Union takeaways: Jack McGlynn seized his chance to shine against Atlas in a too-rare start

Here are our day-after takeaways from the Union’s 1-0 win over Mexico’s Atlas on Tuesday night at Subaru Park in the first game of their Concacaf Champions League quarterfinal series.

Jack McGlynn. Yes, it probably should be Damion Lowe, who was exemplary at centerback. But McGlynn rightly won raves for his performance in midfield, and this time it wasn’t just for his creative prowess. He stepped up his defensive game, too, exemplified by a superb steal and pass to Dániel Gazdag in the 14th minute.

» READ MORE: Union edge Mexico’s Atlas, 1-0, in Champions League with late Dániel Gazdag goal

McGlynn’s box score line must have made the U.S. national team coaching staff swoon: 100 touches, 66-of-81 passing, 21 passes into the final third, five chances created, three shots, seven defensive recoveries, two tackles, and three duels won out of six contested.

Just as impressively, the 19-year-old did all of that playing in three formations over the course of the game. The Union started in a 4-3-2-1 formation, with McGlynn on the left side of the line of three. In the 59th minute, they shifted to their traditional 4-4-2 diamond, with McGlynn in the left-center spot. In the 72nd, they moved to a 4-3-3, with McGlynn in a central spot that gave him pretty free reign.

That spell produced another what-could-have-been play. In the 75th minute, McGlynn received a pass about 20 yards from goal and was double-teamed by Atlas defenders. They wanted to force the ball to his weaker right foot. But they failed, as McGlynn spun backward, cut to his left and broke free. When he reached the top of the penalty box arc, he blasted a shot that forced a big save from Atlas goalkeeper Camilo Vargas.

“A sensational play, and a tremendous blast — what a hammer of a shot by that young McGlynn,” shouted TUDN play-by-play voice Enrique Bermúdez, a legend of Spanish-language broadcasting who is to Mexican soccer what Brent Musburger was to American football.

Everyone knows by now about McGlynn’s attacking skills — and they knew in Mexico before this game, because of McGlynn’s great play for the U.S. under-20s. But as he waits for his first MLS start of the year, it’s the defensive effort that now gives Jim Curtin a long-awaited headache.

Curtin usually prefers to start Leon Flach on the left side of the diamond because he prefers Flach’s defense to McGlynn’s offense. McGlynn showed in this game that he has made real improvement in his defensive chops. Curtin knows he should play McGlynn more, and perhaps this game finally will push him to do it.

» READ MORE: The Union have rarely had must-watch players. Jack McGlynn is one right now.

12: The number of shots the Union took from outside the 18-yard box. That’s how to attack a team that bunkers in defensively, as Atlas had to do after Anderson Santamaría’s red card at the end of the first half. Give a goalkeeper enough trouble with long-range shots, and the defense will have to move higher, leaving space behind them for forwards to run in to.

9: The number of duels won by Lowe, out of 11 contested. He also had eight recoveries, four clearances, and three interceptions and drew three fouls.

“The last thing I said to the guys when we went out of the locker room is, ‘We absolutely played to win tonight.’ We played to score as many goals as possible, but do not lose track of the importance of keeping a zero. In this competition, a zero in the first leg is critical. We know we have a difficult task to go to Atlas, an incredible team and an incredible atmosphere. But we do know now if we are able to score a goal there, it really, really changes things.”

— Curtin on the importance of getting a win, even by a narrow score.

“I like it a lot. I get a lot more freedom to get on the ball. And I know I have José [Andrés Martínez] next to me so that helps out defensively a lot, and it gives me a lot of freedom to do what I can with the ball. I think I showed that well tonight.”

— McGlynn on playing in the 4-3-2-1 formation.

“Oh, it was pretty frustrating. They tried to disturb me, but it’s OK. Probably, we would do the same.”

— Gazdag on waiting three minutes from when the penalty kick was given to when he took the shot.

The Union and FC Cincinnati write the latest chapter in their growing rivalry on Saturday in Cincinnati (7:30 p.m., Apple TV, paywalled). Then the Union head to Guadalajara for the second game of the Atlas series on Wednesday (10 p.m., FS1, TUDN).

» READ MORE: The Union’s Nathan Harriel played with star USMNT prospect Folarin Balogun, and remembers it well