No matter what the Union did in the playoffs, new sporting director Ernst Tanner had plans well before then to engineer major changes to the team's playing style.
Tanner has made it clear that he wants the Union to play faster, putting a greater emphasis on transition play. The team's possession-oriented attack has produced some pretty soccer this year, but it has also gotten run over too often — especially the season-ending blowouts by New York City FC.
Those results should further empower Tanner to dramatically overhaul the Union's roster.