CHESTER, Pa. – When Conor Casey was hot, so were the Union.
From May 31-Sept. 6, Casey scored all eight of his goals, with Philadelphia going 7-1-4 in games he started during that stretch. But, perhaps predictably, when the 33-year-old striker cooled down, that’s when the Union stopped winning games – a drought that ended the club’s hopes of making the playoffs and one for which Casey feels a lot of responsibility.
“I don’t know about physically wearing down, but I wasn’t able to connect the last few games when we really needed goals,” Casey told MLSsoccer.com. “I don’t know if it’s a physical thing. I just didn’t take my chances as well as I should have.”
To be fair, Casey did battle inflammation in his right knee, which held him out of the Union’s 1-1 draw with the Chicago Fire on Oct. 2, the first of two straight late-game collapses that officially knocked Philadelphia out of postseason contention. In the five games since he scored in back-to-back wins over Toronto in early September, Casey has only played a total of 182 minutes.
But Casey, who has dealt with injury problems in the past, did not want to make any excuses for failing to score in those games, particularly in the scoreless draw with Houston on Sept. 20 when he finished with seven shots.
“He had a great run in the summer and he’s a guy that carried us,” interim manager Jim Curtin said. “We kind of got on his back and rode him. Toward the end, he didn’t get the service. Well, it’s a combination of things. Even sometimes when he did get good looks, he’d be the first to tell you he missed a few he’d like back. He’s hard on himself. With goalscorers, that’s the way it runs. It runs hot and cold sometimes. But he’s a guy I believe in, he’s a guy I’m very close with, and he’s a guy I trust. He’s a great forward in this league.”
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Casey has certainly proven to be a great MLS forward, scoring 50 goals with the Colorado Rapids from 2007 to 2012 and adding 18 more in the last two seasons in Philadelphia. But considering he is 33 and will be out of contract at the end of the season, questions will arise as to how much longer he can be an effective player in this league.
Casey said he is not yet thinking about retirement and would love to re-sign with the Union, the team that helped revive his career after a rocky end to his tenure in Colorado.
“We’ll see what the offseason brings, but I have a lot of respect for the coaching staff and the club,” he said. “It’s a tough time of the year, but I think it’s a great city and I think it’s a great organization. From a player standpoint, you feel like you let the club and the fans down, and you want to do better next year so they have something to cheer about.”
Dave Zeitlin covers the Union for MLSsoccer.com. Email him at djzeitlin@gmail.com.
