Union at Columbus Crew
7:30 p.m. on Live Well Network
It wasn't the start the Union were looking for. Following a lifeless shutout loss to FC Dallas in the season opener, the Union look for more assertiveness when they take on the Columbus Crew on Saturday at Mapfre Stadium.
Here's five things to know:
1. Week 1 Recovery
Sunday night wasn't a night to remember for the Union, who showed up lifeless and timid at Toyota Stadium and paid the price for it with a season-opening loss.
"It wasn't our best performance," Union manager Jim Curtin said. "Nobody is happy with it. We had high expectations this year. We had a very strong preseason, we have a very good group of guys, a good team, and that was not us."
The hope for Curtin is that Sunday's match was a fluke for his new-look club. Because if it wasn't, the team could be in trouble against the Crew -- an MLS Cup contender hungry to come home after a road loss against reigning MLS champion Portland Timbers.
"It won't get any easier for us," he said. "We won't feel sorry for ourselves. The bar has to be raised and I think the players got that message. We'll see a better performance from the group against Columbus."
But Curtin's definition of "better" doesn't mean an overwhelming win on the road against a playoff team. He would settle for some more fight and push from his club, especially if the Union find themselves trailing the game.
"You want to put up a fight, you want to look in the mirror and say, that was our best effort," Curtin said. "There were moments in this game where I think we came up a bit small. We were a little timid."
2. No Edu, Barnetta, again
Without captain Maurice Edu to solidify the midfield and Tranquillo Barnetta's steady hand in the offensive third, the Union struggled all over the field in Sunday's 2-0 loss to FC Dallas.
Things aren't looking much better for Saturday. The Union announced on Wednesday that Edu will miss three to four months with a fractured leg, while Barnetta has yet to train with the team after suffering knee tendinitis. He is questionable.
"The next guy has to step up," Curtin said. "We need a good mentality and to stick together through a tough time. Columbus doesn't care one way or the other, so we need to be ready."
On Sunday, the Union swapped Barnetta with Ilsinho, who had a respectable game, and Edu for Brian Carroll. Curtin wouldn't commit to a change against the Crew, despite the recent loss.
"The team we selected [last week] was the best group," Curtin said. "We'll have to adjust and see what makes the most sense."
3. Cup-hungry Crew
The 2015 MLS Cup runners-up lost their season opener against the Portland Timbers, 2-1. But the veteran squad, which is returning nearly all starters from last year's team, isn't panicking just yet.
"It doesn't feel like we're new to this because we just left it," Crew forward Kei Kamara said. "Everybody is back, everyone is sharp and we have 10-11 guys from the same starting lineup. When we get our groove back, we should be good. There were a lot of positives from that game."
The Crew will look to get into that groove against a Union team they dominated last season. The Crew defeated the Union, 4-1 and 2-1, at Mapfre Stadium, but conceded a 3-0 defeat at PPL Park.
"We know how we play and being at home playing against Philadelphia, we're going to implement our style of play," Kamara said. "The crowd will be on our side and we're looking to kick off the season at home well."
Despite the recent dominance, the Crew aren't taking the Union lightly, noting that all Eastern Conference competition can be tougher than anticipated. Especially this early in the season.
"They're a good team," Kamara said of the Union. "We have to be ready for them. All points against them will be big going forward. Our team and our game plan won't change, we just have to stick to our game plan."
4. Keep an eye on
Union: By all accounts, Fabinho had a good preseason. Which is why it was a minor surprise that he fell flat against FC Dallas. The left back got off to a poor start on Sunday and never got better thanks to the speed of FC Dallas. Fabinho turned the ball over in his own box which led to a second-half goal against.
"It was just a day where things didn't go his way," Curtin said. "It was a hard one for him."
So why pick Fabinho? Because he's wildly inconsistent and will have an impact on the game. He'll either pounced on aggressive fullback play from the Crew with his counter speed or have another messy game. Either way, he's someone to watch.
Crew: As always, when you play the Crew, your game plan consists of stopping playmaker Federico Higuain. Sure, they have Ethan Finlay and Kamara -- two potent players -- but Higuain is the "engine," as Curtin put it, that makes the Crew go. He scored his team's only goal against the Timbers and will be an impact player against the Union.
"We're very excited [for the home opener] and hope we can come out and get a win for the fans," Higuain said. "We hope we're able to play well and give the fans the excitement they deserve."
5. This and that
- It's been a one-sided rivalry against the Crew since the Union joined the league in 2010. The Union are 4-9-1 all time against the Crew and 0-6-1 all time in Columbus.
- Yet, while the Crew have owned the dominant record, the games have been close. Of the 14 total times the two teams have played, nine games have been decided by one goal and one game was tied.
- There were 11 total goals scored in three games last season between the Union and Crew. The season series ended 6-5 in the Crew's favor.
The Union started seven first-year Union players against FC Dallas, which could explain the timid nature Curtin identified for the defeat. "We'll grow and we'll be a better team for it," he said. "Giving the young guys an opportunity out there, you always can learn and grow."
