Photo: Marjorie Elzey

New York City FC II soundly thrashed an undermanned Philadelphia Union II side Monday evening at Subaru Park 5-0.

Union II played the match with only 13 field players. Since the first team plays Wednesday evening in Chicago (only the third day after Sunday’s win against NYC’s first team) only four first-team reserves were made available. And two of those were subbed off after an hour, perhaps so they will be fresh enough to be useful if called upon in the Windy City.

It was Union II’s worst defeat since the summer and fall of 2020 in the USL Championship when they regularly lost by comparable differentials.

Anticipations

Each side playing the day after its respective first-team might have meant reinforcements were possible. But each first-team plays away Wednesday evening June 29^th on short rest, creating open questions for both about squad rotation. New York is deep enough to manage, but in late June 2022 Philadelphia is not.

Quinn Sullivan, Jack McGlynn, Paxton Aaronson, and Brandan Craig remained unavailable since they will play tonight, Tuesday, June 28th, with the US U-20s in Honduras. Also, Jim Curtin has explained, Sergio Santos is away in Chile seeking his green card. And Jesus Bueno’s absence from Curtin’s short Sunday bench  probably means he is injured, although as a first-teamer he probably would not have been available to Union II in any case. And compounding the problem Carlos Paternina was suspended for yellow card accumulation, having gotten his fifth mustard packet in last Saturday’s draw against Chicago II.

Union II pro striker Nelson Pierre went to Dallas where the U17s MLS NEXT Cup 32-team tournament started Sunday. Regular season MLS NEXT Pro game minutes are developmentally more valuable than regular season U17 ones, but MLS NEXT Cup provides the learning crucible of a single elimination knockout tournament with meaningful silverware at its end. The other two U17-eligible Academy amateurs stayed home, attacking midfielder Bajung Darboe and right back Frank Westfield.

For New York City FC II, its U17s also remain alive in MLS NEXT Cup’s single elimination bracket and they have no one with the U20s in Honduras.

The reserve pigeons score lots of goals and  play in the style of their first team, primarily emphasizing possession and building out of the back rather than playing as directly as do Union teams. While their program provides a demarcated pathway from earliest youth levels to the pros much like that of Philadelphia, their overall roster is less committed to actual teenagers than is Philly ‘s.

(Small data sets have problems. Joe Bendik’s single game in a Union II goal lowers that percentage ten full points.)

First Half

As is to be expected of a Marlon LeBlanc team, Union II began the match on the front foot pressing the pigeons all over the midfield, and for the first five minutes the match seemed even.  Then New York winger Andres Jasson made Nathan Nkanji miss completely out on the right flank, dribbled the edge of the box to the near post’s longitude, and drilled a clinically curved ball to the far post for a 1-0 lead. It was a belief killer. From that moment New York dominated.

The baby pigeons controlled possession and used it to attack through the flanks. Both fullbacks played as flank midfielders in front of a two- or three-man defensive line. Their possession allowed them to spread the field, creating space sufficient to negate Union II’s attempts to press. Pressing works when the pressing team keeps its opponent concentrated and easily reached.

Union II attempted to counter with direct play to Chris Donovan, and upon occasion they would penetrate the New York box, but they created no meaningful first half threats, save once when City keeper Alex Rando came well out to make a play and Jack Jasinski attempted a long distance chip into the open net behind him. Unfortunately the North Carolinian’s 31st minute attempt floated high. And five minutes later after a Boubacar Diallo foul inside the “D” that earned him a yellow card, New York’s John Denis thumped the consequent free kick around the wall into the net and the match was effectively over.

The Union’s system works only if all ten field players play with all-out commitment, and one or two were playing to conserve their energy in order to last the 90 minutes rather than going flat out. Assistant coach Jose Kleberson’s Spanish will ring out frequently and incisively during film class.

Second Half

Neither coach subbed at half time. LeBlanc clearly motivated better effort from  his more obvious energy conservers at halftime.  But beginning in the 56th minute and within 90 seconds of each other, striker Jose Riasco picked up two consecutive yellow cards and was dismissed.  Within two minutes of the dismissal New York scored its third, and Subaru Park became an abattoir.

Philly remained game to try, and LeBlanc improvised a nine-man shape with three across the back, five in the midfield —  two of these being in a protective double pivot — and the other three deployed further ahead behind a lone striker. It took New York some minutes to adjust. But the pigeons’ wide play spread the three more forward Union middies to defend in the outside channels, and Union II became vulnerable to central channel runners closing onto the crosses that the wide play repeatedly produced. Goals four and five followed in the 80th and 89th minutes, and several other such opportunities were struck either wide or high.

Mercifully, the final whistle meant it was over.

Mentions for courage should go to those who chased New York all over the pitch for the full 90. They are defenders Frank Westfield, Anton Sorenson, and Nathan Nkanji, and midfielders Boubacar Diallo, Jack Jasinski , and Juan Perdomo. Perdomo’s mental toughness was on display in the last ten minutes as he made himself limp to spots where he might be useful.  Diallo showed a dogged persistence all over the pitch that will catch Jim Curtin’s eye. All three field subs played, with Maike Villero and Anthony Ramirez making only their second MLS NEXT Pro appearances of the season.

There is value in a match such as this. The adversity reveals  character and tenacity. And several young men in dark blue learned lessons and stepped up to the new, more demanding mark.

Philly still lies fifth in the Eastern conference and fourth in the Northeast division tables. But their margin of safety ahead of their pursuers is gone and they must make up that many more points to catch those above the playoff line.

Union II next play away Saturday, July 2^nd at 7 PM at league leading Columbus Crew 2, the day before the respective first teams match up in Ohio’s capital city after both have played on Wednesday. Extra reinforcements for the second teams again seem unlikely, especially for the Union since the hope is that both the US U-20s in Honduras and the Union U17s in Dallas will be playing their respective championship matches the next day.

Three Points

1. Tactics, not fitness. When asked coach Leblanc indicated that his recent pattern of substituting Carlos Paternina for Bajung Darboe at roughly the hour mark is related to tactics, not fitness. In our words not coach’s, Paternina has more twinkle in his toes. LeBlanc said he is trying to inject something different into his attack when he makes the move.
2. Squad turnover. As the transition from one Academy year to the next changes the amateur portion of Union II’s player pool, Goalkeeper Damian Alguera joins Jackson Gilman as no longer available to Union II. Alguera has been with El Salvador at the Concacaf U-20 championship in Honduras and from there will move on to Cal State – Bakersfield. Midfielder Ian Abbey is expected to leave for Rutgers sometime around  July 10th. Swiss Army Knife Jack Jasinski will be available longer than his fellow graduates because Princeton is in the Ivy League, and Ivies start their NCAA activities noticeably later than everyone else.
3. MLS NEXT Cup. After winning their first match 1-0, the Union Academy U-15s were eliminated by Real Salt Lake Sunday. The U-17s remain alive after winning 6-2 over Cedar Stars-Monmouth Sunday morning and 5-1 over Toronto FC II Monday night. They play New York Red Bull U17s on Wednesday at 10:00 AM Eastern in the quarter finals. It is also worth mentioning that the only non-MLS Academy U17 side to make it into the quarters is storied local power FC Delco, who are on the opposite side of the bracket from the Union.

BOXSCORE

Lineups

Union II (4-1-2-1-2 “narrow diamond” L-R) Matt Freese; Anton Sorenson, Cole Turner (Maike Villero, 61′), Nathan Nkanji, Frank Westfield; Boubacar Diallo; Jack Jasinski, Juan Perdomo; Ian Abbey (Anthony Ramirez, 71′); Chris Donovan (Bajung Darboe, 60′), Jose Riasco. Unused substitutes: Brooks Thompson. Distribution: 1^st– 4; 2^nd – 5; Am – 6. Suspended: Carlos Paternina (accumulated yellows). Injury: Stefan Stojanovic, Gino Portella. Away: Nelson Pierre, Brandan Craig.

NYC FC II (4-3-3, L-R) Alex Rando; Steven Bednarsky, Nico Benalcazar, Samuel Owusu, Stephen Turnbull; Andres Jasson (Julian Gomez, 60′), Justin Haak (Kenan Hot, 60′), Jack Beer; M. Murania ( Jonathan Jimenez, 77′), Kevin O’Toole (Kamran Acito, 77′), John Denis (Andrew  Maia,, 82′). Unused substitutes: Pol Rodriguez, Giuliano Santucci;   Kelvin Da Costa,

Goals

NYC II      7^th minute      Andres Jasson (Stephen Turnbull)

NYC II      36^th minute    John Denis (Free kick)

NYC II      59th minute    Massimino Murania (Stephen Turnbull, Samuel Owusu)

NYC II      80th minute    Jack Beer (Jonathan Jimenez)

NYC II      89th minute     Jonathan Jimenez (Jack Beer)

Cards

NYC II      20^th minute      Yellow      Steven Bednarsky (foul)

Union II   35^th minute      Yellow      Boubacar Diallo (foul)

Union II    52nd minute    Yellow     Jack Jasinski (foul)

Union II    56th minute     Yellow      Jose Riasco (foul)

Union II    56th minute     Yellow      Cole Turner (argument)

NYC II       56th minute      Yellow     Nico Benalcazar (argument)

Union II    57th minute       2nd Yellow/Red     Jose Riasco (foul)

Whistle: Ref: Jose Carlos Rivero,  AR¹: Alexandru Focea,  AR²: Patrick Casey,  4^th: Luis Arroyo.

Stats