Sebastien Le Toux, Danny Califf, and now Danny Mwanga. This was unthinkable a year ago, and I for one am still in shock. For a team that made the playoffs last year, Nowak is acting like they were terrible last year, which was not the case. He has packed the roster with an influx of Central and South American players, and has attempted to combine them with the leftovers of his roster from last year. The result has been disappointing, to say the least. For a man with so much soccer knowledge, he’s certainly been acting like a new coach that hit the panic button just because he didn’t win a title. Furthermore, it seems that he is failing to inspire his players. The Union have looked passionless, lacking the fire that sets apart the great teams from the good ones. At this point, the Union aren’t even a good team. And I believe Nowak is a main part as to why such a thing has happened.
Percentage of blame: 40%
The Players: Nowak may have made some mistakes in putting a team together, but ultimately it is the players who play the games. This year Union fans have had numerous surprises- both good and bad. Goalie Zach MacMath struggled early but has since put in solid performances between the pipes, but has now been bitten by the injury bug. Porfirio Lopez turned out to be a disaster at the left back position, being benched after a series of bad performances, most notably in the season opener at Portland. Ray Gaddis has been one of the good surprises. Though he shows his youth at teams with simple mistakes, Gaddis has flourished at right back, with his pace troubling wingers around the league when he makes his runs up the flank. Another pleasant surprise has been center back Carlos Valdes, who has been rated by mlssoccer.com as a top five center back in the league. He also inherited the captain’s armband after Califf’s departure. Overall, the defense has been solid, not as good as last year’s, but good enough.
The midfield is a different story. Largely lacking creativity, the midfield has been dominated often by opposing teams this season. The lone bright spots are Gabriel Gomez and Brian Carroll. Both are more defensive midfielders, and they have put in consistent, hardworking performances on the defensive end. Freddy Adu, the longtime boy wonder turned journeyman, has been challenged by U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s call for better play for his club team. He has responded with a series of good performances, creating chances and scoring goals in the U.S. Open Cup. However, the midfield still lacks for that creative, driving force that can control a game. Keon Daniel is certainly not that guy, nor is Kai Herdling. It could be Roger Torres, but for some reason Nowak refuses to play him. The same could be said for Amobi Okugo. Widely praised as a future staple in the U.S. midfield, Okugo has struggled to get minutes under Nowak. Considering the start to the year, why not let them play? See what they’ve got, the team needs an injection of youth and creativity in the midfield.
Up front at the forward position has been the Union’s main problem. The team simply cannot score. Mwanga was largely ineffective, and as a result is now no longer on the same team. Costa Rican Lionard Pajoy had a big reputation as a goal scorer coming in, and has failed to live up to it. He is usually isolated up top, and thus far has yet to find any sort of goal scoring form. Heralded rookie Chandler Hoffman hasn’t really gotten enough minutes to be effective. Josue Martinez has looked better in recent games, but has not inspired enough confidence in Nowak to get consistent minutes. The Union have had just three different goal scorers this year. That needs to change if they want to climb the standings.
Percentage of Blame: 30%
Tactics: The Union have been reminding me more and more of English Premier League side Stoke City, who are oft criticized for their park-the-bus and counter-attack mentality. Nowak seems to have favored this style this year, trying to play to his strengths (the defense). However, this style takes away most of the creativity out of the midfield, mainly because it allows for the opposing team to have most of possession. Obviously, if you don’t have the ball, you can’t be creative. The Union are not an attacking team because of these tactics, and as a result struggle to score. But do they really have the personnel to play anything else? Probably not.
Percentage of Blame: 20%
Team Chemistry: When you have as many players that have come and gone as the Union have, you can’t expect to have good team chemistry. The players are unfamiliar with one another, they don’t know how each other plays, or where they will be on the pitch. This has been painfully evident in matches this year. They look disjointed with their choppy play, and players clearly don’t know where their teammate’s next move will be.
Percentage of Blame: 10%
Is there any hope for the Union? Yes, mostly because they have the rest of the season to gel with one another and become a team. There is nowhere to go but up, and they have started that climb with two successive wins in the U.S. Open Cup, and will look to continue that form in the quarterfinals and in their next MLS fixture against D.C. United June 16th.
(image courtesy of philadelphiaunion.com)
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