Union observations: Ray Gaddis again caught out of position in another bad loss
Ray Gaddis was implicated in Montreal's first three goals against the Union. It was his second poor performance in three weeks.
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After the Union’s 4-0 loss at Real Salt Lake two weeks ago, this column pointed out that Ray Gaddis’ tendency to pinch in fron the right flank was a problem.
Gaddis played the same way in Saturday’s game at the Montreal Impact. It was another 4-0 loss, and he was an even bigger problem.
This is Gaddis’ heat map of ground covered Saturday night, as charted by WhoScored.com. The brighter the color over a given area, the more time he spent there:
The issue here isn’t the time Gaddis spent in Montreal’s half. It’s the time he spent in the center of the park, and the big blank space on his flank of the defensive third. This led to him being at fault on the Impact’s first three goals.
On the first, Gaddis was in almost the exact middle of the field when scorer Lassi Lappalainen ran behind him.
On the second, scored by Orji Okwonkwo, Gaddis cut inside to chase Maxi Urruti in the buildup. That compelled Auston Trusty and Jack Elliott to stay behind and cover the space left open.
On the third, scored just 15 seconds into the second half, Gaddis had gone forward because the Union took the kickoff. When the ball was turned over, he was caught upfield and never recovered. Elliott was left chasing Lappalainen again, and had no chance.
For years, Gaddis has seen off challengers to the starting right back role, including Olivier Mbaizo this season (though he’s now injured). He may yet again, and we don’t yet know how R.J. Allen will play in a game. But Gaddis’ struggles lately have been alarming. It might be time to give Allen a shot.
Marco Fabián’s best game yet
Last week’s column asserting that Marco Fabián is the Union’s best player drew a lot of raised eyebrows from Union fans. The view still stands, and Fabián’s performance in Montreal only bolsters it.
He recorded 77 touches, 4 shots (1 on target) and 2 chances created, completed 52 of 59 passes - including a perfect 3-for-3 on long balls - and pitched in one tackle.
Most importantly, Fabián played a full 90 minutes for the first time since April 7, and just the third time overall this year. If he stays healthy, his influence should only grow during the rest of the season.
Matt Real fine in season’s first start
When Matt Real was beaten by Okwonkwo on that second goal, Union color analyst Janusz Michallik (Tommy Smyth had the night off) took Real to task. Michallik knows what he’s talking about: he’s a former U.S. national team defender who is one of the country’s smartest TV pundits.
The view from here was that Real recovered to Okwonkwo's position enough to be absolved of too much blame. More important, though, is that if any fans have that play as their lasting impression of Real's night, they shouldn't.
In his first start of the year, Real recorded 40 touches and 2 clearances, and completed 23 of 27 passes. The 20-year-old Drexel Hill earned the chance to fill in for the suspended Kai Wagner with weeks of good work at Bethlehem Steel. Wagner returns to the starting lineup this week, but when there’s time for Real to play again, he should get it.