CHESTER, Pa. – While winning the 2014 home finale was certainly a nice boost for a Philadelphia Union team that had fallen on hard times over the past month, perhaps just as important for the club was evaluating players for next season.
In that sense, Brian Brown did himself a huge favor.
Brown – who’s currently finishing up a one-year loan deal from Jamaican side Harbour View FC – scored his second goal of the season to help the Union earn a 2-1 victory Saturday over Sporting Kansas City at PPL Park.
“I love it here,” Brown said. “I love the team, the guys, the fans, the atmosphere – I love everything here in Philly. And I want to come back here next season, definitely. I hope they decide to keep me or get me on the next loan.”
Brown’s first season in MLS was certainly an up-and-down one as the 21-year-old Jamaican made seven appearances off the bench after his July acquisition, before making his first MLS start Saturday.
And while the natural goal-scorer might not have played – or scored – as much as he had hoped, he was still pleased that both of his goals came against a very strong Kansas City team.
“To score against the defending champion, that’s a great thing,” Brown said. “It’s good to score my two goals against Kansas City. That’s a pretty good feeling right now.”
The goal itself was a thing of beauty as Brown first passed the ball out wide to Cristian Maidana and made a great run through traffic to get into a perfect spot to finish a Maidana cross late in the first half.
And for Union interim manager Jim Curtin, it helped justify his decision to give Brown his first start against a bruising SKC backline that featured reigning MLS Cup MVP Aurelien Collin.
“We were outnumbered three attackers to seven [defenders], and Brian made a play,” Curtin said. “That’s kind of what he does. He scores goals. He didn’t get the chance to do it as much as he would have liked, but I think the future is still bright for Brian.”
- Get the latest Union news at PhiladelphiaUnion.com
Despite the goal, Curtin said he was hard on Brown at halftime, telling the Jamaican that he wasn’t doing enough work off the ball. And Brown, who seemed to struggle with Collin’s physicality at times, also admitted “it was not one of my best games.”
But the Jamaican vows he will be a more complete MLS player next season – if the Union give him that chance.
“MLS, it’s a pretty good league,” he said. “Guys here are physically strong. For my first season, I would say it’s OK. But if I’m here next season, it’s going to be way [better] for me.”
Dave Zeitlin coves the Union for MLSsoccer.com. Email him at djzeitlin@gmail.com.
