It’s two games, an 180-minute sandbar in the vast ocean of an MLS campaign.

But the Philadelphia Union rammed into it hard this week. And the scramble is on to stop the water streaming in and prevent the loss of the precious cargo they’ve accumulated this season.

The Union were humbled again Tuesday night, not just losing 3-1 at Nashville in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal at GEODIS Park but playing poorly. On the heels of a 7-0 dismantling by Vancouver on the weekend, the Union have gone from vying for trophies in two competitions to on the back foot in one and eliminated from the other.

More than that, for arguably the first time all season, a high-flying team has seen what happens when things don’t go right. They’re coping not just with the effort to get back in form but the self-doubt t

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