All photos: Marjorie Elzey
On Star Wars night in a stadium far far away, the Rebel Alliance, Philadelphia Union, battled it out with the Galactic Empire, New York Red Bulls.
The rivalry between the two teams made it a perfect match for the night’s theme. While the game felt sloppy and did not flow due to many stops in play for player injuries, the Union were able to pull off their first road win in the 2023 season. The goal came in the 31st minute from a penalty, taken by Daniel Gazdag for his 30th career goal. The play leading up to the PK was reviewed by VAR after protests from Red Bull players, including former Union player Carlos Coronel.
Yellow cards were issued to Andrés Reyes and Cory Burke from the Red Bulls while Leon Flach and Quinn Sullivan picked up yellow cards for the Union. After the game, Cory Burke was hugged by his former teammates and coach. Damion Lowe and Cory Burke exchanged jerseys.
This was the 10th consecutive win since September 2019 for the Union in matchups against the Red Bulls.
Union fans came out in the masses to cheer on the Boys in Blue. They filled 5 sections in the Supporters Area. Young fans cheered them on during warm-ups.
Damion Lowe and Elias Manoel fight for the ball at the top of the box.
Kai Wagner blocks Cameron Harper’s cross.
A yellow card is issued to Andrés Reyes after a hard tackle on Daniel Gazdag.
Both Jakob Glesnes and Nathan Harriel miss a chance to block John Tolkin on a shot on goal.
Kai Wagner receives the ball and prepares to take it down field.
A hard tackle from Cory Burke on Kai Wagner puts Kai on the pitch in obvious pain.
Carlos Coronel argues with Head Referee Joe Dickerson about the call on the field. This leads to a VAR review.
Referee Joe Dickerson goes to the VAR to check a penalty on the New York Red Bulls. After a few minutes of checking replays, he awards the Union the PK.
The Union celebrate a goal off a PK in front of the South Ward. This is the first time since the Montreal game that a supporters group for NY Red Bulls has attended a game.
Both Kai Wagner and Omir Fernandez raise their hands to persuade the referee to call a foul in their favor.
Kia Wagner’s sock shows the damage done when Cory Burke tackled him in the first half.
Nathan Harriel and Alejandro Bedoya react to just missing a goal against Carlos Coronel off a corner.
Part of the supporters group in the South Ward continue to show their disapproval to the MLS and the Red Bulls front office for the racist act in the game against Montreal.
John Tolkin goes down from a challenge for the ball by Julián Carranza.
Carlos Coronel tells his teammates where he wants them as the Union prepare for a corner.
Jakob Glesnes gets his foot on the ball during a slide tackle against former teammate Cory Burke.
Daniel Gazdag reacts to an off-target ball near the top of the box.
Chris Donovan fights to keep the ball in play as Ronald Donkor pushes him to kick it into touch.
Alejandro Bedoya charges John Tolkin while battling for the ball. A foul is called on Bedoya.
Nathan Harriel uses pure strength against John Tolkin to shield the ball.
Nathan Harriel is able to get the ball out of the corner under pressure from both Ronald Donkor and John Tolklin.
John Tolkin pushes Mikael Uhre onto the ground, but Uhre is able to get a pass off before going down.
Damion Lowe salutes the crowd at Red Bull Arena. This was his first start for Union in the 2023 MLS Season. His last appearance was in the Concacaf game against Atlas FC in April.
The Union are back on the road at Allianz Field on Tuesday, May 9 at 8:30 p.m., where they start their quest for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup trophy against Minnesota United FC.
Love the picture of Kai Wagner’s sock!
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And thank you for the detail that five sections of the stadium were filled with Union fans! I wonder how many buses the Sons of Ben sponsored?
Hi Tim!
The Sons of Ben took 2 buses to the stadium. Many fans met at the stadium including some from the Keystone Ultras. They group was loud the entire game and the chants carried throughout the stadium. It was awesome! The players and staff really appreciated their support.