CHESTER, Pa. -- How depleted are the Union right now?
Jim Curtin said there were only 13 players participating at Wednesday’s training session. And when deciding which 18 players will travel for Sunday’s nationally televised game at Sporting Kansas City (7 p.m., Fox Sports 1), the Union head coach may have to do so from a pool of just 19.
But there is a sliver of good news.
One of the team’s injured players, striker C.J. Sapong, is close to returning from a concussion and facial fracture he suffered in the first game of the season. He’ll likely start against Kansas City -- his former team -- if available.
“His issue will be a concussion protocol that the league has – he has to clear that,” Curtin said. “I spoke with him two seconds ago and he said it felt good after [Wednesday’s training]. It was the first real intense training that he’s had, so we’ll see how he responds to that. All things are positive right now but with the head injuries and the seriousness that our league takes with them – as they should – it’ll be a day-by-day thing.”
The Union have a couple of more practices before they depart for Kansas City on Saturday, so the coaching staff will have a little bit of time to decide if they will bring Sapong, one of the team’s most important offseason acquisitions.
Sapong scored 20 goals in four seasons with SKC, and started his first game with the Union on March 7th before getting elbowed in the head right before halftime, causing him to miss the team’s last three games.
Philadelphia Union
“It definitely wasn’t malicious,” Sapong said of the elbow. “It happened. It was a rough couple of weeks but I’m happy that I’m uprising right now. I feel a lot better. … The biggest thing is once I’m fully training and feeling contact. I haven’t done that yet. That’s going to be the prime indicator of whether I’m ready or not.”
It would certainly be good timing for Sapong to return to the Union’s slumping offense. Curtin indicated that striker Conor Casey will be out again because of a sports hernia, along with attacking midfielder Cristian Maidana (MCL). The team’s other attacking midfielders — Zach Pfeffer and Fred — are both suspended because of red cards, leaving Curtin without many good options to set up his offense.
Meanwhile, starting fullback Sheanon Williams is also expected to miss his second straight game with a hamstring injury. And fellow defender Steven Vitoria will likely play but he’s been away from practice this week because his wife is expecting the couple’s second child.
“We’re thin right now,” Curtin said. “But, at the same time, we have to get a result against Kansas City.”
Pressure on Le Toux?
Through four games of the MLS season, only one Philly player has scored: newcomer Fernando Aristeguieta.
Naturally, then, some will point the finger at Sebastien Le Toux -- the franchise’s all-time leading scorer -- as a player that needs to kickstart the slumping offense.
But Le Toux isn’t worried about his own production. And whether or not it’s him finding the back of the net, he thinks the team’s attack will break out soon.
“I know it’s a long season,” the Frenchman said. “The goals will come. We have lot of power offensively. It can be me, it can be lots of players on the team. I’m sure I will score goals this year. When? I don’t know. But the earlier, of course, the better.”
Still, there is some reason for concern. Curtin said that Le Toux has missed four or five good looks that “he usually buries” and has shown a little bit of frustration. And the Union head coach thinks part of the issue could be the still-evolving relationship between Le Toux on the right wing, Aristeguieta in the middle and Andrew Wenger on the left wing.
“He’s been playing a little higher up the field, a little closer to Fernando,” Curtin said. “In some ways, they’re kind of maybe crowding each other a little bit, so we’ll work on the spacing with the two of them.”
Suspensions piling up
One week after Pfeffer was suspended an extra game on top of the one he was already given for a red card, the same thing happened to Fred.
And in both cases, Curtin thinks the longer suspensions were warranted because of the nature of the fouls, both of which involved a hit to an opponent’s head.
“It’s not something that’s worth even challenging because they’ve taken a hard line on anything to the face and head right now, which I actually agree with,” the Union coach said. “There are other ways to show you’re tough and competing. Those were two examples of maybe guys wanting to show they’re committed and wanting to help the team, which kind of want south.”
Pfeffer will return from his two-game suspension for the Union’s first-ever game against expansion team New York City FC on April 11th. Fred, who Curtin said could have been in line to start this weekend, will miss both the SKC and NYCFC game.
“Fred apologized to me today,” Curtin said. “At the same time, there are no sorrys in soccer. The game moves on. It waits for no one.”