Union Lose 3-1 to Columbus, Exit Leagues Cup in Semifinals
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The Leagues Cup semifinals kicked off Wednesday night with the first of two (home and home) meetings, within a week, between the Philadelphia Union and the Columbus Crew at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio. The teams resume the MLS season next Wednesday against one another at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania. (That game was supposed to be played this Saturday but was rescheduled due to the Leagues Cup schedule.)
Columbus and Philadelphia both drew 1-1 and advanced on penalty kicks 4-3 last round, Philadelphia over Liga MX club Mazatlan and Columbus over fellow MLS club New York City FC. Cucho Hernandez had the lone goal for Columbus, his first in the Leagues Cup knockout round, though the Colombian forward has 13 goals in 18 MLS appearances (17 starts). Mikael Uhre scored a beauty of a goal as Philadelphia survived playing with 10 men for a full half, Tai Baribo being sent off on two questionable yellow cards and therefore unavailable tonight. Combine that with Andre Blake’s two huge penalty kick stops, and the Union were on to Columbus.
Wilfried Nancy’s squad came out flying around the pitch, boasting the confidence of a team that has lost just twice in 41 games at home. For the opening ten minutes, the left side of Philadelphia’s defense was getting a barrage of pressure, and Cucho, the lone goal scorer from last game, soon provided a huge hand in getting the breakthrough for his team.
The Philadelphia Union defended a corner kick, and the following ball in, well but Kai Wagner’s clearance did not reach midfield. Columbus recycled the ball over to Cucho Hernandez on the left side. He was able to take on Nathan Harriel 1 v. 1, getting to the top corner of the box on his right foot and firing for the far post. Andre Blake saw it late yet got down to parry it wide to his left. Unfortunately, Jack McGlynn had stopped marking Diego Rossi and the rebound went right into his path. The 26-year-old Uruguayan number ten dove forward and headed the ball into the net from a narrow angle, Columbus taking a one-nil lead. The goal tied Rossi for the lead in the Leagues Cup Golden Boot race.
The Union slowly worked their way back into the game but Columbus upped the excitement level for all by playing them back into the game in the 32nd minute. Philadelphia’s attack had broken down and Maximillian Arfsten had overtaken possession. He decided to play back to goalkeeper Patrick Schulte with a bunch of Union players forward. Instead of booting long, Schulte played a short ball that came off defender Yevhen Cheberko, under pressure from Nathan Harriel. Daniel Gazdag was able to pick up the ball, step around a defender and his low, right-foot shot beat Schulte’s right hand getting down to the ball, making it a 1-1 game.
In the 42nd minute, Nathan Harriel took a back-heel pass from Alejandro Bedoya on the right wing. He made a great move to play the ball around Cheberko and run into wide-open space just inside the box. A split-second delay on the delivery allowed Arfsten to get over and get his studs to the cross. The ball skittered to Darlington Nagbe at the top of the box and Columbus was on the march the other way. That is when Diego Rossi snuffed out the momentum and decided to take the Golden Boot lead outright just before halftime.
Off a Columbus throw-in, Cucho played a long switch to Steven Moreira on the right side. This led to a patient build between Moreira, Farsi and Rossi. Rossi then decided to push into a seam, splitting McGlynn and Gazdag up top and, before encountering Leon Flach, played into the feet of Cucho Hernandez. Hernandez took the ball with his right foot as he was spinning his body to the left, squaring him up towards goal. His next touch was a chipped ball, over the head of Jack Elliott, that checked down about twelve yards out. As the ball came down a second time, Rossi cut across it low toward the far side. The ball deflected slightly off Elliott’s shin and rolled under the armpit of Blake as he dove towards the post on his right. With that, the forward secured his third brace in four Leagues Cup games.
Out of the halftime break, Philadelphia tried to get out on the offensive and Quinn Sullivan had a half chance in the 47th minute. On the stretch, he was able to get his right foot to a first-time Bedoya cross, though his deflection never really threatened and went wide to Schulte’s right. In the 48th minute, Gazdag crossed in from the right touchline. Harriel chested it down forward to Bedoya who played in front of Uhre. Uhre couldn’t get the ball sorted out of his feet and Schulte was able to claim, the debate about whether Bedoya was onside becoming moot.
Early in the 52nd, Sullivan rocked the Crew’s boat again, this time getting his head to a Kai Wagner cross in front of Schulte and winning Philadelphia a corner. Columbus was able to defend the set piece well and then deliver their own dagger.
Jack McGlynn intercepted a throw-in on the Columbus left, attacking touchline and kept the ball in play to Sullivan. His flick came off Sean Zawadzki’s shins and the ball popped towards midfield. Christian Ramirez was able to win a battle for the ball with Jack Elliott, playing wide right and stretching the Union backline thin with Elliott caught out. Mohamed Farsi ran at that thin backline from midfield to roughly twenty-five yards out and rolled to the feet of Rossi at the top of the eighteen. The ball was played wide-right to Moreira, his cross served on a platter for Cucho’s wide-open header from dead center of the box. Andre Blake reacted quickly enough to get two hands out to his left as he dropped to make the initial save. In a total injustice to Blake’s effort, his defenders were again caught standing around as Cucho was able to get to his own rebound before Blake could recover. The rebound he slammed home, the door to the Union’s Leagues Cup run, he slammed shut. Andre Blake even made a late save on Diego Rossi to prevent his hat trick and keep it from looking worse.
Columbus is a very good team, especially at home, and on this night the Union did not have the horses or legs to overcome Columbus’ form. The bench was light (with the loss of Jose Martinez to transfer and Tai Baribo to red-card send-off in the previous match) and, after playing fifty minutes with ten men just days ago, the Union’s midweek travel seemed to have them a step slow most of the game. Whether that was just due to Wilfried Nancy’s Columbus squad or other factors, we get the opportunity to find out a week from yesterday.
Before they get their chance at revenge on Columbus, however, the Union return home to Subaru Park for Sunday’s 3rd-place game against the Colorado Rapids. Game time is still to be determined.
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