The spotlight keeps growing on Cavan Sullivan, Neil Pierre, and the Union’s push for a playoff berth. But interim manager Ryan Richter remains steadfastly unmoved.
“I’m not just saying this when you guys ask,” he said heading into Saturday’s home game against CF Montréal (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). “The reality is, there’s too much work to do on a game-to-game basis to worry about the big-picture stuff, and where we’re at in the league, and what the next 10 games might look like. There’s too much to focus on today, and what we want to see out of training, and the environment that we want to create to get the best out of the guys — and I really mean that.”
Richter proved his sincerity when asked if the team would get a boost in spirits from rising above the playoff line. The Union enter the weekend in 12th place in the East (6-10-6, 24 points), but just one point back of ninth-place Orlando. Toronto and D.C. are also on 25 points, while eighth-place Red Bull New York is on 26, and seventh-place New York City FC is on 28.
The three teams beneath the Union — Atlanta, Montréal, and Columbus — are on 21, 21, and 20 respectively. And no one expects Columbus to remain in the basement, having just signed former NYCFC winger Santi Rodríguez.
“It’s not important to me,” Richter said. “There’s no psychological bounce of being above that line. … There’s too much to focus on here that takes all the attention away from what-could-be types of things.”
An eight-point difference from seventh to 15th makes for a pretty big traffic jam. It probably won’t clear up any time soon, with 12 games still to play in the last two months of the season and a two-week FIFA international window in the middle. It’s so much congestion that there will be a full round of games during the first weekend of that FIFA window, a practice the league used to swear off.
That includes the Union’s quick turnarounds to their next two games: Wednesday at home vs. FC Cincinnati (7:30 p.m., FS1, Apple TV), then the longest road trip of the year to play San Diego next Sunday (9 p.m., Apple TV).
But a team can make its situation worse by not doing what it should. That certainly applies to Saturday’s game at Subaru Park. Not only is Montréal beneath the Union in the standings, but it played a Canadian Championship cup game in Vancouver on Wednesday. Another midweek game awaits next Wednesday, at home against Charlotte.
MLS’s schedule flip next year will fix much of this, because the league won’t have to jam games in places to make room for breaks during major tournaments. Until then, Richter offered sympathies to the visitors.
“It’s a tough week for them,” Richter said. “I don’t want to say it’s a break for us, but it makes it a tough week for them, playing in Vancouver. And sometimes you need these breaks in your schedule. But we know that doesn’t mean it’s going to be an easy game.”
Nor might it be the easiest to scout from film. Montréal is still integrating its two big summer signings, former Colorado Rapids winger Dante Sealy and Chilean legend of many big European clubs Alexis Sánchez.
Though Sánchez has only played as a substitute so far, the 37-year-old is one of those players who could pull a rabbit out of his hat at any time.
“For us, it’s a little unpredictable what kind of lineup they’ll go with,” Richter said. “We’ll see where Alexis Sánchez is exactly fitness-wise: if he’s ready to start a game, if he’s available for that. But they’ve added some quality pieces, so it’s a dangerous team.”
A front office addition
The Union have filled the role of technical director in their front office for the first time since Chris Albright’s departure.
Roberto Giménez, who was the club’s head of academy scouting from 2021-24, has returned to Chester and been hired for the new title. He spent the last two years as U.S. Soccer’s talent identification manager for the West Region.
“Roberto has a strong understanding of our club, our identity, and strategy, and our approach to identifying and developing talent,” Union sporting director Jon Scheer said in a statement. “His time with U.S. Soccer has broadened his perspective on best practices across the landscape, while allowing him to collaborate with club and federation leaders domestically and internationally. … We are excited to welcome him back, as he will play an important role in advancing our sporting strategy across every level of our professional player pathway — from the academy through Union II and into the first team.”
That work has been done by a range of people in recent years, especially Scheer before he was promoted to the top job. His previous title was head of academy and professional development.
Now the front office’s leaders are Scheer, Giménez, assistant sporting director Matt Ratajczak, and director of scouting Chris Zitterbart.
The standings
Since it’s September, it’s time to start looking at the Eastern Conference standings. Here’s how the bottom end stacks up heading into this weekend, with eight teams separated by eight points.
The first standings tiebreaker is total wins, then goal difference.
7. New York City FC: 7-8-7, 28 points, +5 goal difference
8. Red Bull New York: 7-10-5, 26 pts., -14 GD
9. Orlando City: 7-11-4, 25 pts., -17
10. Toronto FC: 5-7-10, 25 pts., -6
11. D.C. United: 5-7-10, 25 pts. -8
12. Union: 6-10-6, 24 pts., -5
13. Atlanta United: 6-13-3, 21 pts., -13
14. CF Montréal: 5-11-6, 21 pts., -16
15. Columbus Crew: 5-12-5, 20 pts., -8
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