CHESTER, Pa. – Last week, Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin made the somewhat surprising decision to start the season in a two-striker formation after utilizing a 4-3-3 for most of the 2014 campaign.
That decision also led to Cristian “Chaco” Maidana, arguably the team’s top playmaker, losing his starting spot and coming off the bench.
But with striker C.J. Sapong – who was partnered up top with Fernando Aristeguieta in last week’s season-opening scoreless draw with the Colorado Rapids – out with a concussion and a fracture in the zygomatic bone in his left cheek, Curtin indicated he’ll go back to the 4-3-3 for Saturday’s road tilt against Real Salt Lake (9:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE) and hand the keys of the midfield back to Maidana.
“We put the best team in for Week 1 based on the preseason,” Curtin said. “Now we have to obviously adjust, and Chaco has had a very good week of training, which we’re happy with.”
Although Maidana led the team with 11 assists last season after signing with Philly as a Designated Player, it looks like he’s going to have to fight for a starting spot each week this year.
Curtin has been hard on Maidana, who he thought didn’t have the most consistent preseason. But the Union coach was pleased with how the Argentine playmaker fared after replacing the injured Sapong in the second half last week, which carried over into the team's last few practices.
“Chaco is a guy who had some very good games in the preseason, specifically against the Coast Rican Under-23 team and the London United team,” Curtin said. “But I’m honest and upfront with Chaco, and I had a talk with him. I thought against Columbus and New York, when he played at the end of the game, I wasn’t happy with his performance. And his training was up and down.
“This week, to his credit, he has looked as sharp as ever.”
When Maidana plays, he’s typically at the center of the midfield triangle in front of Vincent Nogueira and Maurice Edu. In this formation, Andrew Wenger and Sebastien Le Toux play out on the wings and Aristeguieta slots in as the lone center forward.
For Curtin, it’s all about finding a way to get his best players into the game. And when he does change his team’s formation, as he’ll likely do vs. RSL, he’s confident those players can handle it.
“Good players can adjust to things and handle them as long as their roles are clear and defined during the course of the week of training,” Curtin said. “I don’t want to be a team that’s tinkering. I’m not going to over-coach and over-tinker, and change every week, week in and week in out. That’s not what this is about.”
Dave Zeitlin covers the Union for MLSsoccer.com. Email him at djzeitlin@gmail.com.
