The Philadelphia Union dropped their fourth in a row on Saturday at Stade Saputo to C.F Montreal 4-2 despite opening the scoring in 29th minute thanks to a Quinn Sullivan goal and leading 2-1 at the half.

C.F Montreal was on a 4 game home game win streak and had also won 4 out of their last 5 going into Saturday. The Union on the other hand had dropped their last 3 games and had not gotten a win their 3-0 win in New England on May 18. Chalk that streak up to 4 losses now.

In today’s article, we will look at a few notes from this past Saturday’s match and look ahead to this week.

Union jump out to an early lead

As mentioned earlier, Quinn Sullivan found the back of the net in the 29th minute, beating CF Montreal keeper Jonathan Sirois to put the Union up 1-0 and get the away fans fired up. It was also a bit of encouragement as Montreal was 0-0-6 when conceding first in MLS play this season.

However, the ever constant thorn in the Union’s side, Josef Martinez, made short work of the lead only 6 minutes later, beating Leon Flach who left Martinez all alone to put a header in the back of the net, leveling the game at 1 a piece.

But having that heart and grit that the Union have shown over the years, they were able to capitalize on their own set piece as Jesus Bueno found the back of the net to make it 2-1 Union at the half, which again was encouraging as once again Montreal was without a win or a draw when trailing at the half.

Rick getting his second start

Andrew Rick got his second start in the net on Saturday night. The young keeper showed flashes of his promise, however, in the second half as the defense collapsed again, Rick found himself pick the ball out of the back of the next 3 times. You can make the the argument that Bryce Duke’s 56th minute goal to level the game 2-2 showed how much he still has to learn jumping from MLS Next Pro to the first team- which begs the question: what does Oliver Semmle need to do?

Late second half follies yet again

It feels like we have been here a few times over the year with the Union giving up late goals. After the second goal, the Union brought on their subs (Mbaizo and Gazdag), however, that was not enough as both Baribo (back issue) and Donovan were subbed off leaving the Union without a true forward for the last quarter or so of the game.

“(Tai) picked up an injury in warmups. We weren’t sure if he was going to be able to start the game after he hurt his back. And, you know, pushed I thought in a really positive way, did a good job for us.” Jim mentioned.

However, while the Union were just trying to get through the game and get home with a point, Montreal kept attacking and found the back of the net with Iankov who beat Rick, giving them the lead.While the Union tried to muster some late game chances to draw even, they were unsuccessful, and Ruan’s 92nd minute goal put the game out of reach to give Montreal their first win of the season when conceding first.

“We need the stick together. It’s a very difficult moment as well and have to regroup quickly and go again against Chicago,” Curtin said.

Questions to be asked

With the Union’s last win being against New England and having dropped their last four matches, some are starting to wonder, is Jim on the proverbial hot seat? In his post match interview, Jim addressed that question when asked.

“I know what I’ve done at the club,” he said. “I’ve known the highs that we’ve had in the last six years. Those are great, but it is a ‘what have you done for me lately’ business. So again, there’s always pressure, you always have to try to improve and get better.”

Next up, Chicago Fire

With little time to regroup, the Union will head west to play Chicago on Wednesday (8:30pm EST on Apple TV). Chicago has had their fair share of bad breaks on the season and currently sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. However, unlike the Union who are 0-1-4 in their last 5, Chicago is 2-1-2 despite having dropped their last two games.

Curtin also said, “The Union are playing a team that’s also coming off, I thought, a result where they should have gotten at least a point out of it against Seattle, and they are playing better in recent weeks. They’ve changed formations and will be to desperate teams, you know, going at each other and teams that need three points.”

Tai Baribo looks like he will be a game time decision which again, will leave Chris Donovan as lone striker available if he is unable to go. On Tai, Curtin remarked, “Doesn’t feel good right now. We’ll probably meet with him right now to see if he’s able to make the trip. So [it] doesn’t get any easier for us. You guys know who’s here who’s not and how hard it can be. But again, we have to find a way to grind out some results here this week.”

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Will we see Andrew Rick made another start?

Jim addressed the young goalkeeper’s performance during Tuesday’s press conference and what his thoughts are on the goalkeeping room at the moment. “We have two young goalkeepers in Oliver and Andrew that we believe in. We know when you play young players, there’s going to be learning moments. You only get those through the games. Does it hurt sometimes with points? It does, but we still believe very much in them and know that they’re both capable starters. They’re going to have long careers in this league. Right now, like I said, we don’t have the luxury of kind of easing them into it. “

It will be really interesting to see who Jim goes with on Wednesday in net.

Turning the Corner?

I asked Jim to about his post Montreal comments on being close to breaking out of the slump and what he is seeing from the group. He responded, “We were close in Cincinnati to at least take a ppoint from one of the best teams in the league, you know, we’re close in Montreal and should have taken another point. Again, those are moral victories, I would say. Ultimately, we have to win our home games and get back to doing that. That’s the recipe for success in this league. And right now, I take the blame for that we haven’t been good enough at home, we’ve let our fans down.”

Chicago today, and then Red Bulls at home on Saturday means another busy week for a shortened Union roster. Points this week would go a long way for this club to start getting back into the playoff picture and getting confidence as a group.

Jim echoed those thoughts: ” I still will say we’re a team that when everybody is back and everybody is playing well we still can get in the playoffs and I still would not want to go at us in a one game playoff.”

A few spots to check out in Chicago

With the travel from Montreal and recording our podcast and this article we are going choose a few places to visit if you are in town this Wednesday below.

Wrigley Field

Hey, guess what? The Phillies are in town at Wrigley Field!

Wrigley Field in Chicago has been the home of the Chicago Cubs since 1916, making it one of the oldest ballparks still in operation, second only to Fenway Park in Boston.

This ballpark is on the “bucket list” of many who are trying to get to all the ballparks and is a must-visit for any baseball fan.

Lincoln Park Zoo

Lincoln Park Zoo is free, open every day of the year, and offers something for everyone. Here you can take a stroll through Chicago’s most visited gardens and meet animals from around the world. There is also an on-site cafe with pleasant refreshments.

Shedd Aquarium

It is at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium where you can stroll among the winding waters of the Amazon River, the legendary coral reefs of the Caribbean, the coastal beauty of the Pacific Northwest, and the icy majesty of the Arctic — all in one visit. Located on the shores of Lake Michigan in the heart of downtown Chicago, Shedd Aquarium will transport you to aquatic wonders from all corners of the globe.

Thanks for reading as always, have a great time in Chicago and let us know your experience.