Photo: Marjorie Elzey
Philadelphia Union defeated the 10 men of the Montreal Impact 4-1 in a game at Red Bull Arena on Sunday night. Romell Quito opened the scoring in just the 5th minute before being sent off in the 16th minute. The Union responded with four unanswered goals. Alejandro Bedoya and Kacper Przybylko each scored before halftime. Przbylko then added a second just after the break with Anthony Fontana adding gloss to the score line in the 65th minute.
Jim Curtin made two changes to the team that defeated New England last weekend. Ray Gaddis was judged to not be fit enough to start so Matt Real came in at left back and Olivier Mbaizo moved to his natural right back spot. Warren Creavalle was given the start in the holding midfield role as Jose Martinez was rested.
Montreal opened the scoring in just the 5th minute through Quioto. Warren Creavalle was adjudged to to have committed a foul just outside the Union area. Quioto curled a low free kick into the bottom right corner from 20 yards as their appeared to be a break in the Union wall.
Montreal was reduced to 10 men in the 16th minute when goal scorer Quioto was sent off for elbowing Mark McKenzie while trying to shield the ball. Referee Alan Kelly initially showed Quioto a yellow card but then issued a red card after consulting the video review.
The Union would get back on level terms in the 22nd minute. Matt Real’s long ball toward the back post was cushioned down by Andrew Wooten with his thigh right into the path of Bedoya, who made no mistake firing in a strong half volley past Clement Diop on the right side from 8 yards out.
Philadelphia would take the lead just before halftime. Jamiro Monteiro rolled a ball into the path of Real on the left side as the left back drove to the end line. Real’s lofted cross was perfectly into the path of Przybylko who nodded in his header past Diop from just four yards out.
Przybylko would add his second of the night just after halftime with a goal in the 47th minute. Mark McKenzie played a beautifully weighted ball in behind the Impact backline for Aaronson to run onto on the left side. Aaronson was in on goal against Diop but instead of shooting, rolled a pass across the Montreal box that was slightly behind an open Przybylko, who did ever so well to take a touch and then fire into an open net from 8 yards.
Substitute Anthony Fontana came close in the 53rd minute. Przybylko laid off a low ball into the box to Fontana just at the edge of the area and Diop did well to step to his right and push the shot over the bar.
Fontana would not be denied though, adding a third goal in two games in the 65th minute. __ lofted a ball into the box from deep on the right side that Mark McKenzie tried to head goalward was instead only headed straight down. But the defender did well to get the ball from under his feet and roll into the path of Fontana near the edge of the box, and the midfielder made no mistake driving a low drive into the lower left corner of the net.
Philadelphia was unlucky to be denied a 5th in the 70th minute. Aaronson found Ilsinho in acres of space and in on goal on the right side. The Brazilian could have taken the shot himself but instead rolled a ball across the box to Fontana who was denied by an onrushing Diop from 8 yards. The rebound fell kindly into the path of Aaronson, but the youngster couldn’t turn the fast moving ball into the open net.
Monteiro should have scored himself in the 90th minute. Mbaizo fired in a cross from the right side that Monteiro met near the 6 yard box but fired straight at Diop.
The game was the first of three matches this week for the Union. They’ll travel to FC Cincinnati on Wednesday (7:30 p.m.) before returning to Subaru Park to take on Inter Miami on Sunday (7:30 p.m.).
Philadelphia Union
Andre Blake, Olivier Mbaizo, Jakob Glesnes, Mark McKenzie, Matt Real, Warren Creavalle (Anthony Fontana 45′), Alejandro Bedoya (Cole Turner 87′), Jamiro Monteiro, Brenden Aaronson (Jack De Vries 87′), Andrew Wooten (Ilsinho – 64′), Kacper Przybylko (Sergio Santos 73′)
Unused Subs: Joe Bendik, Aurelien Collin, Raymon Gaddis, Michee Ngalina
Montreal Impact
Clement Diop, Zachary Brault-Guillard, Joel Waterman, Luis Binks, Jukka Raitala, Victor Wanyama, Saphir Taider, Samuel Piette, Bojan (Lassi Lappalainen 60′), Orji Okwonkwo (Jorge Corrales 75′), Romell Quioto
Unused Subs: Evan Bush, Rod Fanni, Shamit Shome, Amar Sejdic, Clement Bayiha
Scoring Summary
MTL: Romell Quioto – 5′
PHI: Alejandro Bedoya – 22′ (Andrew Wooten, Matt Real)
PHI: Kacper Przybylko – 45+3′ (Matt Real, Jamiro Monteiro)
PHI: Kacper Przybylko – 47′ (Brenden Aaronson, Mark McKenzie)
PHI: Anthony Fontana – 65′ (Mark McKenzie)
Disciplinary Summary
MTL: Romell Quioto – 16′ (violent conduct)
PHI: Andre Blake – 28′ (unsporting behavior)
im just so happy
Was disappointed that DeVries came in for Aaronson rather than Monteiro. If he had come in for Monteiro the Union would have had 6 homegrowns on the field together. Also would have liked to see those last 2 subs about 10 minutes earlier.
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Martinez wasn’t rested so much as suspended for card accumulation. Also, they aren’t travelling to Miami next Saturday, they are playing in Chester on Sunday (against Miami).
Spectacular game. But did you see Haris’s goal yesterday?
Was really happy to see Haris score that goal. Great moment for him.
And better yesterday than Wednesday. Nice to see NJPC as the only team to play in NJ this weekend and not score.
We have quite the team don’t we? Really enjoyed seeing Real and Mbaizo play together as well as Fontana scoring another goal. The future looks bright.
Fontana has one heck of a leg on him. I love that he’s unafraid to shoot. He needs to be on the pitch more. Practically every time I’ve seen him he gets at least one good shot off, despite his limited minutes.
Gotta hand it to Quioto:
Great FK. Better elbow. His stupidity ended the competitive phase of the game. Curtin knew they were getting outplayed before the incident.
It allowed their more youthful attackers to do what they do best. In less than one half, Fontana became the 2nd leading goalscorer on the team with 3. Setting up as Ilsinho’s heir apparent off the bench?
Gotta hand it to Quioto:
Great FK. Better elbow. His stupidity ended the competitive phase of the game. Curtin knew they were getting outplayed before the incident.
It allowed their more youthful attackers to do what they do best. In less than one half, Fontana became the 2nd leading reg. season goal scorer on the team with 3. Setting up as Ilsinho’s heir apparent off the bench?
if you are anything other than totally pleased tonight you’re either new to the city or you just don’t get it… and therefore embody- this city.
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that said, i need to see this team play a good team and play well and beat that team in an 11 aside game. they can beat the bad teams, they can now beat the teams that are a man down…. the question remains, can they play well against good teams. can they play well against good teams, teams with aspirations. i need to see it. on the regular. then i’ll believe.
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They can only play the team that lines up on the other side of the field from them. If that team decides to self implode then so be it.
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That being said, I think that there is a good chance that even 11 v 11 the Union would have kicked it up into a higher gear by the second half given that Montreal played on the West Coast midweek.
Because of the virus schedules of each team’s are not comparably balanced in the quality of the opponents, the way they are more normally. It is harder to say who the high quality teams are this season because the cumulative points will not have been won against the same mix of opponents at the end of the season.
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We were the first side to expose LAFC as lesser this year without Walker Zimmerman. They have had other problems as well, of course.
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To me the best side we have played was Columbus, whom we outplayed at the beginning, but who was outplaying us by the end. If the goal’s shot had not been deflected the match would have been a draw.
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If the final month of the season recycles us through the same group of teams we have been playing already because of safety in traveling, a worthy goal, usual types of comparative thinking become tougher.
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The playoff structure will probably provide better information because the safe travel imperative will of necessity be downgraded from being the first determining priority. But even then comparison will only be within the respective conferences.
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I have thought the Union have not been exposed as less well prepared than opponents at the beginnings of games this year.
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I have wished that they had been bolder with their squad rotations in the midfield. By the end of the tournament they seemed quite tired out to me.
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The partial information we have on the last month of the season indicates that game will have to be played with the same frequency as they were during the tournament.
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Fontana is emerging from his Chrysalis stage into his fully adult imago one only just in the nick of time. Midfield depth has been a roster weakness. More important than the goals was the quality of play not dropping off when he was on the pitch for the second half.
This^^^^.
I also agree with Fritz. The Union need to beat a good team when that team is playing well too. But for that to happen I think the coach needs to do what he asks his players to do and that’s to be brave. I.E. don’t start Warren Creavalle for the first 45 mins. He’s not the future of this team.
The only metric we have for that, as OSC pointed out, is that 3-3 match for the ages at LAFC.
Loving the Real Deal’s offensive skills on the left. Still like Kai, but it sure gives the U an extra attacking option
Kai may be the best LB in the league, it is nice having two LBs though. A luxury in this league for sure. Remember the days where we pleaded for a quality LB? I have a feeling other MLS clubs will pay some stamp for Real too…..
MOTM – Quioto. Thanks for the early red card, fella. Real swell guy gifting the Union the game like that.
I understand they had more space due to facing 10 men, but when it comes to passing someone into a goal-scoring opportunity, it doesn’t get much better. All the goals were beautifully assisted. Monteiro and Aaronson were near perfection after the red card. Couldn’t be much happier. 3 points in technically a road game, even tho I guess we own NJ now.
As per Matt Doyle on the MLS site:
“The Union are one of the best teams in the league and have now won five of six. It’s not a good idea to give them a man advantage for 75 minutes. They don’t need that to beat you.”
Philly dank homegrown………the Nation’s phinest! 100% Union made and cultivated over many years……..
Pleased with the win. More pleased with a field of home growns running around even if it was garbage time. That being said, Warren Creavalle can not be starting this match. Step outside your box Jim, it’ll be ok. I give credit for the ball movement. Yes they were a man up, but so many times you still see teams slow play down and take time on the ball only to make things easier for the defenders. The Union were hungry and had that killer instinct to keep going for the throat. More please.
Several of the comments have focused on Creavalle starting. However, I think people are worrying too much about this. We all know that he is the backup and that the only reason he was playing was Martinez’s suspension.
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On the other hand it should be noted that the Union won (albeit up a man for most of the game) with 4 of their regular starters not playing and a 5th (Santos) not coming in until the game was well in hand in the second half.
My question is why is Creavalle the backup in a 4-4-2 diamond, when either Bedoya or Monteiro can play there and Aaronson/Fontana can play the 10 or wide, your choice. We all know Martinez was out. That’s not the point. The point is why was an inferior lineup chosen to start the match when better choices were available and our youth system is supposed to take priority? Sorry, Creavalle starting, is just not good enough.
So….
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Is it appropriate to ask if the Union are finally good, or will that “tempt the wrath of whatever from high atop the thing?”
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Loved the game last night. Waited so long for a team that will not stop playing until the final (phinal) whistle.
While we all should all be pleased with the result last night and the team’s performance overall up to this point, the match last night prior to the red card had a red a flag or two that is actually recurrent. Notice, Jim looked flat out worried the first ten minutes of the match, you don’t see him like that often. Montreal have a dangerous front three with Wanyama behind them, and they can do damage. Montreal sitting back and getting those guys into space on counter attacks was giving us fits. Columbus played similar and clubs like Houston do this too. Clubs that have counter pace can give us problems…..and I have to thank Quito for completely changing the trajectory of this match. I’m curious how we would have adjusted if it stayed 11’s………
Just belatedly filling in the blank from Mike’s ninth paragraph: in the 65th minute, McKenzie headed down for Fontana’s goal from a ball lofted by _Mbaizo_.