Philadelphia Union II will travel to the Sunshine State this weekend to take on third-place Orlando City B (7-3-4) in their next fixture as MLS Next Pro play continues. Union II (5-7-2) have been amongst the top teams at points this season, but have fallen to 13th after losing tight matches and two recently that were decided at the death. Getting a road result could go a long way with getting back on track, and the good news is that they should have plenty of options for the matchday roster.
It will be interim head coach Chris Harmon’s second match, and as he is adjusting to leading the squad, his focus is centered around getting the team to connect. I attended training on Wednesday and had a chance to talk to him about it.
“Yeah, to be honest, up to this point it’s been for me, the focus is us. As we get a little bit closer to the end of the week, we’ll switch our focus a little bit,” Harmon said. “But I expect us to go and compete, and I expect us to take our performance from last week and grow. Right now my focus is us and the group, and how do I get us collectively playing a little bit better together, and today was a really good first step.”
Finding the back of the net has been more difficult lately, and strikers tend very streaky. Eddy Davis and Malik Jakupovic especially seem to be a tad snake-bitten, and their midfielder teammates Willyam Ferreira and Kellan LeBlanc have also had some prime opportunities that came up short.
“Yeah, I think we have to do a better job of bringing the ball to better spaces and giving them higher percentage chances of scoring,” Harmon shared. “I think we’re asking our nines to do a lot, and you know they’re doing well, they’re taking a lot of half chances, but how can we collectively put these guys in better situations to score? That’s the goal—to create higher percentage chances. “
The margins, as Jim Curtin used to like to say, have been “razor-thin.” In Union II’s previous match, they lost in the final moments 1-0 to NYCFC II after it looked like the match was destined to be a 0-0 draw and go to penalty kicks. With the exception of their 4-1 win over Carolina Core, every single match has had either a one-goal margin or, in two cases, was a draw.
Kellan LeBlanc also remarked on chance creation and finishing, and what the squad needs to do to get on the winning side of those thin margins.
“We have to probably do better finishing our chances in the opposing box, and then just keep being solid in our own box,” LeBlanc said. “And we’ve done pretty well defensively, just being better to not concede goals, and I think, like, if we keep training the way we’ve been training, results will start to go our way.”
“Yeah, that’s been tough, like we’re always just losing by one, just it’s a little margin the game, last minute especially was tough to take,” defensive midfielder Lennon Harrington related. “So I think, like, the last couple of games have been, like, the best I’ve seen us play. Like, versus Crown Legacy, I thought that was the best we’ve played all season. So I think we’re doing the right things. It’s just a matter of time until the results go our way.”
The defense will need to hold strong as Orlando has recorded the second-most goals and assists in the league. Pedro Leão leads the team in goals (7), while Harvey Sarajian has the most goal contributions (5 goals, 5 assists). Meanwhile, Union II’s top goal scorer, Stas Korzeniowski (5) seems unlikely to play given he was training off to the side as he recovers from injury. Jakupovic has three goals, and has shown he can be a great finisher and very dangerous in the box.
While the scoring has not quite been there, Union II’s defense has been fantastic, led by team captain Rafael Uzcátegui, who has played every minute of every match and bailed them out of many situations. As a center back, he has also played a very clean game up to this point, with no yellow cards (as this writer hopes to not jinx the young man). Finn Sundstrom has been paired with him mostly, but Andrew Craig has also been a strong presence there when in the lineup.
Harmon knows Craig quite well, as Craig was his captain for the U-18s, so quite a bit of leadership can be found on the back line.
“Yeah, Craig is a natural leader, so we love having him here. He’s obviously a competitor, and whether he’s wearing the armband or not, he’s somebody that can definitely lead the group,” Harmon said. “Again, I was really, really happy with Rafa, you know. I actually haven’t worked a lot with Rafa, but the way that he led the group, I thought he played a phenomenal, phenomenal game, but between him and Craig, really, you know, not giving the opponent a lot, I think they’re a really good partnership. But really happy for Craig to be able to step into Union II games and not skip a beat.”
Speaking of leadership, Harmon himself had a chance to further his experience recently as he was named an assistant coach for the U-18 Men’s National Team in their camp in Spain. It was his first such appointment.
“Yeah, that was truly an honor for me to go there and help out. It was an awesome experience to be able to see the level to work within the staff under Jeremy Hall, who is a phenomenal coach,” Harmon shared. “So just a new learning environment for me to be able to be exposed to, but what a great experience, and one that, yeah, I’m really grateful for, especially since the club backed me, and you know, gave me the opportunity. So really, really grateful, and yeah, the opportunity to learn from different people is always something you’re looking for as a coach, so that was a great experience.”
Harmon had the chance to be there with two Union II players in Jordan Griffin and Kellan LeBlanc.
“Yeah, both had had good camps, in my opinion,” Harmon shared. “Obviously, it’s funny because you know, you take them from one environment and you put them in another, and I think Kellan was really lively. He had good moments, probably put himself in some really good situations to score, but I thought, with and without the ball, he had an excellent camp.”
Harmon continued, “Jordan played most of his minutes against Qatar, and was really, really lively. Put in some good balls, almost had an assist. Yeah, both really bright in my opinion. Good experience for these guys to go abroad and play international opponents. So really happy with both of them.”
“Yeah, always a pleasure and an honor to represent my nation, and it was fun,” LeBlanc shared. “Good for me and [Jordan] to be there again. It’s been a little bit since we’ve been there together. So, yeah, it was fun… a good experience. Team did well.”
Union II looked lively at training on Wednesday, and had great numbers in their ranks. As the MLS Next season is over, the academy players are back from their break that followed the playoffs. While some players had returned sooner, John Ruf, Tyler Gladstone, Timo Mendoza, and Abdoulaye Diop were back. Samuel Gallego, who only has featured in the friendly with the Ocean City Nor’easters, was training, as well as Jett Harrison.
Harrison, 17, of Yukon, Oklahoma, joined the Union Academy in the winter from DKSC and was an important component to the U-18s, including in penalty kicks in the Dallas Cup. He is a versatile player who has played in the midfield and the back line.
On what he can contribute to Union II, Harmon shared, “Jett has a lot of things to bring. Obviously, his athleticism and his versatility—can play in a lot of different positions. See him, maybe as a fullback or as a six, can even play a bit higher as a 10. So his versatility, as he continues to get acclimated to the group. I have no doubt that opportunities will come, but right now I would say he’s doing a really good job of competing every day and taking in the information, and I think making the jump from the 18s to the second team has been really seamless for him. And now, yeah, we just have to make sure that we keep pushing.”
Tune in to the match at mlsnextpro.com or OneFootball at 7:00 PM on Sunday, June 21 to see Union II take on Orlando City B at Osceola Heritage Park.
For more content, check out the full audio of the interviews with Lennon Harrington and Kellan LeBlanc:
Main article photo: Rafael Uzcátegui. Courtesy of Philadelphia Union II.
The One Team We Agree On 
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