Philadelphia Union v FC Dallas (2-2) - Dallas Throws Away Two Points in Adu’s Debut

Union formation after 22nd minute

Philadelphia's Strategy
    Peter Nowak gave Freddy Adu the start even though he had only been with the club for one training session. The Union started out in a 4-4-1-1 with Adu as the playmaker. In midfield was LeToux, Paunovic, Carroll and Mapp, while McInerney began as the lone striker.
    However, Nowak scrapped this formation a mere twenty minutes into the match. After having a word with Adu five minutes earlier, Nowak called his players to the touchline when a Dallas player was down. He switched his sides shape to a 4-4-2, with LeToux and McInerney up top and Adu and Mapp on the wings.

Dallas Strategy
    Schellas Hyndman tweeked his tactics, changing from a 4-5-1 to a 4-2-3-1. Villar played in front of Hernandez and Guarda and had the freedom to move from touchline to touchline to try and interchange with Shea and Chavez and to support Maicon Santos. The movement from Villar and Santos kept the center backs concerned with the middle of the pitch. This isolated the fullbacks on Shea and Chavez, and the two wingers gave them fits all night.

     For large stretches of the match, Dallas passed the ball around swiftly and with great precision. This kept the Union on their heels and Dallas had room to switch the ball across the pitch to Shea or Chavez. When they lost the ball, Dallas pressured the first Union player who had possession. This pressure bothered the Union and prevented them from settling into the match.

Gaffe Gifts Dallas Lead
    Dallas threw a seemingly harmless ball long from the right side that looked to be an easy one for Carlos Valdes to clear in the 16th minute. Inexplicably, the Colombian center back hesitated and then whiffed on his clearance attempt. The ball was collected by a hard charging Maicon Santos who floated it over Mondragon and into the back of the net. After such a strong start to the season, Valdes has hit a rough patch of form recently, having a similar howler against Colorado.
    Dallas was in control of the run of play throughout the first half and looked comfortable up a goal. However, Ugo Ihemelu was in a gift giving mood and presented the Union a penalty in the 33rd minute. McInerney chipped a ball down the right touchline perfectly for Mapp who had room to run into the box. Ihemelu was able to recover though and close Mapp down. But, the experienced midfielder baited Ihemelu to make a challenge and brought him down, with referee Geoff Gamble pointing to the spot. It was a clear penalty and a foolish one to concede as Mapp was not in a dangerous area. Sebastian LeToux stepped up and sent to penalty into the lower left hand corner, leveling the match, and tallying his first goal since April 20 (stat via @thegoalkeeper).
    Minutes before halftime Dallas was able to reclaim the lead on a swift counter attack. Santos played a lovely ball to Chavez whose pace had gotten him room and he was able to shoot from inside the box. His effort was partially stopped by Mondragon but the ball deflected off the right post. Brek Shea was at the doorstep after a superb hustling effort to bury the rebound and give Dallas the 2-1 lead at the break.

Adu’s Performance

     Considering Adu just joined the side, it was no surprise the Unionb attack looked out of sorts. He said after the match, "But I've got to get on the same page obviously." He played the first 20 minutes in the playmaker role and was ineffective. However, this was not completely his fault as he received little service. The Union were playing direct with too many long balls instead of controlling possession.

     Upon moving to left wing, Adu remained ineffective for the rest of the first half. His best spell came in the first 15 minutes of the second half. Freddy saw plenty of the ball on the left side and was able to get in crosses. He played a through ball to Paunovic in the 56^th minute which was put into the back of the net, but the midfielder was carelessly offside. He exited in the 62^nd minute for Danny Mwanga and his return to the MLS was fairly successful, considering the circumstances.

Frantic Finish as the Union Equalize                          

     Down a goal, Nowak went to the bench and brought on Roger Torres in the 73^rd and Keon Daniel in the 79^th minute to try and rescue a draw. Dallas was looking comfortable and appeared more likely to add a third then the Union was scoring a second. Villar had two clear cut chances in the 78^th and 79^th minute but was unable to finish either of them.

     The dynamics of the match changed in the 81^st minute. After picking up a yellow in the first half for unnecessarily shouldering LeToux, George John made his second mistake by slide tackling Mwanga on the edge of the 18. The challenge was needless as Mwanga was swarmed by Dallas defenders and Geoff Gamble had to book John for the second time.

     A third critical mistake was made by Dallas three minutes later. Farfan found space past Jackson on the left side and carried the ball into the box. Jackson took down the left back and the referee awarded another penalty. LeToux stepped up and put his second penalty of the night in the same spot as the first.

     Philadelphia nearly stole the win in the 90^th minute. Roger Torres delicately chipped a ball over the top for Mwanga whose shot from seven yards was well saved by Hartman. Hartman then made a great save on the ensuing corner as Keon Daniel’s header was deflected but Hartman adjusted his body to make the save. The veteran keeper did well to preserve the draw and in the process earned his 373^rd start of his MLS career, which set the record for most starts in league history.

Outlook for New Look Union
     Peter Nowak now has a decision on what tactical shape he will set his side out in and what positions his players will take up.

     I would like to see the Union start Adu, Mwanga, LeToux as a front three with Carroll, Mapp and Torres in midfield. This would no doubt be an attacking and unrealistic lineup but a 4-3-3 with all six attacking players comfortable in possession would be a joy to watch.
    Most likely, Nowak will use the 4-4-2 he employed from the 22nd minute on. Mapp and Adu would play wide with LeToux and McInerney up top.
     Interestingly, on Sunday Mondragon tweeted, “What a dream come true will be to have my "brother" @JUANPABLOANGEL to play for the Philadelphia Union, he will fit perfectly in our team!” Then quickly responded with, “Its just a personal wish, just saying, you never know!!! DOOP!!!”

     To me, the second tweet seems like the Union PR Department got ahold of Mr. Mondragon and told him to fix his message. The possible addition of Angel, on DP money, would be foolish. I know he will feel at home playing with fellow Colombians Mondragon, Torres and Valdes, but Angel has looked washed up for LA, which is why they are acquiring Robbie Keane.

Dallas Outlook
    The Hoops will be devastated not only for dropping two points, but if the possible knock to Daniel Hernandez turns out to be serious. The club's depth will be severely tested with midweek Champions League matches and weekend MLS fixtures. Schellas Hyndman will have to make changes and rest players while also picking up results in both competitions. In an interview with World Football Daily, the manager said he had a plan for how many minutes each player would play in August to try and keep everyone fresh for the remainder of the season.

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