photo: Paul Rudderow
A rotated Union squad gave top of the table New England Revolution a run for their money on the turf at Gillette Stadium, but fell short of taking even a point back to Philly on Sunday night. Philadelphia ran out a number of young players as Jim Curtin rested multiple starters in front of Thursday’s CONCACAF Champions League Semi Final against Club America. The Union lined up in a 3-5-2 for the first time and used the formation effectively against a quality New England opponent.
Paxton Aaronson earned his first start of the season and rewarded Curtin with a sublime goal in the first half. Jack McGlynn did well to move the ball through the midfield and Quinn Sullivan was reliable in possession making up an all teenage midfield for the Union. It was mistakes from regular starters Olivier Mbaizo and Leon Flach that led to the Union’s downfall on the evening though, with each mistake directly correlating to a Revolution goal.
Player Ratings
Andre Blake – 7
New England’s first goal was powered past the Union #1 from close range. Did very well to guess correctly and deny Bou from the spot, was unfortunate the rebound went straight back to the NE man.
Jakob Glesnes – 6
Reliable performance from Glesnes, who seemingly won every aerial dual he was involved with. Did well to advance the ball out of the back on a few occasions and even found himself 2 v 2 alongside Santos in the Revolution end at one point in the first half.
Jack Elliott – 6
Similar to Glesnes, another reliable performance from Elliott. Perhaps a step slow closing space on the Revolution opener, but Mbaizo clearly more at fault. Picked out twice by McGlynn on corners but failed to hit the target.
Stuart Findlay – 6
Decent night for the Scottish center back. Strong in the air and positionally sound. A little bit of a liability with the ball at his feet, particularly later in the match as he tired. Won’t displace Elliott or Glesnes any time soon, but showed he could do the job if called upon.
Leon Flach – 2
Didn’t look all that comfortable starting as left sided wing back. Still is struggling to find his way when the Union go forward. Has become a fan favorite with his well-timed tackles, but got it all wrong with a poor tackle that gave New England their winner.
Oliver Mbaizo – 2
Struggled on the right side of the 3-5-2. Was a step too slow on the Revolution’s opener. Mbaizo’s skill is obvious, but the inconsistencies particularly on the defensive side are proving to be a pattern.
Jose Martinez – 5
Quiet night for the mercurial midfielder who was pulled just before the hour mark.
Quinn Sullivan – 6
Sullivan has been a major spark off the bench lately and I was excited to see him get a start on Sunday. Was reliable in possession, if a little less involved than he’s been as a second striker.
Jack McGlynn – 7
Thought McGlynn was excellent on the night, perhaps his best performance so far. Did well to drop in and get the ball from the defenders and break lines with his passing. His set pieces were quality as well and the Union were unlucky not to convert one into a goal.
Paxton Aaronson – 8
Lovely finish to open his Union account. The touch to create space almost as good as the left footed finish into the top corner. But was more than the goal too – timing his pressures well, finding space on the ball and his movement forced New England out of their shape more than a few times. Promising first start.
Sergio Santos – 5
Should have scored when one on one with Matt Turner (that was a lovely save from Turner too though). Faded after that chance.
Subs
Kai Wagner – 5
Made for an improved attack down the left side arriving after half time.
Kacper Przybylko – 5
Did well to force a save from Turner with a half chance on the half volley. Little else to show for The Friendly Striker who has yet to find any sort of real form in 2021.
Ilsinho – 6
Added some flair to the Union attack without creating many chances.
Alejandro Bedoya – 5
Reliable performance off the bench for Bedoya, who found the ball and combined well with Ilsinho.
Daniel Gazdag – 5
Drove the Union further forward after entering late on, but couldn’t find the key pass.
Man of the Match – Matt Turner
Turner made multiple top class saves to keep the Union at bay. Making a strong case to be the USA #1.
Geiger Counter
Armando Villarreal – 7
Little to argue with in Villarreal’s performance.
I’d say Glesnes deserves a bump considering he got the assist for Pax10’s goal.
From day 1 Mbaizo never passed the eye test for me, he just doesn’t have the instincts of a defender and unfortunately he seems to be proving me right more as time goes on. The occasional nice cross has been more than negated by falling asleep on defense leading directly to goals multiple times now and I think he’s a net liability. It’s clear even though Gaddis was maybe a less exciting player to watch he was the decided starter for a reason. I think we also see why Findley hasn’t challenged for a starting position and don’t think he should share the same score as Elliot and Glesnes. He was less than inspiring with the ball at his feet. Otherwise seemed to be positionally sound and solid on defense, just not going to unseat the starting blond towers.
I think Findlay did okay but considering he hasn’t seen much live game action, it’s too early to judge his overall game or me. They played with a different formation so I’m more of a wait and see on his performance and how he might do going forward.
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Overall I thought the veterans played this game like they already conceded the loss and were halfway to Mexico until the kids sparked some life into the team. After that they picked it up
When are we expecting these new signings to be available for the gameday squad??
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I am anxiously looking forward to not having to watch the Ilsinho momentum-stopping vacuum. He is no longer amazing on offense and is a HUGE liability getting back. His “contributions” largely involve standing still with the ball at his feet with the “standing step-over” move.
I thought the same thing before the NYRB game in 2019. Then he dominated the rest of that season. He’s working back from an injury, give him the rest of the season to prove himself. Although I’ll admit I’d rather not see him play Thursday.