Union match reports

Match report: Philadelphia Union 1-2 New York City FC

Photo: Daniel Studio

Patrick Mullins scored in the 87th minute to give New York City FC a 2-1 win Saturday night at PPL Park.

C.J. Sapong opened the scoring just after halftime before Thomas McNamara equalized just six minutes later. But Mullins snuck a shot past Brian Sylvestre at the near post late to give the visitors from New York all three points.

First half

Jim Curtin was forced to make one change to the team that defeated Columbus on Wednesday, with Sapong starting in place of the injured Fernando Aristeguieta.

The opening 25 minutes saw few chances for both teams. A well-worked training ground corner kick from NYCFC allowed Andrew Jacobson’s shot, but the former Philly man’s shot flew wide of the Union goal. Andrew Wenger headed wide of the NYCFC goal from a whipped cross by Sheanon Williams for the Union’s best chance.

Philadelphia would get their first good chance of the match in the 26th minute. Cristian Maidana led the counterattack down the right side and played a soft pass to Sebastien Le Toux to his right, but the Frenchman’s shot from 10 yards was saved by Josh Saunders.

New York would have their best look of the first half in the 39th minute. David Villa looped in a cross to Adam Nemec, and the big striker flicked his header on for Sebastien Velasquez at the back post. But Brian Sylvestre did well to come off his line, close down the angle and smother the midfielder’s shot from five yards out.

The Union came back straight away and created a chance of their own. Maidana again found room on the right side and sent in a cross toward Sapong. But the Union striker could only nod his header onto the top of the goal from seven yards out.

Vincent Nogueira had the next opportunity for the Union in the 43rd minute. A long Sheanon Williams throw-in was only partially cleared, and Nogueira followed up with a shot from 20 yards out on the right side, only to see it pushed behind by Saunders diving quickly to his left.

Second half

Philadelphia would take the lead shortly after the halftime break, with Sapong netting his fourth goal of the year in the 47th minute. Le Toux’s corner kick evaded Maurice Edu at the near post but came straight to Sapong near the penalty spot. The ball seemed to strike Sapong in the hand, but the striker stayed composed as the ball fell to his feet and finished low into the left corner.

New York City found the equalizer just six minutes later through an unlikely hero. Thomas McNamara had far too much time and space to shoot from 25 yards, and he hit an excellent curling shot into the top right corner beyond Brian Sylvestre.

Philadelphia had a great chance to take the lead in the 78th minute, only to be denied by a strong save from Josh Saunders. Substitute Zach Pfeffer’s cross was blocked to Le Toux 14 yards from goal and the Frenchman put his shot toward the far post. The shot ricocheted off Sapong seven yards from goal, and Saunders got low to his right to preserve the scoreline.

The Union continued to press for a winner, with the next chance falling to Vincent Nogueira in the 82nd minute. Fabinho found room to cross from the left, and the low ball was met by Nogueira five yards from goal, who skied a bouncing ball over the New York goal.

New York notched the late winner through substitute Patrick Mullins in the 87th minute. The striker received the ball from a throw-in on the New York right and pushed it past Fabinho. The difference-making strike was from a bad angle and Sylvestre appeared to be shielded from view of the ball as the shot went in at the near post from 14 yards out.

The Union do not play another regular season game until June 20 when they travel to Los Angeles to take on the Galaxy. They kick off U.S. Open Cup play on June 16th when they host the Rochester Rhinos.

Philadelphia Union
Brian Sylvestre, Fabinho, Richie Marquez, Maurice Edu, Sheanon Williams, Brian Carroll (Jimmy McLaughlin 90+2′), Vincent Nogueira, Cristian Maidana (Eric Ayuk 82′), Andrew Wenger (Zach Pfeffer 69′), Sebastien Le Toux, CJ Sapong
Unused Subs: John McCarthy, Ray Gaddis, Fred, Ethan White

New York City FC
Josh Saunders, Chris Wingert, Shay Facey, Jason Hernandez, Jeb Brovsky, Sebastien Velasquez (Ned Grabavoy 57′), Kwadwo Poku (Mehdi Ballouchy 57′), Andrew Jacobson, Thomas McNamara, Adam Nemec (Patrick Mullins 78′), David Villa
Unused Subs: Ryan Meara, Kwame Watson-Sirboe, R.J. Allen, Pablo Alverez, Patrick Mullins

Scoring Summary
PHI: CJ Sapong (Sebastien Le Toux) — 47
NYC: Thomas McNamara — 53
NYC: Patrick Mullins (Jeb Brovsky) — 87

Disciplinary Summary
NYC: Jason Hernandez (foul) — 4
PHI: Maurice Edu (foul) — 89

Philadelphia Union New York City FC
12 Shots 12
7 Shots on Target 5
5 Shots off Target 6
0 Blocked Shots 1
 6 Corner Kicks 4
 31 Crosses  7
 3 Offsides 0
 9 Fouls 11
1 Yellow Cards 1
0 Red Cards  0
 381 Total Passes 441
 79% Passing Accuracy 79.1%
 48.1% Possession  51.9%
 53 Duels Won 39
 57.6% Duels Won %  42.4%
13 Tackles Won  8
3 Saves 6
10 Clearances 54

79 Comments

  1. Coach, this one’s on you.

  2. They have to boot the manager at the very least. Get a good one in there for once.

  3. There seems to be little reason for Jimmy to sub with so little time left in the game. I just sit there and scrach my head with the subustitue use on this team.

  4. Old Soccer Coach says:

    We learned that Aristigueta does more defensive running further back than Sapong did tonight, thus allowing Maidana a little more rest to retted ration his energy.
    .
    In the last thirty minutes many Union legs were very tired. There will be ten days to Rochester and fourteen to LA. That should help.
    .
    I would ask those criticizing Curtin for relying on players with depleted reserves how he should have juggled the lineup. Yes Brian Carroll was seizing up and half a step slow at the end. Whom do you sub for him? Do you want Pfeffer having to take on Villa and Grabovoy 1 v 1. I’d stick with the tiring veteran and pray. His bench choices are very thin for the central channel right now.
    .
    We can Catch good teams that choose to play reserves against us on the counterattack. We cannot create quality finishing against a bad team. Curtin was clearly working on that in Preseason, but has had to abandon it, as his veterans seem not very adaptable. We are not able to score on the weaker teams who choose “survival mode”.

    • I’m not saying he should have juggled the lineup — with the current litany of injuries, there weren’t many options. I would have just liked to see the subs he did make, made earlier.

      • I’ve never coached soccer, but I have to agree. When you have the tired team and the opposing coach brings in 2 midfield subs in the 57th minute you have to answer that, even if it’s earlier than you were planning. How can you expect McLaughlin to do anything bringing him in with 2 minutes of stoppage time left? You can say those 2 NYCFC subs didn’t directly hurt the U, but you never know what that fresh energy could have done for us.

    • Have to agree with OSC here. Besides Pfeffer, who else did Curtin have that he could trust? Maybe White to CB & move Edu to Carroll’s spot? The time to save some legs was Wed night up 3-0.

      • I kinda side with you and OSC here…….not many options. The only thing I potentially see is taking JMac for Wenger and Pfeffer for Carroll instead of how he rolled it out. Sylvestre it seems got shielded, but still……near post should be covered, that’s a keeper no-no.

      • If you watch the replay, you’ll see that the shot took a deflection, and that’s why Sylvestre was beaten. And it was a very lucky deflection too.

      • Yup, wasn’t sure at first……even though though the commentary said so……it’s hard to pick up

      • For the most part, I agree with you re: the deflection just inside the post. However, Id like to add “what the hell!” to “lucky.” The D (I think I remember it was Marquez?) turned away from the shot and it deflected off his back side as he was turning. Why didn’t he play the freakin’ ball instead of turning chicken on it?!?!? If he steps up, it’s blocked and we get our point.

        In my playing days, we had a D duck and the ball went in the net. The very next training session he was in the goal, no hands, and the forwards and mids took shots from the 18. If we kicked it wide or high, we took a lap. If the ball went in the net, he took a lap. I think he ran for the next hour and a half. We never saw that mistake again…from anybody.

    • If you read prior threads, I said over and over again that it was crazy to expect BC to go another 90 minutes, and what was going to happen when he got tired?? And I’m not knocking Carroll — I was at the game, and my kids and I all thought he was Man Of The Match for the Union. But he probably should’ve started Edu at DCM and out White at CB. Not to mention starting Pfeffer and/or Ayuk instead of Wenger.

    • George H says:

      You make some very good points, OSC. The bottom line is that we don’t have a deep bench right now and Curtin only has confidence in a few of the subs. Plus, we never really know who is carrying injuries or is performing poorly in training so it’s difficult to know what Curtin’s bench options really are.

      I guess from my perspective, he seems to trust Pfeffer and Ayuk the most from that group so why not start at least one of them in order to give either Wenger or LeToux a rest? Or if Gaddis or White can give you some minutes, why not bring one of them on and use that opportunity to push Edu or Williams further up which would then lessen the load on our overworked central midfield? Even Fred in limited minutes can be helpful in maintaining possession and breaking down a tight defense.

      I think it’s difficult to bring on younger players like Ayuk and McLaughlin into a situation where they only have 5-10 mins to impact the match as they don’t have a lot of experience doing that. Being an impact sub is a very difficult job. Their minutes would probably be more helpful coming early where they have some time to settle into the match.

      I think that what is frustrating to me is that we saw the same thing happen when we had 3 games in 8 games. Our starters faded after a great 45-60 min vs NE and we gave up the lead. We definitely generated enough chances earlier and definitely should have finished NYC off, but that’s the maddening thing about this game sometimes.

  5. Andy Muenz says:

    Way to undo all the good that was done the last four games. Will likely be the start of at least a four game losing streak (LA, Seattle, and when Montreal comes, we’ve seen how well the Union do on their third game in a week).

  6. Westminster Union says:

    Completely agree with the manager sentiment. I like Curtin but he doesn’t have the soccer IQ when it comes to tactics and in game management. Playing a dog tired Maidana pat the 50 minute mark and not subbing on Ayuk for Wenger at the same time cost us the match. Pfeffer and Ayuk provided much needed energy and were dangerous in attack. They need a longer run out to keep the tempo of the game in our favor. Instead Curtin made three poorly timed sub decisions that cost us the game

    • Good point about Maidana. He was clearly gassed for most of the second half. Hard to understand why he was pushed out wide instead of subbed out when Pfeffer entered the match.

  7. The winning goal appeared to be deflected, wrong-footing the keeper.
    Why do the subs come so late?!?

  8. Great One says:

    Curtin is really just not ready for this level. I like the guy, and it’s certainly not all on him, but he’s just not ready, plain and simple

  9. Mike are you trolling us with your scoring summary? Really twisting the knife.

  10. OneManWolfpack says:

    What the hell are you waiting for Jim?!?! How much longer were you gonna wait?!? This is every game now. One, or two games ok… This is every game. Why bring McLaughlin on at all?! You have to have a clue by now. This team at the very least draws that game if the subs are better. You did NOTHING to help your team win tonight. 3rd game in 8 days and you save a sub for 90+?!? I know the bench was light for a multitude of reasons but good god.
    .
    The past 4 games are wasted now. Unreal that they would lose this game. Every time I buy in, even for a second they quickly remind me what they are: a very average team.

  11. el pachyderm says:

    Gut Wrenching… but when compared to watching a magnificent horse streak down the back stretch of a racetrack on its way to creating history, I say, who cares.
    .

  12. Notice in the match and in the match report above how all the attack was down the right side, Seba’s side. Wenger attacks the counter so slow, he trots up the fields with the ball giving the other team time to get numbers back into shape. Seba may have his deficiencies……but he does understand going at the counter at pace…to keep the opposition reeling. If your up 1 in the second half, sure walk it up the pitch……but not when your trying to break open a match.

  13. The Oenophile says:

    To the jerks who sat in section 127, row C, seats 1,2, and 3, you losers really ruined the game for those of us seated near to you tonight. Your loud mouthed, boorish, and infantile rants against Wenger and other Union players was disgraceful and uncalled for, to the point I think it affected the game as for the first time ever I saw a player (Wenger) turn around and sarcastically give you a “thumbs up” from the field. I wish I had had the number to text PPL Park for disruptive fans, and if it were not for the fact I was there with my family, I would have come down to where you sat and confronted you, what prevented me from doing so was the knowledge that you would have started a physical alteration. Losers like yourselves should not be allowed into PPL Park, rest assured, the management will learn of this and whoever is the lead ticket holder for your seats will pay the price.

    • Dan Walsh says:

      Got more details? Please share.

      • The Oenophile says:

        Details are that there were three college-age guys with a grudge against Wenger and the Union in general who spent most of the second half (until Wenger was subbed off) loudly cat-calling derisive abuse at the players — especially Wenger — who were clearly within earshot. There were lots of families with children seated around them, parents and children clearly horrified. Their vitriolic rants and calls from midfield, three rows up, clearly got to Wenger as he was distracted and at one point he turned around and sarcastically gave them a thumbs up. All these losers did not do was use the f-bomb. The were not visiting NYC FC fans either. Disgraceful and embarrassing, I am kicking myself this morning for not having taken some sort of action against them. I especially feel bad for the row of six or seven year old girls who sat in the row in front of them.

      • Andy Muenz says:

        We had visiting NYCFC fans two rows in front of us (actually they were Tom McNamara’s family) and yes, they went crazy when their team scored, especially the first one, but they were much classier than the “fans” referred to above. And Wolfpack is correct, one of them did have a Blackhawks jersey on.

    • Andy Muenz says:

      I agree here. I sit on the other end of that row and when Pfeffer came in I heard them loudly booing him and saying something about another hand ball.

      • The Oenophile says:

        Yup, I thought with Wenger off they would stop but then they started in on Pfeffer.

      • OneManWolfpack says:

        I heard about these kids. I am 90% sure they parked next to us in Lot A. I’m in 127, Row P. I didn’t specifically hear them, but I saw them, and like I said, I heard them in the parking lot. I believe one kid had a Chicago Blackhawks jersey on.

    • John Ling says:

      So if you didn’t have the phone number to text, why not tell an usher? Or go to the fan services booth? Your options aren’t limited to “text the stadium issue number” and “physically confront boors.”

      • The Oenophile says:

        Like I said, I am kicking myself today for not having done so last night. The kid to left of the one wearing the Blackhawks jersey was the worst.

      • You’d think that the # to call to report fan issues would be on the Union’s website. I looked for two whole minutes and couldn’t find it.

    • Dan Walsh says:

      Thanks for the details!

    • We do still live in a country with free speech right? I didn’t suddenly wake up in Russia did I? Sorry, but if they paid their dough, then they can yell all they want. You do live in the Philly area…obscene fans should be nothing new.
      .
      When I was young maybe 10 or so, my father took me to an Eagles game. He explained we were going to be sitting in the 700 level. There would be colorful language (btw all of it I had heard before.) I can’t imagine that anything those guys said could have been any worse than what was said in the 700 level.
      .
      Can’t forget Mom’s favorite…Sticks and stones may brake your bones, but words will never hurt you.

      • While I do not know the extent of harassment, I am inclined to agree… but shudder non the less at the obvious lack of recognizing ones surroundings when acting a bore. Being belligerent in front of kids is a fine line.
        .
        The first season in section 115 I sat near a few guys who rang down the opposing keepers name every minute of the game, “Kitchen. Kitchen. Kitchen” – drove me nuts and was over the top but really well within the rights of fandom. If you don’t want your kid or yourself being exposed…go watch at home.

      • The Oenophile says:

        Sorry, but this is not the old Vet 700 level at an Eagles game … I can guarantee you that the family with the little girls will not be coming back to PPL Park anytime soon. Enthusiasm is one thing, boorish behavior in front of little kids is something else. For these self-centered jerks, it was all about them … “me me me I want to be the center of attention!”

      • alicat215 says:

        Joel……going back to our Phishing days I have a comparable story: Was at a show in the 90’s at the Spectrum and some heads were smoking right next to a dad with his young kid in his arms, who was obviously like….wtf? I yelled at them to stop and go somewhere else….or there would be a problem, a little kid did not need to see that or inhale it….even if it was a phish show. Its just about treating each other, and more important the littlest and most vulnerable among us, with decency and respect. Doesn’t matter where you are…..

      • And what about the parent with the kid at a phish show? Did you yell at the parent too? C’mon, where’s the parent’s personal responsibility? Did he really think there would be no drug use at a Phish show?

      • alicat215 says:

        I understand your point, but honestly….back in the 90’s…I would see parents with their kids a lot….and they didn’t have to deal with that if they didn’t want to. And yes, if the dad was blowing down with his kid in his arms….would I say something…..yes.

      • alicat215 says:

        All4U, I agree that they had the right to as obnoxious as they wanted…thats a given in this country. But doesn’t one of the three dudes have the responsibility to say: ” you dudes, there are little kids behind us……chill”……thats what a responsible adult….young or old does. Shit, I was raised that if women were around at all….you didn’t curse….men didn’t do that. But by all means…I have a first amendment right to curse in front of little girls….so dammit….I’m going to let it fly…..How mature and intelligent does that sound?

      • Ali, I agree there SHOULD be one. TBH, I used to be that one. But spending your life, or any amount of time for that matter, on worrying about what should, would, and could be, is a waste of time. It’s fruitless. It gets you nothing but heartache. Dealing with what ‘is’ will actually get you somewhere.
        .
        And by the way, I’ve also been to Phish shows, where the parents had the kid in one arm, and a pipe in the other hand. I completely disagree with that choice, but it is their choice to make. As sad as that might be. And the guy in front of you had the choice to not deal with that if he didn’t want to…by leaving the kid at home. If you put yourself in a bad situation, is someone else at fault? NO, they are not. Personal responsibility.

      • alicat215 says:

        10th row bro! I don’t think he’s giving up that seat! I’ve seen it opposite too, where parents are acting like fools….it is sad.

      • alicat215 says:

        To what your arguing, I have to agree…its the reason I haven’t been to a show since I had kids! I don’t want to put them or myself in a bad situation.

      • He didn’t have to give up the seat. Baby sitters are neat. They watch the kids when you go out to do ‘grown-up’ stuff. Like Phish concerts. And no giving up of seats. 😉
        .
        And thank you Ali for being a responsible parent. No B.S. Truly, if there were only more of you, this conversation need not happen.

      • You do not understand the constitution. Please read up on the concept of “free speech” as your comment is ignorant.

      • The Oenophile says:

        Free speech is one thing, this was unruly behavior, if they wanted to act this way it was THEY who should have stayed home drunk in front of the TV yelling, not ruining the game for the rest of us who also paid to be there.

      • I’m sorry did someone yell ‘fire’, when there wasn’t one? Did they try to incite a riot? I have yet to read where they were being obscene. Boorish, yes. Juvenile, definitely. Rude, sure. Being boorish, juvenile, and rude is not against the constitution. So where is it that I don’t understand the amendment to the constitution? YOU may want to read it again.

      • PPL has the right to eject customers for boorish behavior. I’m sorry that you think otherwise. You are incorrect.

      • alicat215 says:

        This is the problem we are at today. Yes we have free speech, yes you can say whatever the hell you want….but should you? This is where that whole personal responsibility thing creeps in. Just because you have a right to be an asshole…..doesn’t mean you should be one. I’m the father of young kids, if some college kids were in front of them cursing….I would have words with them, if they want to escalate the situation……fine, you just pissed off Pappa Bear! Someone forgot to tell our little entitled shits how to be men…..

      • alicat215 says:

        Basically, I think the dad had the right to knock the young man’s teeth down his throat…….just like the old 700 level!

      • Ah yes this shows the grown-up in you. So instead of teaching your children, “See kids, this is what bad parenting brings.” You would rather teach bad parenting yourself? And I think you miss the point on the hooligans, if indeed that’s what they were. Personally I’d like an a-hole to start announcing their self. It lets you know who they are. It makes them obvious, and stand-out. Its better to know, than not to know.

      • alicat215 says:

        you didn’t see the previous post then when I stated I would first talk with the knuckle heads….the person above said they may have been looking for trouble….so yes, If my being civil doesn’t help…and they want to keep it going……thats on them.

      • alicat215 says:

        Lastly, wasn’t this behavior what the River End is for?

      • John Ling says:

        So, first, Free Speech – as granted by the US Constitution – only applies to the government not impinging on your right to say what you like. (And even then, the Supreme Court has ruled that Free Speech isn’t absolute; that there are times the government can impinge upon your right, such as yelling “fire” in a crowded theater or the concept of “slander.”) Free Speech does not apply to a private entity, such as the Union. They can limit your speech in any way they like; you, in return, are free to not do business with that private entity as you like. (There are exceptions to this, too, such as discrimination laws.)
        .
        Second, even if Free Speech did apply, the ability to say what you want where you want and when you want does not absolve you of the consequences of your speech. One is free to act in a boorish manner. But if one does so, one must also accept the fact that acting in a boorish manner will likely result in the business owner asking you to leave their premises.
        .
        Or in short, Free Speech doesn’t apply.
        .
        Perhaps the Union should find a way to make that number more prominent. Like, oh I don’t know… putting it on their website somewhere…

  14. George H says:

    Did anyone else catch Villa screaming at Kreis about midway through the first half? Villa was right near the sideline in front of the benches yelling and gesturing angrily while Kreis just looked at him. It was pretty bad.

  15. This team cannot finish. There must have been a dozen good looks at goal that just fizzled out. LeToux, Sapong, Wenger, Maidana…. Just can’t close. Sapongs goal was nice, and I think part of the problem going forward for him was that he was being triple teamed. But the others had open looks that produced nothing. Maidana bugs me the most. He’s such a good player, but is there another #10 anywhere that is so allergic to scoring goals? That moment when he was one on one v. Saunders and just rolled the ball to his feet… I couldn’t believe it. Maybe he was tired, and that’s possible. I just want to see more from him, as unfair as that might be. We need more goal scoring threats on this team. We just don’t have it.

    • Andy Muenz says:

      I think he was kicking off his right foot. The problem is really that most of the players only have one good foot and it seems like every time they are in a position to shoot, they’ve managed to play the ball to the wrong foot.

      • The Oenophile says:

        How many times did we all yell “shoot!” to Maidana? He seems to be waiting to set up the perfect shot, and will not take one unless he is 100% certain it will hit the back of the net.

      • There was another moment when he dribbled into the box and instead of looking for a shot tried to outsmart a defender only to outsmart himself and get stripped of the ball. Ugh.

  16. The Little Fish says:

    Painful loss. I’d like to feel optimistic but we were beaten by the worst team in the entire leage WITHOUT their second best player- Mix Diskerud. Soooooooo, I’m not feeling too good about where we sit this deep into the season. Thank goodness the East totally blows!
    &
    Our field (again) is totally embarrassing. I don’t care how much the Rugby dudes paid to paint/dye/stain…and then rip up our pitch. It looks ridiculous. A damn shame to allow that to happen to our field.

    • Andy Muenz says:

      Hopefully with a week and a half before the next game, they’ll have a chance to patch up the field.
      .
      I think it’s about time to give up on the regular season and focus on the US Open Cup. With potentially 5 games in 2 weeks (if they get past Rochester), they should make sure they have their top team available for the game on June 30/July 1.

    • While the paint from the rugby may not look great, the damage to the field that was causing the players to slip was from the lacrosse the week before. It is especially bad near the top of each box, which is where the lax goals/creases were set up.

      • alicat215 says:

        Lax is the worst on a soccer pitch…the way those dudes cut…… rips the sod to shreds!

  17. Everything stated above is on the money. Curtin can’t coach. Bottom line. He’s got the rest of the year to figure it out. An U-12 coach could’ve handled that better. I feel bad for Brian Carroll (shocker, lol). The man is playing his heart out my cheers go to him and most of the players who would’ve won with a better coach. Why would maidana, who is painfully only left footed, be on the right side all damn game!!!!!!

    • Dan Walsh says:

      That’s not a coaching move. It’s Maidana’s tendency. That’s where he tends/likes to find space.

      • I get that and this was a rant on my part, but Dan, here’s the part you’ll love. At least Hackworth made him switch sides during the game to mix it up which is what should’ve happened a bit on Saturday. I know it’s hypocritical of me to say after blasting Hack forever but just making a point on a forum for a team I support wholeheartedly.

  18. If we’re going to play with a lone forward, we need wingers who can score. Wenger can’t. The guy we traded for him can. How nice would it be to have Jack Mac back with Maidana feeding him the ball and Sapong holding it up for him?

    • I think we’d still be right where we are. Jack Mac is not Pele. Jack Mac isn’t even Chris Wondolowski. A 5’11” target forward is not what this team needs. Especially one with little movement off the ball who can’t create for himself.

  19. Dr. Union says:

    More of the same in this game. Late subs as usual. Wenger did nothing again. Much of the same. There was no injury to save Curtin this time to make the right sub. Personally I give a lot of credit to Carroll its clear he had nothing left at say minute 60 after playing 180+ minutes the days before, but he gave everything he had left to try to keep this team in it, since it was clear Curtin wasn’t going to sub him which I have no idea why. I get that you don’t have many options to replace Carroll, but he clearly just couldn’t play anymore minutes. I would’ve sub out Carroll for Gaddis and pushed Williams up on to CDM at 60minutes with Ayuk and Pfeffer coming in at the 65th (for Wenger)(and prob Maidana he just was to tired).

  20. Dr. Union says:

    Also, I know he’s not the best player but anyone else think Poku would make the perfect player to replace Carroll. Guy is big physical can play defense. Knows how to switch fields with his passes and can sheild a back four. NYCFC don’t need him especially with Pirlo coming in. I say the Union make a trade for him now can’t take much to get him he is young and prob doesn’t cost much either. I see lots of upside for him in this league for low cost biggest thing is prob an international roster spot.

    • alicat215 says:

      preach on Doc….I’ve been saying it for a month!

      • Dr. Union says:

        Well then how can the U make this happen an Ethan White trade with allocation money? I mean NYCFC needs CBs right cause they were playing Wingert there awhile ago.

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