Union’s season ends with demoralizing home loss to FC Cincinnati

The part of the Union’s regular-season finale that was out of their control ended up going their way on Saturday.

The part that was in their control did not.

A 2-1 loss to FC Cincinnati at Subaru Park ended the Union’s season with a failure to make the playoffs for the first time in seven years. It didn’t matter that one of the two teams ahead of them that the Union needed to lose, D.C. United, did so against Charlotte FC on the final day of Major League Soccer’s regular season.

The night started positively, with Quinn Sullivan’s goal in just the third minute. But Yamil Asad equalized for Cincinnati with the last play of the first half, and Jakob Glesnes scored a shockingly ugly own goal in the first minute of the second half.

The Union ended the season with a 9-15-10 record, finishing in 12th place out of the Eastern Conference’s 15 teams.

The Union certainly kicked off with the spirit of a team fighting to make the playoffs, swarming Cincinnati’s 18-yard box in the opening moments. That paid off when Sullivan thumped a close-range shot through traffic and in off the far post, scoring his seventh goal of the year.

» READ MORE: Union coach Jim Curtin on the club’s slim playoff hopes: ‘I don’t ever want to feel this way again’

But in the 13th, Dániel Gazdag went down on the field and stayed down for a while with what appeared to be a back injury. Though he walked off under his own power, he could not return to the field. He was quite distraught as he walked toward the locker room but made sure to applaud nearby fans along the way.

Danley Jean Jacques subbed in for Gazdag, which turned the Union’s traditional diamond-shaped midfield quartet into a flatter form.

Soon after that, things got even worse when the other team the Union wanted to lose, CF Montréal, scored first against New York City FC.

Asad’s goal came after Jakob Glesnes and Sullivan failed to clear the ball out of their own 18-yard box, while Nathan Harriel stood off the play with his arm raised to claim a Cincinnati handball instead of pressuring the attackers.

A video review upheld the goal, and referee Joe Dickerson blew his whistle for halftime right after play resumed. That was greeted by a loud but brief chorus of boos by a crowd at Subaru Park that was notably quiet for most of the half.

» READ MORE: The upside of the Union's bad season is their young talent now knows what it takes to win

Of all the ways for the Union to succumb to defeat in their last game of the year, this one was so comedic that it almost felt impressive.

Just 37 seconds into the second half, Glesnes turned backward to chase down a loose ball, a pass by Cincinnati’s Luca Orellano that deflected off Jack McGlynn’s back. Glesnes played the ball toward Andre Blake, but Blake was running forward, and Glesnes wasn’t looking at him. Blake was caught as the ball rolled by and into the net.

Blake was shocked, Glesnes stood with his hands on his hips, and Jack Elliott bowed in exasperation across the field before going to console Glesnes.

The moment recalled the many ugly goals Glesnes was part of conceding earlier this year when Blake was out injured. But this time, Blake was there and had the closest view of all to Glesnes’ latest bad play.

Coincidentally, that own goal came one day short of eight months since a Glesnes own goal opened the scoring in the Union’s first game of the year, a 3-2 win at Costa Rica’s Saprissa in the Concacaf Champions Cup.

» READ MORE: The bad end to the Union's season proves that Andre Blake's injuries weren't the only problem

The next plot twist was a positive one: Charlotte scored in D.C. in the 58th minute, giving the Union the opening they’d hoped for. But now the Union needed two goals to save their season.

Union manager Jim Curtin made his next substitution in the 65th minute, sending in longtime captain Alejandro Bedoya for what could have been his last Union appearance. It was notable symbolism that Bedoya replaced Glesnes, who did more last winter than any other player to campaign to keep Bedoya for another season — and now both players could be part of an offseason overhaul.

From a tactical perspective, the move shifted the Union’s formation to a 3-4-3, with a front line of Sullivan and starting forwards Mikael Uhre and Tai Baribo.

Curtin had five potential attacking options on his bencht: right back Olivier Mbaizo, attacking midfielders Jeremy Rafanello and Cavan Sullivan, and forwards Sam Adeniran and Chris Donovan.

None of them qualifies as a real difference-maker, but it was still notable that none of them entered until the 88th — and Rafanello was the only one to enter, replacing Leon Flach.

For the record, D.C. lost 3-0, Montréal won 2-0, and Atlanta United upset Orlando City 2-1 to snatch the last playoff spot. Montréal will host Atlanta on Tuesday to start the postseason in the wild card round, with the winner facing Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami in the first full round after that.