The Union scrapped their way to another win, but their flaws remain clear

If you want to be optimistic about the Union, the fact that they found a way to scrape out a 2-0 win over CF Montréal on Saturday at Subaru Park gives you a reason.

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So does Cavan Sullivan scoring in a third straight game, his seventh goal of the year in all competitions; and the fact that the win put the Union (7-10-6, 27 points) in ninth place, finally above the playoff line.

But if you’re still skeptical of this team’s true level, the rest of the night offered a pile of proof.

It was not a performance to sugarcoat, even as it took the unbeaten streak in league play to all eight such games of interim manager Ryan Richter’s tenure.

In truth, the quality — or lack of it — was what you’d have expected from the teams that entered the night in 12th and 14th place in the Eastern Conference.

There was Bruno Damiani’s latest pile of misses, especially a wide-open look in the middle of the 18-yard box in first-half stoppage time.

Then came Milan Iloski’s failure to score on a breakaway in the 75th, bailed out by Montréal goalkeeper Sebastian Breza fumbling the ball and Sullivan pouncing.

And in between the Union’s goals, Neil Pierre committed a soft but callable penalty kick foul, only for Montréal’s Prince Owusu to offer one of the worst attempts from the spot you’ll ever see.

A performance like that won’t cut it on Wednesday against FC Cincinnati (7:45 p.m., FS1, Fox Deportes, Apple TV), the first time the Union will face a truly good opponent since Inter Miami — but without the buzz of Lionel Messi visiting, and the energy that brings to the players on the field.

Nor will it stand next Sunday at San Diego (9 p.m., Apple TV). Or in the five-game stretch next month against big teams that will likely define the season: at Chicago, home vs. Charlotte and New England, then at Nashville and Cincinnati.

Interim manager Ryan Richter knew it, too, and didn’t hesitate to say so Saturday night.

“The reality is, you’re not going to show up and play your best game every single week,” he said. “And that was the case tonight, that is true. But we also created enough chances to get the goals that we did, and then the guys came up in big moments.”

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He acknowledged there had to be an “honest conversation” about it, especially after a first half where the Union were caught asleep defensively in the first two minutes and didn’t offer enough attacking-wise afterward.

Richter called Wednesday’s game “huge,” acknowledging its stakes and the spice that has simmered between the Union and Cincinnati in recent years.

“It’s a friendly rivalry, but it’s a chance for us against a really good team at home to show that we can compete with the next level of teams in the Eastern Conference,” he said.

There it was, as clear as could be: the next level of teams. A level the Union aren’t at.

The players were just as blunt.

Goalkeeper and captain Andre Blake said that at halftime, “there was a lot of chattering, because we knew that it wasn’t our best. … We just needed to find a way to figure out how to break them down.”

It took a scrappy set-piece goal to finally get through Montréal’s man-to-man defense, finished off by Danley Jean Jacques in the 58th.

“You’re going to have games like these where it’s difficult, different tests,” Blake said. “I’m just happy that we were able to find a way to to get some goals. A win is a win.”

Sullivan concurred.

“The first half was — we put on some pressure, but it wasn’t a great game to play in, in all honesty,” he said. “It was just not a pretty game. In the second half, I think our defensive pressure raised the level, and that sets the tone for the rest of play.”

If this piece sounds too cynical for a team on an eight-game unbeaten run in the league, the apology from here will be limited. It’s the reality of what the Union face, and the scale of the task for a team that wants to have high standards for results.

As Sullivan said: “We know that there’s a lot of stuff on the line right now. Playoff spots, we’re in one now, but you can go up and down at any moment.”

And if you think you’ve heard this message before on these pages, you’re right. The point isn’t to be repetitive. It’s to be clear that as Philadelphia fans line back up for the Union bandwagon, they need to know there are much harder games ahead. Better to be realistic about that now, so that you won’t be surprised if the sting comes later.

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