Union at Crew
7:30 p.m. on TCN
Looking to rebound from a disappointing road loss on Wednesday to the Montreal Impact, Fafa Picault and the Union (6-8-5) kick off a crucial Eastern Conference home-and-home series at MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday night against the Columbus Crew (9-10-1).
Here are five things to know:
1. Fighting a slump
All of the Union's losses this season have come from a pair of lengthy losing streaks, one of four games and one of three. After dropping Wednesday's match against the Impact, 2-1, the club hopes to avoid its third consecutive losing run in 2017.
"Consistency is what we're striving for," Union manager Jim Curtin said. "You see around the league all different kind of streaks, the highs and lows, and it's something you definitely want to avoid. Consistency is what we're working for, it was something we were pretty good at last year in terms of bouncing back and not being a team that loses two in a row."
Despite that lack of consistency and streaky nature of his team, Curtin does see positives. He believes that when the Union do slip down the losing path, they never let the bottom completely fall out.
"We've been in every game if you look over the course of the season," he said. "We're in every game but it is clear we have to all be pretty darn good on the night for us to get a win."
Avoiding another losing streak is crucial for the Union's playoff hopes. Six points out of playoff position with 15 games remaining, the Union, who have an extremely tough stretch of matches to finish the year, can't afford to drop games in bunches this late in their campaign.
"We can't have long losing streaks," Curtin said. "We're at the stage in the year where if you go on a long losing streak, that could be the end of it. There's still a lot of games to play and we have a good team but the series here versus Columbus is one where we need to get results."
2. Roster recovery
Between injuries and international call-ups, the Union enter Saturday's match with a uniquely lean roster.
"It's a hard time for us in terms of personnel," Curtin said.
The club will be without Derrick Jones (concussion) and Fabian Herbers (sports hernia), but will also miss Andre Blake and Chris Pontius to Gold Cup duty.
"The good thing is you have guys getting called into the national team, which is a real positive," Curtin said. "The international call-ups are one thing, the freak injuries, losing Herbers, losing Jones to the concussion, that can compound things and make it harder."
What limits the Union even more is the suspension of Roland Alberg, who was dinged by MLS for a reckless tackle against the Impact. Losing Alberg means the Union are limited at both center attacking midfield and the right wing position.
"The suspension to Roland makes it difficult, it makes your group thin," Curtin said. "The one thing we do have is not a huge drop-off from our starters to our second teamers, we do have that depth. But you do worry though that if you lose your top-end guys, it becomes challenging."
That means young talents like Marcus Epps and Adam Najem will see significant action.
"It's a big opportunity for them," Curtin said. "Two guys that have been very close to getting a starting nod regardless of injury or whatever it is."
3. Potent Crew
If the Union want to make the playoffs, they'll have to get through the Crew. Gregg Berhalter's club is currently outside looking into the postseason picture but sitting five points ahead of the Union, who have a game in hand but face the Crew in an upcoming home-and-home series.
"We need to do it now with urgency and it has to start this weekend against Columbus," Curtin said of his team playing with consistency. "This will be a big two-game stretch for us."
But that's easier said than done. Although Higuain is listed as out with a knee sprain, the Crew still possess a potent attack featuring Ola Kamara and Justin Meram. The club has tallied 30 goals in 20 games this season, good for fifth in the conference.
"They're a team that really pass out of the back well, they're one of the best passing teams," Curtin said. "You have to disrupt that, you can't let them walk the ball up the field because they are coached too well and they can pick you apart. We have to do a good job in terms of how we handle them in possession. They've conceded some goals but they've scored a lot of goals, too - they can really attack."
4. Keep an eye on ...
Union: Alejandro Bedoya is back from Gold Cup duty with the U.S. men's national team and is expected to help his club on Saturday in Columbus. The Union captain will be a welcome sight for Curtin. "Getting Alejandro back in our group is very important," Curtin said. "We have a group that will go on the field able to get a result against Columbus."
Crew: Ranking sixth in MLS in saves, Zack Steffan, who was born in Coatesville and grew up in Downingtown, was on the Union's Homegrown Player radar before he left the country for Germany's SC Freiburg. The goalkeeper has since returned and is motivated to impress in front of his hometown club.
5. This and that
• Union speedster Picault tweaked his hamstring on Wednesday and was pulled from the game as a result. Although the club is tentative about the injury, Curtin expects Picault to play on Saturday. "There is an injury there but we're confident it's one he can play with," the coach said. "That would be another difficult one to lose at this time."
• The Union are 7-10-1 against the Crew all-time and 2-6-1 on the road in the series.
• Road struggles continued for the Union on Wednesday, as their record away from Talen Energy Stadium moved to 1-5-3 on the season. The Crew are 6-3-1 at home in 2017.
