Photo: Marjorie Elzey

It was a frustrating night for the Union, surrendering a second-half lead and conceding all three points to NYC. Here are PSP’s player ratings.

Matt Freese: 3

Difficult night for the young goalie, who faced the first two penalties of his professional career and allowed both in. Always difficult for keepers, but he guessed right on the second one and got a hand on it, having a chance to stop it. The other two goals were pretty weak to give up, he was slightly out of position and clearly not expecting the third goal, then he shouldn’t have been caught on the ground far out of goal to be so easily chipped on the fourth. Freese’s saving grace was a few of his strong saves in the first half.

Ray Gaddis: 3

Not directly responsible for any of NYCFC’s goals, but along with all of the defenders, he didn’t have a great night. Gaddis started off and, like many, lost his cool. One of the few matches where we’ve seen Gaddis lose control and earn a yellow card for an angry and reckless challenge.

Jack Elliott: 2

Some good moments of individual defense, including the goal-line bicycle kick in the 17th minute, but the negatives outweighed his positives this match. His first negative came in the first half when he completely missed the ball and put Trusty in a position to foul Castellanos for the first penalty kick. Elliott lost his composure to commit a completely unnecessary foul right after NYCFC’s second PK earning him a yellow card, then just looked frustrated and out of sync with his fellow defenders for the rest of the night.

Auston Trusty: 3

Took down Castellanos after Elliot’s whiff and gave NYCFC their first penalty kick in a clear foul. It was a necessary evil, but perhaps a bit too obvious. Like Gaddis, Trusty didn’t have a terrible night, he just wasn’t in sync with the rest of the defenders and wasn’t that impressive.

Kai Wagner: 2

Looking lost for most of the night, Wagner got caught up in how small the field was. He was overthinking the field size all night and wasn’t using the sideline well or being his usual attacking self. Many of his passes were cut too far into the center and he didn’t provide any midfield support or pressure. Couldn’t get out of his own head to be effectual in the match.

Alejandro Bedoya: 3

The captain was quiet in the first half, putting in the background work. He became more and more furious in the second half, starting with the penalty kick in the 55th minute. Bedoya was responsible for the second penalty kick, fouling Castellanos in the box, in a very soft call and began to lose control. He had one good chance on goal, but really he was too frustrated to be in position and any real help to his team for the rest of the night.

Haris Medunjanin: 3

For better or worse, Medunjanin wasn’t mentioned or even that visible this match. He had no great or terrible plays and like Bedoya, he was responsible for much of the Union’s background work. It wasn’t his best night since the style of this match didn’t fit him perfectly, but Medunjanin faded away in this match too early to truly be effective and allowed his defense to crumble in the second half.

Ilsinho: 4

The super-sub started this match and had a pretty quiet night. On a short and skinny field, he didn’t have much opportunity to show off his skills. His run and goal-line pass led to Przybylko’s goal, and that was pretty much his highlight of the night. Ilsinho received a yellow card and a bit of a head injury in stoppage time of the first half, and was replaced by Santos.

Jamiro Monteiro: 4

Helping contribute to both of the Union’s goals for the night, Monteiro had an okay night. Strong in the first half, he had some good passes, positioned himself well and was a strong support to Przybylko. But like many, he got a bit frustrated and a bit lost after his team allowed two penalty kicks, and became virtually invisible in the second half.

Fafa Picault: 3

He started off the goal scoring in the seventh minute with a very pretty goal at the top of the box, and that was about it for Fafa. “The Gazelle” couldn’t make the runs he wanted on this field and it made him ineffective for almost the entire match after he scored. He was replaced by Marco Fabian in an effort to generate some more much needed offense for the Union.

Kacper Przybylko: 6

Buried the Union’s second goal with a first-time volley, scoring in back-to-back matches. Continued to have some great chances throughout the entire match and became the only real attacker for the Union while everyone else faded into the background. He didn’t lose his composure, but while the work was there, he was only rewarded with one goal.

Subs

Sergio Santos: 3

Santos replaced Ilsinho after an injury and was just about as effective as Ilsinho was. He didn’t add too much to the match, helped the midfield a bit with some background work, but nothing really outstanding or noticeable. But, there wasn’t anything terrible and he seemed to keep calm as his teammates grew more and more frustrated.

Marco Fabian: 2

Had a great chance on goal immediately after coming on in the 73rd minute, and then was never heard from again. He replaced Fafa, but there really wasn’t much of a difference for the rest of the match. Aside from his one shot, Fabian didn’t have any chances or even really help generate any offense for Philly.

Man of the Match: Kacper Przybylko

As the only Union player who stayed focused in the second half and actually tried to continue to score goals, Przybylko is the man of the match.

Geiger Counter

Alex Chilowicz: 2

First penalty kick was justified, but the second was weak. Then a few minutes later when Bedoya got pulled down in the box in a comparable foul to what he’d just given NYCFC a PK for? Very inconsistent and shaped the entire match. Only positive is that Chilowicz didn’t let the match fall too far into chippy territory even as several Union players began to lose their cool in the second half.

Field Conditions

Yankee Stadium: -10

It’s the worst field in the league, no doubt about it. Too tiny and just meeting minimum requirements – it’s a baseball stadium with an awkward layout for a soccer pitch. Plus, there is actual footage of sod coming up on its own, revealing the dirt infield of a baseball field. Always a terrible time in Yankee Stadium.