Mikael Uhre scores another big goal for the Union after an ‘honest’ talk with Jim Curtin

It’s understandable that Union manager Jim Curtin holds Mikael Uhre to a high standard. The Danish striker is the Union’s most expensive player, one of two Designated Players on the squad, and is in the highest-profile position on the field.

Fans have held Uhre to a high standard over his three years here, too, because he hasn’t scored enough goals for their liking.

You might have guessed by now that “a high standard” actually means something else: they’re frustrated with him. That’s inevitable, whether from a statistical perspective or a ticket-and-beer-buying perspective.

Uhre certainly could have more than 32 goals and 19 assists in 108 career Union games. His opening tally in Tuesday’s wild 4-2 win at FC Cincinnati in the Leagues Cup round of 16 was his first goal in nearly two months, although that span included three assists and a three-game injury absence.

The latest drought-ender was a big one, even though the game saw five goals after it. Uhre was understandably frustrated after a narrow offside call denied him what would have been a terrific goal in the fourth minute, but he put his foot down with a superb first-touch strike in the 52nd.

» READ MORE: Union advance to Leagues Cup quarterfinals with wild 4-2 win at FC Cincinnati

“He’s played a lot of great games for the Union, there’s no doubt about that with Mikael,” Curtin said afterward. “Is there more pressure on him because he’s a striker? Yeah, there is absolutely, and he knows that.”

Uhre has particularly struggled over the years against teams that play with three centerbacks, because the spaces he can run into are different from the ones he sees against teams that play with two centerbacks.

Cincinnati has played a 3-5-2 setup for years now, and it’s no coincidence that Tuesday’s goal was Uhre’s first in eight games (and just his second win) against that team. But Uhre, Tai Baribo, and Dániel Gazdag solved it this time, with Gazdag notching two assists and Baribo two goals.

“You saw [Uhre] get lots of early touches on the ball, even drifting through midfield, coming off the strikers,” Curtin said. “I think we found both him and Tai quite a bit in what we call the ‘green zone,’ the space between the centerbacks and the other team’s 6s [defensive midfielders]. And it gave Cincinnati some problems — do the centerbacks step? Do they drop? — and we had some good combination play.”

» READ MORE: The Union and FC Cincinnati don’t like each other, no matter how nice they are about it

Uhre has always known how much pressure is on him and has always been open about it with the media and with Curtin. The two sit down for long conversations every few months and let it all out, and it surely helps both of them.

“It’s probably been five or six times where he’ll come into the office, we’ll talk. It’s honest. It’s real,” Curtin said. “That next game is always like tonight: It’s the level that we see Mikael at.”

That level included not just the goal, but 18-of-24 passing (he rarely gets on the ball that much) and two defensive recoveries.

“He knows he can go there. He goes there the majority of the time,” Curtin said. “But sometimes, I think, like all of us, we need a — whatever you want to call it — a kick in the butt, a reminder, encouragement, belief. And, you know, he went out on the field tonight, and I thought did a great job.”

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It’s also the mark of a good manager that Curtin knows how to press the right buttons in those moments to bring out Uhre’s best, even if he’d like to see it more often.

“Those conversations are what happen in any team,” Curtin said. “It’s normal. It’s healthy. But I don’t think it’s a coincidence [that] when he goes through the slightest bit of adversity or a decision going against him, the next time he comes out on the field, and I think he performed great tonight.”

That “decision” was a none-too-subtle reference to Uhre not starting two of the Union’s last three games, the Leagues Cup group stage opener against Charlotte and the round-of-32 game against Montréal.

There might be more such decisions in the future, now that Curtin can mix and match his starting front pair with Uhre, Baribo, and Sam Adeniran.

But the most important of Curtin’s words there was “healthy.” If that dynamic stays in place, Uhre should be just fine. And if he gets two more goals this year, he would reach double digits for the third straight year. You can be sure Curtin wouldn’t give that up, and fans shouldn’t either.

» READ MORE: Union sign Haitian international Danley Jean Jacques from French Ligue 2 club Metz

Now it’s on to the Leagues Cup quarterfinals, where the Union will host Mexico’s Mazatlán on Saturday at Subaru Park (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). Win that, and the Union will be in the semis for the second straight year, visiting Columbus or hosting New York City FC. And another game would be guaranteed after that from the western half of the bracket.

For as much as many Union fans dislike the Leagues Cup, Apple play-by-play broadcaster Steve Cangialosi made a point at the end of Tuesday’s telecast that previously was no secret, but now matters more. This tournament probably is the Union’s best chance at a trophy this year.

(We’ll also see if MLS’s finance department cares about its fourth-largest media market a little more now that Inter Miami is out. With Lionel Messi still injured, the Herons blew a 2-0 lead in a 3-2 loss at Columbus.)

» READ MORE: Union fans voted against the Leagues Cup by not showing up in big numbers to two home games

The Union certainly won’t win the Supporters’ Shield for the league’s best overall record, and winning the MLS Cup would require making the playoffs in the first place — which they wouldn’t if the postseason started today. When the regular season resumes two weekends from now, the Union will be in 10th place in the Eastern Conference with a 6-10-9 record (27 points).

The Union probably will make the playoffs in some form, since the top nine teams qualify, and ninth-place Atlanta is just one point ahead of them. But fourth place, the lowest that gets home-field advantage in the first round, is 14 points away.

That’s a lot of ground to make up in the nine games that will be left, with eight against teams currently in playoff spots and five on the road.

So buckle up for the next few days, because they might be as good as the rest of the year gets.

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