Leon Flach fits in right away during Union win in debut on Concacaf Champions League stage

If the Union’s 1-0 win at Saprissa Wednesday night was your first time ever watching a Concacaf Champions League game, you got the full show of why the phrase “to be Concacaf’ed” has long been in the American soccer lexicon.

There was a fine goal scored by Kacper Przybylko. Terrific play all over the field by José Andrés Martínez. A helping of late drama as the Union battled fatigue to hold on to their lead. And in the end, a mass brawl after Saprissa’s Ricardo Blanco decked Kai Wagner with a vicious tackle that drew only a yellow card, not red — the kind of scene that might make some people in this town actually like soccer.

“Look, it’s Concacaf, so at the end of every game it’s going to be crazy,” Union manager Jim Curtin mused afterward. He knows from experience, having now joined the list of MLS managers who’ve both played and coached in Concacaf competitions.

» READ MORE: Union win Concacaf Champions League debut, 1-0 over Saprissa, on Kacper Przybylko goal

But while the brawl was the game’s most viral moment, it’s not what should be remembered most. That honor goes to the Union debut of Leon Flach, who joined the team just a few weeks ago and was thrust straight into the starting lineup.

You wouldn’t have known that Flach has barely gotten to know his new teammates from the way he seamlessly took over the left side of the Union’s midfield diamond. Or that the 20-year-old with U.S. under-20 national team experience was playing in his first official game against regional opposition after growing up in Germany.

In 64 minutes on the field Wednesday night, Flach registered 34 touches, 16-of-21 passing, two interceptions and three recoveries, and won three duels with opposing players.

“The performance that he put in, I thought, was excellent,” Curtin said. “Leon’s skill set — we’re still learning each other as a coach and a player, but — I think it’s perfectly suited for that left side of the diamond. He’s left footed. He has characteristics and the intelligence of a No. 6 [defensive midfielder], but also the timing to move forward of a left back.”

That helped Wagner have a terrific game at left back. He registered 70 touches and 30-of-40 passing, created two chances, and made six recoveries and four interceptions.

“We’ve thrown a lot of information at [Flach] — his head’s probably spinning getting acclimated to a new team, new country,” Curtin said. “But overall, another great young American player that stepped up and did a great job for us, and I couldn’t be prouder of everything that he gave for the team.”

» READ MORE: Leon Flach joins the Union from Germany’s St. Pauli as more than just a young midfield prospect

Flach wasn’t put up to speak after the game, as Concacaf picks one player from each team to go to the postgame video interview session. (As with the lack of fans in the stands, it was a reminder that the coronavirus pandemic is still ongoing.) Alejandro Bedoya did the honors for the Union as the team’s captain. But his view of Flach was worth hearing, as the player who works on the other side of central midfield from the newcomer.

“At his previous club [St. Pauli of Germany’s second division], he’s played in the same system, you know, so he’s very familiar with his role and what it takes to play in this type of system with the pressing and positionally,” Bedoya said. “He’s got, still, a lot of time to learn and assimilate himself to the team, but I thought he did well, you know, given that this is his first game here and in this type of competition as well.”