Photo Cred: Mlssoccer.com
The Union were fortunate to squeak out a home draw against New England, and tonight they faced off against their rivals, New York Red Bulls. Check out our game summary from tonight's 1-0 victory.
Starting XI
Union
Blake,
Wagner, Elliot, Glesnes, Mbaizo
Flach
Monteiro, Bedoya
Fontana
Santos, Burke
New York
Coronel
Tark, Long, Nealis, Duncan
Davis, Amaya
Clark, Royer, Casseres Jr.
Fabio
First Half Summary
The Union pushed toward the Red Bull net within the first minute, and a Philly cross went over the defense, almost trickling into goal. The ball took a fortunate bounce for New York.
A scary moment occurred during the third minute, as a ball was lifted toward Blake. He and Elliot collided in mid air, and both remained on the ground for a few minutes. The Chester crowd held their breath, but both players eventually returned to their feet. The fans exhaled, and play resumed.
New York's next chance came in the 8th minute, when a corner gave way to a clear header at net. Fortunately for Philly, the ball sailed out of bounds. Union then countered with their own attack. Fontana gained possession and pushed a ball to Jamiro. He then made a wonderful pass into the box, and a diving Burke put one passed Coronel. Union up 1-0.
Red Bulls made their attempt to tie the game with a corner kick in the 20th minute. Fabio leaped in the center of the box, but he was unable to find the back of the net.
After a quiet few minutes from the Union attack, a high bouncing pass found its way into the box. Bedoya put a nice flick toward net, but it went out of bounds, with no real danger for Carlos. Coronel was called into action moments later though, as Fontana's strong shot from within the box hit the keeper right in the hands. Tough miss there, it was the Union's best chance to make it 2-0 within the first half hour.
New York made an early substitution in the 35th minute, as Edwards came on for Tarek.
The Union's attack continued into the 38th minute, as Miro earned a free kick after he was taken down along the sideline. He then sent a high soaring ball into the box, but it was flicked out for a goal kick. New York then returned downfield with two corner kick opportunities, and their fifth of the half at this point. Duncan collected the second corner and struck a good shot at net, but it fortunately sailed over the extended arm of Blake and out of bounds.
Philadelphia finally earned their first corner kick in the 43rd minute. The home crowded shouted their patented "Union" corner chant as Miro struck one into the box. Glesnes leaped up for a header, but Duncan sent it out for Philly's second corner. Wagner then took the next kick, and his cross found Bedoya by the goal line. The effort eventually flew out and New York regained possession.
Another NYRB substitution came before the end of the half, with Klimala replacing Royer. Five minutes of stoppage time were awarded, considering how long Andre and Jack were down. Wagner tried to capitalize on the extra minutes, but his shot on goal was easily corralled by Coronel. The whistle was soon heard, and the Union carried their lead into the locker room.
Second Half Summary
The Union started the half with a corner kick, Miro put one into box, but it found its way toward midfield with no danger to the defense.
Bedoya led the Union's next attack in the 50th minute, as he and Santos pushed the ball toward the net. A nice cross found Sergio, but his shot was blocked.
New York received the first yellow card of the night in the 52nd minute after a hard foul from Long.
Red Bulls made their next sub in the 54th minute, as Fernandez came on for Amaya.
Philly earned their next corner after Fontana and Santos had a nice give and go into the box. Sergio was able to get off a decent shot toward goal, but it was deflected out. Wagner kept it short, and Mbaizo's high cross resulted in a weak shot from Fontana. New York then regained possession.
Kacper relieved Fontana in the 58th minute, which put the team's 3 best forwards on the field. A unique lineup for a squad that usually rotates the 3 goal scorers.
Miro had a beautiful meg in the 61st minute, which resulted in a foul and yellow card from Nealis. The free kick went right to Jamiro in the box, but a bad touch gave the ball back to New York.
Mbaizo had Philly's next attack on net. He rushed into the box and put the ball on his right foot. A strong shot was then sent out toward midfield, and New York soon earned a corner kick. Once again though, Philly's defense held strong and kept NYRB off the board.
A good Red Bull counter came in the 70th minute. What looked like an easy attempt at goal was soon stopped by a diving Wagner. The shot was blocked for a corner, but Andre saw the New York attempt trickle out for a goal kick.
The back and forth between the rivals continued, with both teams having decent chances on net. The next group of substitutions came in the 75th minute for New York. Yearwood replaced Clark, while Fabio was removed by Harper.
The fresh legs helped New York earn another corner, but once again the Union defense kept their opponent off the board. With the game now in the last 13 minutes, Curtin went with a defensive mindset. Real came in for Sergio Santos.
Real immediately made an impact, as he led an offensive push. Although nothing came of the effort, a hard tackle from Yearwood sent Mbaizo to the ground. He was quickly shown a yellow.
Glesnes was the next Union player to step up. Harper found himself wide open inside the box, but his strong shot was sent ricocheting off Glesnes. This led to an enticing counter from Philly, but a bad touch to Bedoya allowed the defense to regroup. Ale was then seen limping after this run, but he called off his replacement and continued.
Andre went down again in the 88th minute. A diving save pushed the ball out of bounds, and Blake immediately reached for his side. It is unclear what may have caused the discomfort, but Andre remained and play continued.
Bedoya was the next Union player to go down. He was visibly gassed toward the end of the match, and he was replaced by Sullivan with 3 minutes of stoppage time remaining.
Things quickly got heated between the familiar foes. A small tussle for the ball ultimately led to Yearwood giving a forceful shove at Flach. Leon went to the ground, and once the two sides were separated, the ref gave Yearwood his second yellow.
The ref soon blew the whistle and the Union held on for a hard fought 1-0 victory. Philly finally gets some rest, as they don't play again until Sunday, May 23rd at DC United.
- Mike Barrera