MONTREAL ā The best part about this week for the Philadelphia Union? It's finally over.
Playing their third game in seven days, the Union were dealt a 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Montreal Impact as MLS All-Stars Didier Drogba and Ignacio Piatti torched them for a combined four goals and two assists.
āTonight we were beat by stars,ā head coach Jim Curtin said. āDrogba and Piatti were unstoppable tonight.ā
It was Phillyās worst loss of the season and a demoralizing way to head into the All-Star break. At the same time, itās a game they plan to quickly forget.
āWe'll just tear up the tape and move on,ā Curtin said. āIt's disappointing.ā
Four days after a shootout loss to the New England Revolution in the US Open Cup, the Union struggled for much of Saturdayās contest, generating only one shot in the first half before finishing the night with nine. Chris Pontius broke the shutout with a 72nd-minute header that sailed over the head of Impact goalkeeper Evan Bush, but that only came after Philly dug themselves into a 3-0 hole.
āIt doesnāt feel very good,ā rookie right back Keegan Rosenberry said of the team's performance. āWe didnāt do the things we set out to do tonight and the objectives we set for ourselves. It also doesnāt help anybody to focus on this long afterwards, so we move past it and weāll train hard as a team.ā
Rosenberry now departs for San Jose to play in Thursdayās AT&T MLS All-Star Game along with Andre Blake, who did make a very impressive initial save on Piatti before Drogba pounced on the rebound to score Montrealās second goal.
When they return, theyāll join their teammates for a home game vs. Real Salt Lake as Philly gets to go back to the friendly confines of Talen Energy Stadium, where they own a 7-1-3 record. Thatās far better than their road record, which dipped to 1-6-3 after Saturdayās rough loss in Montreal.
"We've learned how to be a strong team at home,ā Curtin said, ābut we're still learning to be a strong team on the road.ā