Photo: Earl Gardner

Who: Philadelphia Union at Columbus Crew

What: 2016 regular season game

Where: Mapfre Stadium

When: Saturday, March 12 at 7:30 pm

Watch: Live Well Network, MLS Live

Whistle: Hilario Grajeda; Linesmen: James Conlee,Jason White; Fourth Official: Geoff Gamble

Fresh off a disheartening opening day defeat to one of the best teams in the Western Conference, Philadelphia Union face one of the best in the Eastern Conference on Saturday.

And just to ramp up the anxiety level, Jim Curtin announced that Maurice Edu might be fit to face Columbus Crew… when they travel to Talen Energy Stadium on June 1.

There is no denying it: A subpar performance against an admittedly strong Dallas side has pushed aside much of the offseason’s hope and goodwill. Not only did Philly look the weaker team on Sunday, they looked low on ideas and disorganized in back.

But it is important to remember three things:

It was only one game. And it was a tough one. It was MLS game one for three members of the back line. And it was against one the league’s best playmakers and probably the league’s best winger. It would be nigh impossible for Fabinho to be so out of sorts two games in a row.

That said, the team that tore Philly’s left back to shreds last April is going to try their best to do it again.

Crew be Crewin’

To be honest, Columbus previews can be a bit dull to write when Gregg Berhalter has his full roster available. The Crew impose their system on a game, and if it works, they flourish. Columbus was arguably the better team for long stretches of their opening match against Portland. But the Timbers have a few difference makers that, when they got in good positions, made the difference.

The Columbus system is easy to see and easy to describe in vague soccer-y terms, but it is difficult to fully understand and execute. The basic notion is that movement and space have a circular relationship. Movement creates space, and that space can be occupied again through movement. This commitment to constantly stepping in and out of holes, and the creative way in which it is done, can leave defenses chasing shadows. Portland struggled mightily to track and close down Federico Higuain early in last weekend’s match, with the Argentinian playmaker dropping deep, curling out to the left, and generally hiding as far away from Diego Chara as he could. This movement allowed Harrison Afful at right back and Ethan Finlay on the right wing to slide into the center when Kei Kamara checked back into the space Chara would have occupied if he wasn’t sleuthing for Higuain.

There. That’s a general description of how Columbus’ movement pries open a defense. So why doesn’t everyone do it?

It’s hard

In order to reap the full rewards of their spacing and movement, the Crew need everybody on the same page. If Kamara drops deep and picks up the ball and only sees Tony Tchani standing still asking for a return pass, with no wingers darting behind the defensive line and no fullbacks flying up the wing to provide width, the entire thing breaks down. And when it breaks down, it can be costly.

The Crew shipped 53 goals last season, the most of any playoff team save Toronto. Yet most observers would say that the Toronto defense was pretty awful and the Columbus back line was simply reaping the rewards of a system that can put the central defenders and holding midfielders in difficult positions multiple times each match.

And it’s true. The Columbus defense is not bad, but it does get less protection on the flanks than many others. When the Crew lose the ball during an offensive set, they leave big gaps on the wings that a quick, accurate pass can exploit. On Saturday, Dairon Asprilla did a lot of the exploiting for Portland, but he also did a lot of the iffy finishing.

In order to compete with the Crew, Philly needs to be able to attack those spaces quickly on the counterattack. Against Dallas, the Union struggled to find wingers with outlets in part because Dallas effectively forced Philly’s wide players to track deep. But the Union also left too much space between their holding midfielders and Ilsinho. On the few occasions when Nogueira, Carroll, and Ilsinho were a tight knit defensive group, Philly was able to play a short first pass to Ilsinho so the Brazilian could either dribble into space or find the feet of an attacker. The Union didn’t generate many good shots, but they did do a surprisingly good job of pressuring the Dallas box when they managed to go forward with Ilsinho and both wingers.

The second important offensive element that was missing on Sunday was space creation prior to receiving an outlet pass. Chris Pontius was more effective at finding holes because Atiba Harris was far more likely than Maynor Figueroa to charge up the pitch in attack. Leo Fernandes’ passing chart shows just how rarely he was able to receive the ball on the half-turn. Fernandes is not just playing short passes back to Rosenberry because he wants to, it is because he has not created any space between himself and the defender on his back. This strategy may be somewhat effective with MLS refs who think all contact through the back is a foul, but Mark Geiger is no such ref. Fernandes’ positioning also makes it difficult for Rosenberry to push as high as Jim Curtin wants him.

Philly’s wingers need to check out then check in, or check in then check out. Leave the bodying up to CJ Sapong, who will have an easier time of it against Michael Parkhurst and Gaston Sauro than he did against perpetual high school wrestler Walker Zimmerman.

Controlling the Columbus attack

Pointing out the minor flaws in Columbus’ system does little to help a team stop it. The Crew are efficient in the final third and are more than willing to shell the box with crosses if that is what the opposition grants them. The real beauty of Columbus’ game plan is that it generates a high volume of shots because a well-versed squad rarely gives up the ball in bad areas. Wil Trapp and Tony Tchani made five incomplete passes in their own half against Portland. Now you might say: “Hey, that’s only two fewer than Brian Carroll and Vincent Nogueira made!” And you would be right!

But then you would notice that Columbus had ten percent more possession than the Union and attempted over 90 more passes.

Transition defense

Notably, both Philly and Columbus had issues stopping transitions down the flanks. However, the Crew have an experienced pair of central defenders who will adjust. How will the Union’s untested back line learn from last week’s defeat?

Ken Tribbett and Anderson struggled to understand how to handle Dallas’ wingers, often tracking Max Urruti when Fabian Castillo was the more dangerous runner. Tribbett, in particular, will need to communicate more effectively with the midfield to figure out to handle Kamara when he drops into space. Against Dallas, Tribbett was caught cheating to the center when he needed to call Anderson over or simply adjust his body position to account for Castillo.

Lineup changes?

With Mo Edu and Tranquillo Barnetta on the shelf, there will likely be few lineup changes on Saturday. The most likely adjustments will be on the wing and at attacking midfield. Roland Alberg’s energetic and physical debut was a welcome breath of fresh air on Saturday. Whether he can show the same verve over a longer period of time is difficult to say, but he should certainly get the chance.

Leo Fernandes may also lose his spot after a listless showing on Sunday. Philly has plenty of pieces to plug in on the wing, and Fernandes is much more effective facing goal than he is when checking back on the wing. Furthermore, Fernandes offered very little defensive support to Keegan Rosenberry, and that simply will not work against a Columbus side that would push fullbacks into the stands behind the opposition goal if they could.

Jim Curtin could deploy Alberg out wide or introduce Sebastien Le Toux for energy. Either one could work, and it is up to the coaching staff to make sure whoever takes up that wide role understands their defensive responsibilities. After all, it was Waylon Francis who put in the first cross to knock the wind out of Philly in April 2015. And he was wide, wide open when he did it.

Prediction: Columbus 3-1 Philadelphia

It will be interesting to see if the Union can force Columbus to settle for crosses and, if so, whether they can defend those crosses against the likes of Kei Kamara. Portland has a perfect central defensive pairing to combat crossing, and it likely earned them a win on Sunday. The Union have size in back, but Dallas was able to get to the endlines so consistently that Tribbett and Anderson were rarely tested in the air. They certainly will be this week.

The Union do not need to beat Columbus on the road. That would be hard to do, and only four teams did it in 2015. But Philly needs to show, at bare minimum, more fire than they displayed in Dallas. Tranquillo Barnetta’s movement was sorely missed last week, but his attitude was an even bigger loss. The Union will not be as athletic as Columbus, but that simply means they need to let the Crew know they will have to win a scrappy contest to open their home season with a win.

Jim Curtin wanted more pressure, a higher line, and more fire this year. In the preseason, he often got it. The Union need to recapture that spirit on Saturday to have a chance against another very good opponent.