The Union finished May with a scoreless tie at FC Dallas, extending their unbeaten run to 11 games
The result came on a night when goalkeeper Andre Blake was excused for a family matter, which wasn't revealed until after the game.
When the Union finished off their nine-game May on Saturday, they were unbeaten not just in the month, but for 11 straight games. They also held a four-point lead in the Eastern Conference, and the best record leaguewide in MLS (10-3-4, 34 points).
But the final note of a scoreless tie at FC Dallas felt sour. Though the Union outshot the hosts 23-7, they put just one shot on target.
There was also a big concern at the other end of the field. Andre Blake was out of the squad for what would have been his last Union appearance before heading off to Jamaica’s national team for the next month.
Blake had shown some discomfort during Wednesday’s 2-1 win at Toronto FC, his first game back from a six-game absence due to a knee injury. But it turned out his absence Saturday was not due to injury. Union manager Bradley Carnell revealed after the game that Blake had been excused for “a family commitment” in his home country.
There had been no hint that was coming — at least not in Carnell’s gameday-eve news conference on Friday — but Carnell quickly made it clear he wasn’t going to offer details.
“We gave him the freedom to head to the family commitment early in Jamaica, and I think the rest remains confidential,” he said.
Blake is expected to go with his national team as scheduled to the Reggae Boyz’ World Cup upcoming qualifiers, June 7 at the British Virgin Islands and June 10 at home vs. Guatemala, then the Concacaf Gold Cup afterward.
» READ MORE: Andre Blake's return from injury was even shorter than expected
As for the rest of Saturday, Carnell began the night with his latest round of lineup rotations. Chris Donovan was at striker with Mikael Uhre, Olwethu Makhanya was at centerback, and Ben Bender took one of the attacking midfield spots in his first start with the club.
Unfortunately, Carnell had to make a substitution during the first half, as Uhre suffered a leg injury in a collision that earned Lalas Abubakar a yellow card in the 31st minute. Uhre tried to play through it but could not, and Bruno Damiani replaced him in the 37th.
“I’m no doctor, but it looked like he tweaked his groin — to what extent, not sure,” Carnell said. “He signaled something very early, and he’s got a good gauge of when something’s bothering him. He felt something immediately, and that’s when we knew we had to change, because Mikael doesn’t take any chances with his body and his health.”
Abubakar’s night ended only a few seconds later, but for a different reason. Chasing Donovan from behind on a breakaway down the right wing, Abubakar slid from behind and upended Donovan. Referee Sergii Boyko had an easy call to give a second booking and send Abubakar off.
» READ MORE: May was supposed to break the Union. Instead, it has marked their best month in recent memory.
Carnell sent Jovan Lukić on at halftime for Jesús Bueno, and made a double-switch in the 63rd — Tai Baribo for Donovan and Indiana Vassilev for Danley Jean Jacques.
The Union held a 13-7 advantage in total shots at that point, but remarkably, none had gone on target. Lukić finally forced Maarten Paes’ first save of the night in the 67th with a bouncing shot from 16 yards.
As the Union kept pushing for a goal, Carnell used his last substitution in the 72nd, sending in Quinn Sullivan for Alejandro Bedoya. It didn’t make a difference.
Notably, Damiani took eight shots, many from good positions. But not only did none go on frame, too many too many went alarmingly far from it.
Because of this week’s FIFA window, the Union’s season is paused until a June 14 home game vs. Charlotte FC. They will pass the time with a June 7 friendly vs. Mexico’s Atlas at Subaru Park (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). There will also be a scrimmage on June 5 with New Zealand’s Auckland City FC, as part of that team’s preparations for the Club World Cup.
“We would have loved to got all three points on a road trip that’s been pretty grueling for the last couple of days,” Carnell said. “Credit to the boys for going through this month unbeaten. I don’t know if any of the guys have ever experienced that — not sure if I have, too, as a player or a coach.”