The Union Rollercoaster — 3rd Straight Draw
Photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union
The 10-man Union missed out on another opportunity to gain three points at home when they drew 10-man CF Montreal 2-2 at Subaru Park Saturday night.
The home form of the Philadelphia Union has been enough to give even the staunchest supporter agita. On Saturday night, Jim Curtin‘s Boys in Blue took the fans on a ride. In what has become an all-too-familiar refrain, they failed to secure three points again at home.
Julian Carranza was out again, leading Philadelphia to come out in a 3-5-2 with Olivier Mbaizo on the right wing. The formation was different and still the problems started early. Whether you interpret that as early this season or early this particular match, you are not wrong either way unfortunately.
Before the Sons of Ben could get full-throated in cheers, that one friend the Union have a misplaced loyalty to, the early goal, stopped by to set the tone for Saturday night in Chester, PA.
Under a minute into play CF Montreal, yes the CF Montreal with 23 goals in 16 games, struck first on a semi-counter that Union fans have unfortunately seen before.
Gaining possession in their own half, Montreal played a few short balls before a quick outlet pass had Ruan running from midfield down the right sideline by himself. He was able to find Dominik Iankov at the top of the box with way too much space at his disposal. The space allowed Iankov to tee up the ball for Sunusi Ibrahim. From just outside the eighteen Sunusi met the ball cleanly, his right-footed shot calmly placed inside the post to a diving Oliver Semmle‘s left. He had his third goal in two games and, somehow, you could hear the collective thought “here we go again” echo throughout the stadium.
In the 15th minute, a left-foot Jack McGlynn delivery found its way past goalkeeper Sebastian Breza, though Daniel Gazdag‘s interference with the goalie’s vision from an offside position negated the equalizing goal. Gazdag would force another save from Breza in the 24th with a right-footed drive from 20 yards out that Breza punched over his net.
In the 42nd minute, Jose Martinez was working hard to retain possession in the Union defensive end. He found himself pinned in along the right-hand sideline by one Montreal player and a closing Ariel Lassiter. As he played the ball back towards his goal with the outside of his right boot, he took a high left elbow to the chin from Lassiter coming across. After an initial yellow card was issued to Lassiter, referee Ted Unkel was called over to the VAR monitor. It took Unkel about a minute to decide on a red card and Montreal was down a man but up a goal.
Having had halftime to prepare for being up a man, the Union came out on the offensive, led by Mikkel Uhre. In the 53rd minute, a Kai Wagner delivery from the left wing found the head of Uhre but he was only able to muster a flick right at Breza. In the 55th minute, Jack McGlynn had the vision and passing ability to roll a ball to Uhre through the left channel.
Uhre cut the ball back onto his right foot and fired low. Breza made the save on Uhre’s attempt but spilled the rebound in front of him. As Breza popped out to retrieve the rebound, he took out the legs of Daniel Gazdag, who had beat him to the ball, and the Union had a penalty shot to level the contest. Gazdag stepped up to the spot and as Breza went to his right, Gazdag shot to his own right. With that penalty Gazdag recorded his 50th MLS goal, tying Sebastian Le Toux for the Philadelphia Union’s all-time record.
Less than two minutes later, a home three points began to feel inevitable. A horrendous giveaway by Montreal played Quinn Sullivan toward their net. He rolled to Uhre at the top of the 18 who, using some fancy footwork, managed to get 1v1 with the keeper. With his body stepping left, Uhre slickly outside-footed the ball with his right boot into the bottom corner, Breza’s left foot unable to get out in time.
The euphoric feeling was soon replaced with angst as Jack Elliott was sent off in the 63rd minute, his challenge on Raheem Edwards deemed to be a red card instead of the yellow initially shown. The ensuing free kick from Edward’s replacement, substitute Bryce Duke, found the free head of another substitute Joaquin Sosa. The header beat Semmle and went off the post to his left. The rebound stayed along the goal line and was turned in by a quick-to-react Samuel Piette.
Jack McGlynn hit a low-driven shot just wide in the 89th minute. Into extra time, 90+4, Quinn Sullivan had a go from twenty yards out, his right foot shot directly at Breza. Even 90+6 saw Alejandro Bedoya get an open near-post header off a Kai Wagner corner kick, again straight at Breza.
The opportunities were there, both in scoring chances and being up a man. The Union took advantage of the latter, for twenty minutes, while finally capitalizing on the former and it did not ultimately matter. The conundrum that is the 2024 Philadelphia Union marched on through close to 100 minutes Saturday night. They go up to a man turn around and get one sent off. They finally score goals and they conceded the same amount. When they haven’t conceded lately, they haven’t scored. All this information adds up to being winless in the last six games at Subaru Park and more than a handful of restless natives.
The Philadelphia Union welcome (half-heartedly) Lionel Messi‘s top-of-the-table Inter Miami CF to Subaru Park two Saturdays from now, June 15th, for an Eastern Conference battle. Inter Miami will be without Messi and possibly Luis Suarez due to international duty, Messi/Argentina Suarez/Uruguay, for Copa America.
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