You don’t have to critique Jakob Glesnes’ game. The Union defender does that himself every car ride home.

For Jakob Glesnes, reflection doesn’t happen at the final whistle.

It doesn’t happen in the locker room after the game or during the complimentary meal in the stadium club — one usually complete with family and friends in attendance and the distractions that coincide.

The Union defender says whether it’s positively or negatively, reflection arrives during the car ride home from a match day. The 6-foot-2 Norwegian, now in his sixth year with the club, has had a lot to reflect on this season with a run of form early in the year that raised questions about whether he was suited to stand firm as the top centerback in the Union’s final third.

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This week, in a conversation with The Inquirer, Glesnes recalled the Union’s first loss of the season, against Nashville, before a reporter could. He admitted being primarily responsible for all three goals in a 3-1 Union loss, a game that haunted his ride back home — and a performance he hopes never rears itself again.

“That car ride, yeah, that was like ... that’s probably the lowest I’ve been [going back home],” Glesnes said. “Honestly, it’s the loss that’s been sitting like the deepest in me, for the longest. That was a hard one.”

However, Glesnes’ rough early-season go hasn’t dissuaded manager Bradley Carnell from his belief that the 31-year-old central defender is the right man for the job. Glesnes has started and gone a full 90 minutes in every match this season, with Carnell going in deep on the leadership qualities Glesnes brings to a new Union backline.

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“Jakob’s a leader, and he pushes everybody in that locker room,” Carnell said after a 1-0 loss against NYCFC on April 12. “We thank him for that.”

Perhaps it’s that faith in Glesnes by the coaching staff that finds him on a much improved run of form, capped by one of the best goals of the season for the Union in last Saturday’s 3-0 rout of D.C. United.

His half volley in the 15th minute kick-started the club’s second straight win by as many goals. It also puts them in a prime position to jump even higher in the Eastern Conference with a win on the road against Montreal on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV, MLS Season Pass).

The car ride after the win over United? Night and day from the one he had just a month prior.

“Yes, that was a much better feeling in the car,” Glesnes said, laughing. “It felt really good to get that goal, but more importantly, for us to get the win and get back to winning. We’ve just been having some good results, and where we are on the table now, I don’t think many people are complaining.”

Glesnes admits he’s a much different person and player than he was when he arrived to the Union six seasons ago. Now, as a father of two young children, those feelings in the car are fleeting moments as Glesnes has a family that views him as so much more than a soccer player.

“If you ask my wife now, compared to six years ago, I’m probably a different person after a game, especially one like the Nashville game,” Glesnes said. “Now, you have two wonderful kids that you’re coming home to; they don’t care if you’re winning or losing, like you are just a dad for them.”

Having that to come home to also brings Glesnes some perspective. Perhaps that’s why even with a few glaring mistakes, remaining grounded in his role has kept him at the top of the Union’s defensive food chain.

“That’s just how it is with soccer. It is ups and downs,” Glesnes said. “You just have to learn from all these little moments. I’m still learning. I learn from the rush I have when we’re winning and the feeling I have when we’re losing. You can always get something out of both, and that’s what I try to do.”

The Union have had it pretty good so far, in terms of their results and the ease of their schedule. But that may be about to change.

May’s slate includes eight games, seven in the league plus Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup home game in the round of 32. Win that contest, and a round of 16 home game will join the calendar too.

It’s time for Carnell to make full use of his depth, and to his credit, he has already done so this season. Though his hand has been forced at times by injuries, especially to centerback Ian Glavinovich, Carnell has given 19 outfield players (positions other than goalkeeper) at least three appearances each across the Union’s 10 games.

Defensive midfielder Jesús Bueno became the latest this past Saturday, by starting for the suspended Jovan Lukić. The Venezuelan played a quiet game in the 3-0 win over D.C. United, but that was just fine, as he’ll likely be called on more this month.

“I think Jesús Bueno is pushing those guys every single day, and that’s why they’re performing at the level they do,” Carnell said, referring to usual starters Lukić and Danley Jean Jacques. “‘Chuchu’ played well in the last game out against D.C. We’re trying to bring him back in a smart way … It was massive for him to get that [start] back under his belt, because he hasn’t done it for a while, and we’re going to have a bunch of games now.”

Some coaching staffs will lay out a full month’s plan for lineups when facing a stretch like this. Others will go one or two games at a time.

Which way does Carnell prefer?

“You can always put it into theory, and then comes game day, and theory gets put in the washer,” he said. “You can theorize, you can go through that whole process, and for sure we have. But your next game is your most important game, because just from a psychological point of view, you want to put out there that you want to win your next game, and there’s three points on the line, and it’s a very important game.”

A glance at May finds it shaping up for the Union like this:

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