Philadelphia Union Finally Found Perfect Balance Between Jack McGlynn & Leon Flach
The two legs of the CCL quarterfinals showed how the Union can balance the playing time of the two midfielders.
Both of these things can be true:
Jack McGlynn has forced his way into a starting position for the Philadelphia Union.
Leon Flach is still a starting-caliber midfield and is a valuable player to the team’s success.
We saw both of those things on display in Wednesday’s Concacaf Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Atlas.
McGlynn delivered a beautiful right-footed (his off foot!) pass to set up Julian Carranza on the Union’s first goal inside Estadio Jalisco.
Flach came on for McGlynn in the second half and used a relentless effort to feed Mikael Uhre in the buildup to Carranza’s second goal.
Flach also shut down the right side of the Atlas attack with his defensive movements.
Union manager Jim Curtin struck the perfect balance between McGlynn and Flach on Wednesday night, and it proved that both midfielders can play important roles for the squad in the same game.
We’ve had the endless debate for the last year regarding why McGlynn has not taken over Flach’s starting spot on a permanent basis.
The answer was always that Flach’s defensive skill set was valued inside the 4-4-2 diamond formation and that McGlynn carried value off the bench when the Union needed an attacking spark.
We have a new answer to that conundrum in 2023 because of McGlynn’s improved defensive work.
That was on display in the CCL quarterfinal first leg, when he played well on the left side of a 4-3-2-1 formation. He did not seem like a defensive liability, which led to a second start against Atlas on Wednesday.
Flach’s defensive work rate on the left side of midfield has not changed, but now McGlynn is on a more level playing field because of his defensive work.
Curtin likes to remind reporters that while there is focus on McGlynn’s development, and rightfully so because he is a United States U-20 international, that Flach’s game is not a finished product yet either.
Flach is only 22 and has room to build his offensive qualities and his awareness in the final third. That is still a work in progress. The instincts to get to the loose ball on the second goal showed his willingness to take risks instead of just holding back in midfield.
The 22-year-old was used as a defensive replacement first on Wednesday, but he was able to do more than just defend and play a role in a crucial moment of the match.
The continued development of McGlynn’s defense and Flach’s offense is only a good thing for the Union.
Curtin can now mix and match the two left-sided players across the four competitions the club is currently involved in. It gives the Union no drop off in that key spot on the field, and it sets them up for more success.
The same process is going on at center back with Damion Lowe rotating into the lineup next to Jakob Glesnes or Jack Elliott and at full back with Nathan Harriel and Matt Real coming in for Olivier Mbaizo and Kai Wagner.
Work still needs to be done on depth in the final third, but the on-field pieces are starting to come together with the depth that Curtin talked about endlessly in preseason.
Photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union.
Great write up Joe. It also makes me wonder about Perea's growth in the system. He's seems like a good balance between offense and defense, but hasn't played much.
The depth in midfield is definitely coming out during the schedule. Been massive effort from Flach and McGlynn to continue to grow their game. Just have to wonder if the Union will utilize their Young U22 slot they have for forward depth in the summer? Seems like they need to make some move their to help the attack.
What makes Leon attractive off the bench is that he seems to have the “instant on” switch that makes a sun so effective. Doesn’t have to take the time to grow into the game.