As Philadelphia Union defender Auston Trusty prepares for a trip this weekend to square off against Los Angeles Galaxy, the 20-year-old said the key ingredient in the club’s unbeaten streak can be summed up in one word. Mentality.
The Union’s consistent back four -- Jack Elliott, Kai Wagner, Ray Gaddis and Trusty -- have played some of their best soccer during the streak and Trusty credits the group’s chemistry and strong mental fortitude for that success.
“We’re staying tight as a unit,” Trusty told PhiladelphiaUnion.com following Tuesday’s training session. “We go into every match with the mentality that we want to keep a shutout and allow as few shots against us as possible, and over this stretch we’ve been doing that.”
Since a setback to Sporting Kansas City, Union opponents have scored just once from the run of play and once from a set piece. Even more impressive in the three-game winning streak is how the defensive line has suffocated opposing offenses, allowing just 13 total shots. That’s shots taken, not shots on goal. The previous Union record over a three game stretch? 22.
Now the Union are preparing for Swedish superstar Zlatan Ibrahimović, and while that might seem a tough task Trusty gained valuable experience battling the big Swede at Talen Energy Stadium in 2018.
“We faced off against him, we know how he plays and how the team plays through him,” Trusty said. “Things have changed since last season but it’s always useful to have experience against a player like Zlatan and that team.”
One of the challenges of preparing for Zlatan is the striker’s ability to score from anywhere on the pitch. That was clearly evident when he found the net with his first MLS touch back in 2018, and it’s something the Union will be keenly aware of on Saturday night. In 2019, Zlatan has scored four goals on just five shots on goal and has accounted for half of the club’s goals after last weekend’s assist to Daniel Steres is added in.
“Communication is key and there will be a lot of video work that goes on in addition to just studying his tendencies,” Trusty continued. “But at the end of the day, he is still a striker and I have to prepare for the next game the right way, like I do for every match. That requires knowing how forwards like to play and that’s what I’ll be doing to prepare.”
As the Boys in Blue get ready for their first cross-country road trip of 2019, the group must maintain their focus as they adapt to warmer weather and a three hour time difference.
“You have to keep the right mentality, we’ll be out there a few days before so we’ll have time to adjust to the atmosphere and time difference. At the end of the day, it is just another game and you have to have the right mentality and stay focused from distractions.”
The Union and LA Galaxy will face off at 10:30 p.m. ET in Los Angeles on Saturday night on PHL17
