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| Philadelphia's lineup vs. Orlando |
Coming off tumultuous 2015 on and off the field, fans and analysts alike assumed the Philadelphia Union were looking to 2016 as a rebuilding year. Most season previews assumed it’d take at least a full season for Earnie Stewart to implement his new system and for the bevy of new signings to gel. Five games into 2016 and the Union have looked more competent than expected. After the 2-0 drubbing away to FC Dallas that seemed to confirm preseason expectations, Philadelphia have put together a solid four game stretch including wins over Columbus, New England and Orlando. So the question is: Is Philadelphia's rebuild ahead of schedule?
In this article I’ll look at some of the aspects of Philadelphia’s new system that have contributed to their promising start (focusing on their most recent game against Orlando) while also examining some more worrisome elements of their game.
Sunday’s matchup in Frisco saw two teams at opposite ends of the development spectrum. On one side, the new look Union who returned only two starters from their opening day 2015 lineup find themselves in full rebuilding mode . Dallas, on the other hand, have been built. For now and for the foreseeable future The gap between these two squads was apparent as Dallas comfortably handled Philadelphia, winning 2-0. Everything shouldn’t be doom and gloom for Jim Curtain’s side, however. The new system clearly still has some kinks to work out but the benefits of Ernie Stewart’s new system occasionally revealed themselves.