John Hackworth and his players wouldn't call it a "statement game".
But a win in Montreal would have been the team's biggest win this year.
Marco Di Vaio's first half hat trick ultimately sunk the Union, who fought back to within a goal two separate times before falling 5-3.
OPTA Chalkboard: Impact win the track meet vs. Union
The Union are now 0-3-0 against teams in the top half of the Eastern Conference.
“I don't look at it like that," said manager Hackworth, when asked whether he was concerned with the Union's record against top-table teams. "I think we are what we are.”
Philadelphia's best win of 2013 looks to be the March 10th victory in Colorado. The Rapids are currently the only team in playoff position that the Union have defeated this season.
“I didn't see it as a statement game,” said fullback Sheanon Williams. “I feel it was just a game for us, coming off a win, we were trying to build some momentum for ourselves. Obviously they're a good team and their position in the standings and our position in the standings shows the type of teams we currently are. I'm sure that'll be pretty different at the end of the season.”
Statement or not, there’s a sense of urgency building inside the locker room – especially after conceding five goals.
"We know Montreal has a few games in hand so we don't really look too much into that, whether we jump in front of them," center back Amobi Okugo said. "But we've got to start beating the better teams. We're taking care of business against the teams behind us, but if we want to stay in contention we need to beat the teams that we're trying to catch up to, in terms of points."
The Union defense has now conceded a conference-worst 23 goals through 13 total games.
"We knew what their game plan was going to be," Williams explained. "We didn't pay attention. We didn't play well defensively and that includes me. I feel like I'm accountable for at least three of their goals, so that's not good enough for me. It's not good enough for our team.”
