Union observations: Marco Fabián reminds fans why he’s the team’s best player

After cooling off from the sweltering heat during Saturday night’s Union win over the Chicago Fire, here are a few observations on the game and the state of the playoff race.

Because Marco Fabián has played so little overall this year, some Union fans have perhaps forgotten that he’s the highest-quality player on this team. A day before his 30th birthday, he reminded them.

The quality of Fabián’s brilliant goal to open the scoring wasn’t found just in the purity with which he smashed the ball from 25 yards. It was also the instinct to know what to do in the moment, and the skill to hit it perfectly.

Fabián’s 60-minute outing wasn’t good just because of that goal, though. He led the team in shots with five, led the attacking unit in touches with 48, and completed 27 of 33 passes.

For the season overall, Fabián leads the team in shots per 90 minutes (5.3) and ranks fourth in chances created per 90 minutes (1.6).

In the ranking of the Union’s best players, the only one who’s really close to Fabián is Jamiro Monteiro. It has been clear for a while that the Union are better when Monteiro plays. It should be clear now — and should remain clear — that the Union are also better when Fabián plays.

You’ve already read some analysis here about Anthony Fontana’s impressive performance Saturday night. There’s one more aspect of it worth talking about.

When Fontana was preparing to enter the game for Fabián, the guess in the press box was that he’d go to the left side of the diamond and Brenden Aaronson would move up to playmaker. Instead, Fontana went into the No. 10 spot and Aaronson stayed in a deeper role.

That was significant for a few reasons. First, it was a reminder that Fontana can play the 10, even though he’s often been in a deeper role for most of his time as a pro. Second, it showed that Aaronson is a good fit in that deeper role. His best skill is running forward with the ball when he has time and space to look forward and make a play. That’s harder to get when he starts higher up the field and ends up in traffic sooner.

Though Fafa Picault didn’t record a goal or assist, he nonetheless had a big game Saturday. He pressed Chicago’s defense relentlessly amid miserable heat and humidity, including a moment early in the game when he nearly picked the ball off Fire goalkeeper Kenneth Kronholm’s feet.

“That was just to show that we’re here to press, we’re here to work hard through this heat, and they’re not going to come on our ground and stomp on us,” Picault said after the game.

Picault finished the night with three shots, four aerial duels won, two tackles, one chance created, three fouls drawn, and a well-deserved ovation from fans when he was subbed off in the closing minutes.

The Union’s luck with results in the rest of the Eastern Conference was never going to last, and this weekend, it might have finally run out.

Atlanta United’s late win over D.C. United put the defending champions three points back of the Union with a game in hand, and New York City FC’s win at the Colorado Rapids put them second in the East on points per game.

Although NYCFC is in fifth place with 32 points, the Pigeons have four games in hand on the Union. (And not just because of scheduling constraints imposed by Yankee Stadium. Eight of New York’s remaining 15 games will be at home, which isn’t excessive.)

The Union probably aren’t going to finish first in the East. This shouldn’t surprise anyone. But a first home playoff game since 2011 is certainly within reach, and at this point, there should be few excuses for not seizing it.