Philly Leader

Philadelphia Union left South Florida empty-handed after falling 3-1 in a competitive battle against Inter Miami on Saturday night. Despite the disappointing result against the league-leading team, Philadelphia showed determination on the pitch, holding their own until the final whistle against Miami’s star-studded lineup.

Before embarking on the team’s trip back to Philadelphia, Head Coach Jim Curtin spoke to the media, recapping his team’s performance.

In his press conference, Curtin shared that according to his data staff, the Philadelphia Union has scored the most total goals in all of Major League Soccer over the past three seasons. However, on Saturday night at Chase Stadium, they were unable to overcome Lionel Messi’s two-goal comeback effort in his return to play.

"[Miami] obviously has some real quality. Obviously, Messi made some plays we could have done better on. The second goal, for sure, a little bit soft and goes down the middle. We could maybe get a block before that instance as well, but good players punish you,” Curtin said.

"We hung around at 2-1. They gave us a couple of real opportunities and clear-cut chances, and it just was a night where we didn't finish them off. To go on the road and have that many looks is frustrating, but against the strongest team in our league you can't let those chances slip. You have to be ruthless, and we weren't tonight.”

The 3-1 scoreline doesn't reflect it, but Philadelphia Union had no shortage of chances against Inter Miami. They ended the night with 20 total shots; however, of their eight on target, Mikael Uhre was the only player to make it count by scoring a goal in the opening minute of the match.

“Scoring goals hasn't been our problem. Our data team pieced it together; over the last three years we've scored the most goals in the league," Curtin said. "Our foundation is still our defense, so we don't like to concede three. The one at the end—we're throwing numbers forward and a little desperate at that point—so I agree that the scoreline flatters them for the amount of chances that we had.”

The match remained competitive until its conclusion, giving Philadelphia Union a solid performance to build upon as they prepare for another pair of matches in quick succession. They'll play again midweek and Curtin emphasized how crucial upcoming results will be for keeping their postseason hopes alive.

“Our margin for error has been self-created," Curtin stated. "We made mistakes early in the year—some due to injuries or international call-ups—and we paid for it. We've started to dig ourselves out of that hole for sure with some good performances recently."

Curtin added: “We have a tough schedule ahead; it's in our hands. But if we can regroup and perform like this consistently while adding Andre and a healthy Danley back into our lineup, we can certainly make a push.”

With six games left on their schedule, every point will be essential in their playoff pursuit. Next up is an away game against New York City on Wednesday followed by hosting D.C. United at home on Sunday.

"It's no easy task to go to New York City and win," Curtin noted. "But it's something we've done before—it’s not impossible. For our home games though, we must be at our very best; those have to be wins."

###