What We Learned: Crew at Philadelphia Union

1. Chad Marshall is missed
The Crew are used to missing games from their captain and star center back, but Saturday's game highlighted perhaps more than ever that they'll need him if they hope to go deep in the playoffs. Eric Gehrig has filled in admirably in spot duty this year, but he and Julius James failed to exhibit the calm in back from an on-form Marshall, most notably on Sebastien Le Toux's goal and the failed clearance leading to Danny Mwanga's chance in the second half. Such mistakes can get punished early and often come playoff time.

2. Philadelphia will be a force to reckon with for years to come
The Crew and Union already seem evenly matched, splitting the season series with a 1-goal home win for each. However, a young Union team will test the Crew in future years for the conference superiority Columbus has had a hold on over the past few seasons. With such a young squad, highlighted by a veritable laundry list of stars under the age of 21 like Danny Mwanga, Roger Torres and Zac MacMath, the Union can expect to improve by leaps and bounds. Perhaps their young core will be more motivated to win trophies once they're old enough to enjoy the champagne that comes with them.

3. The playoffs are anything but a sure bet
With Saturday's loss, the Crew's tenuous hold on the top spot in the Eastern Conference just about disappeared. The Crew are now a mere point ahead of Kansas City, and only two points ahead of both Philadelphia and Houston. Not only are the crew less than a game ahead of losing out on a first-round bye, their playoff spot could be in danger if they can't turn it around soon. Late-season risers like Chicago or D.C. are within striking distance if they can put together winning streaks, and New York could jump right back into the conversation if they start playing to their potential.

Of course, the Crew can prevent all of this from becoming an issue simply by taking care of their own results, but if they cannot right the ship soon, they could be facing do-or-die scenarios in the last few weeks of the season. A few weeks ago it would have been hard to imagine the season's last match in Chicago having any real impact, but at current trends it could decide a playoff spot.

4. A little rest does the body good
Perhaps the sluggish play from Columbus can be chalked up to a short turnaround from Thursday's emotional match with Houston. Unfortunately for Columbus, their schedule provides no rest for the weary. The men in yellow will benefit from a full week to recover before Saturday's home tilt with Los Angeles, but then jump right back into midweek action the following Wednesday in an enormous match at Kansas City. Sporting Kansas City has been next to unbeatable in the brand-new Livestrong Sporting Park, but it's a game that could decide whether or not the Crew have a shot at the first seed in the East. It would surely behoove them to catch their Z's beforehand.