With New Year’s Eve and the festivities along with it now in the past, 2015 is now upon us and with that come “New Year’s Resolutions”. Most of these resolutions end up being forgotten about in a month, but it is still important to set goals and strive to achieve them. We all have resolutions, but I want to take a look at what my favorite team, the Philadelphia Union, should have as their resolutions.
The Philadelphia Union ended the 2014 season on a bit of a sour note, losing in the US Open Cup Final in extra time and narrowly missing the playoffs. The Union will definitely be looking for 2015 to end on a much more positive note as they work towards their ultimate goal of a MLS Cup. As the Union look to have a better 2015 than 2014, here are some resolutions I think the team should have and should strive for.
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First, and probably their biggest target this offseason, has to be the acquisition of a true #9. That means they need a high quality target striker that can consistently score and change games. Consistency was a big problem last year, and it is something that needs to be corrected before the start of the new season.
With Conor Casey aging (and maybe not even on the team next year) and no real target man for the 4-2-3-1 lineup, this has to be the primary target in the offseason and with January getting underway, expect this position to be filled soon. As a resolution, the Philadelphia Union should look to find this game changer who can consistently do this and win games for them.
If you are a Philadelphia Union fan, you know all too well about giving up leads late in the game. They blew their 1-0 lead against the Timbers in the first game and dropped two points right off the bat. If the Union are to be a consistent playoff team and get far into the playoffs, dropping points like they did last year has to be minimized.
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The Union need to find ways to close out games and not let these points be dropped. At the end of the season, points like these can make or break your season and in the Union’s case last year, it was probably the difference between the playoffs and 6th place. The Union need to look to build a deeper roster to close out games throughout 2015.
It is not just the Union who have New Year’s Resolutions though. We as fans should have some towards the Union. With an inexperienced, young coach in Jim Curtin, we will need to be patient to an extent. Obviously the patience can only extend so far with the past two years endings, but we need to give Jim Curtin a chance to work the kinks out and build his team.
With 2014 now behind us and now into 2015, I will be committed to supporting the Union like a lot of passionate fans. I look forward to another season filled with excitement and hopefully a better finish. Union fans, let me know what you New Year’s Resolutions are for the team and for you as fans.
Have a very happy new year!