CHESTER, Pa. — Riding high on confidence and momentum, the Philadelphia Union entered Saturday’s game with the chance to create some more separation with the team below them in the Eastern Conference standings while moving closer to a potential playoff home match.
The team below them in the standings made sure no such thing would happen.
With a surprising 4-1 shellacking of Philly at Talen Energy Stadium, the sixth-place Montreal Impact moved within one point of the fifth-place Union, creating more of a cluster for the final two playoff spots in the East.
“We are very happy,” Impact defender Rod Fanni said. “For the playoffs, it’s a good step. A very good step. But it’s not finished.”
Montreal goalkeeper Evan Bush admitted he’s been looking at the teams around the Impact, including the ones chasing them like D.C. United and New England, as well as the remaining schedules for all of the clubs in postseason contention.
He believes the Impact can move up from their current slot at the playoff line if they take care of business at home the rest of the way and put in more performances like they did Saturday on the road, when they dominated on the counterattack to stun the Union with four unanswered goals.
“I think in the years we’ve done well to get in the playoffs and win some games there, it’s been that same recipe where, when games are tight and important, we’ve been good defensively, solid, been able to play through and kill teams on the counter,” Bush said. “Right now, we’re in a good place.”
While the Impact are indeed feeling good following consecutive three-goals wins over the New York Red Bulls and Philadelphia, the Union need to quickly refocus after seeing their five-game unbeaten streak come to an end ahead of tough contests this week at Seattle and home for Sporting Kansas City.
But with only six regular-season games remaining — as well the U.S. Open Cup final on Sept. 26 at Houston — the Union know they still have a chance to make this a special season.
“All of the stakes are high,” Union coach Jim Curtin said. “I think every result matters in a big way. You see how tight the table is in the Eastern Conference. You see how quickly things may change, how quickly a big road win can go for a team. We were the team that was doing that a couple weeks back.”
But on Saturday, it was the Impact doing it to them, winning for the first time this year after conceding the opening goal.
“In a game we really needed something,” Bush said, “we showed a ton of character to come back.”
Added Impact coach Remi Garde: “Against a direct team that we are fighting with for the playoffs, this was very important for us.”
