If there's such a thing as a good way to extend a winless streak to 16 games, the Union managed to find a way to accomplish it.
Here's a closer look at their scoreless draw with the L.A. Galaxy on Saturday night and what lies ahead as they continue their quest for their first victory since last August:
Three thoughts about Saturday's game
1. Just like their season opener, the Union flew out early for a game on the West Coast, executed a cautious but effective game plan and walked away with a hard-earned point. Sure, there's nothing sexy about a scoreless draw — the same score as the Union's opener vs. Vancouver in their 2017 debut — but grinding out those kinds of points on the opposite coast are actually quite valuable. Of course, it means less if you don't take care of business at home — which the Union have decidedly not done through the first two months of the season.
2. A week after allowing three unanswered goals in a disheartening 3-3 home draw with the Montreal Impact, the Union's backline stayed mostly organized in their first shutout since the opener. The Union did luck out when the Galaxy's Joao Pedro struck both posts on a shot, but the Galaxy finished with only three shots on target despite controlling more than 60 percent of the possession. It was an important performance, particularly from rookie Jack Elliott and Ray Gaddis, both new to the starting lineup in recent weeks. But this team still needs Keegan Rosenberry (who's been benched for the last two weeks) and Josh Yaro (who's been injured) in there for those two guys to turn what feels like a patchwork backline into a potentially good one for this year and beyond.
3. As much as head coach Jim Curtin likes to say the Union are a great team, it's clear to most people that Philly doesn't have the same kind of talent as other teams, particularly with Yaro and Maurice Edu injured. But there are a few spots on the field where they do have an advantage: at goalkeeper with Andre Blake and in the defensive midfield with Haris Medunjanin and Alejandro Bedoya. Against the Galaxy, Blake did his part with a couple of nice saves to earn the shutout while Medunjanin looked sharp with his passing and confident with some nice runs and shots from distance. If the Union want to get out of their rut, they'll need the closest things they have to stars to keep making plays like those.
Three questions for the week ahead
1. The Union will be happy to return home this weekend — but that happiness might not last for long. If they don't put forth a good effort on Saturday against the New York Red Bulls (7 p.m., TCN) after an 0-2-2 start at Talen Energy Stadium, things could get ugly in the crowd, especially when you consider the Red Bulls are the team Philly fans hate most. Will the Union be able to rise to the occasion and knock off their fiercest rival for their first win of 2017? Or will the weight of the winless streak continue to mess with their heads?
2. When Curtin benched Rosenberry against the Impact and spoke of how Rosenberry needed a spark, it seemed like it would be a short-term thing. But now that Rosenberry was benched for a second straight game over the weekend and the Union earned a shutout without him, could it last longer? Gaddis had a decent game against the Galaxy but did get beat by Emmanuel Boateng on at least one play that could have resulted in a goal. And if Rosenberry — who was one of the team's top players as a rookie last year — sits out for longer, is it possible the lineup move ends up being counterproductive in terms of his own confidence?
3. Another lineup move Curtin made over the weekend was inserting Fafa Picault on the wing in place of Ilsinho. That spot has been in flux this year with Herbers starting the first three games before giving way to Ilsinho, whose dynamic one-on-one skills failed to yield any goals or assists in four starts. All bring different skill sets with Picault best suited to use his speed to get behind fullbacks. It might become a situation where Curtin creates some sort of platoon, leading to the question: Who starts on the wing opposite Chris Pontius against the Red Bulls?
Stat of the week
The Union's 16 straight games without a win is tied for the third-longest streak in MLS history. The longest is 18 — held by the Colorado Rapids (July 30, 2014 to April 4, 2015) and Real Salt Lake (Aug. 10, 2005 to May 6, 2006).
Quote of the week
"We still haven't won, but the last two games we haven't lost. So there are still positives, and we've just got to keep going. Once we can start stopping teams from scoring goals against us, we're going to get our chances and we're going to get our wins."
— Union goalkeeper Andre Blake
Player of the week
In just his third career start, rookie center Jack Elliott did a fine job neutralizing the Galaxy's star-studded play and made a great defensive play in the final minute to clear away danger and preserve the shutout.