Photo: Marjorie Elzey
The Philadelphia Union continued their winning ways with a 3-0 victory over conference foes New England Revolution. A goalless first half made way for a Daniel Gazdag brace in the second frame, with Julian Carranza putting away a third goal to finish things off.
Player ratings
Andre Blake — 7
A pretty quiet night for the goalkeeper, but it’s another clean sheet. Blake made the big saves when needed, and collected his second straight shutout.
Olivier Mbaizo — 6
A usual outing for Mbaizo, who does really well in advancing the attack on the right. New England was finding wide open spaces in behind on his side though.
Jakob Glesnes — 7
Liked how Glesnes and the rest of the defense stepped out to loose balls. No clear looks for New England and another clean sheet.
Jack Elliott — 7
Similar to his partner in Glesnes, Elliott made timely blocks and connected well with Leon Flach in midifield.
Damion Lowe – 6
Lowe seems to still be finding his place in a 5-man backline. Kinda quiet but no glaring issues. Seems to play a little in front of the other center backs.
Kai Wagner — 6
Not Wagner’s best night offensively, but did well to cover the left side and cover for the center backs.
José Martínez — 7
A welcomed return to the lineup for Martinez, who excelled in tackling and transition.
Leon Flach — 7
Leon Flach understands his role so much better when Martinez is out there with him. He’s free to roam the midfield and is usually there to cover when Martinez advances.
Dániel Gazdag — 8
A beautiful taken goal from the run of play and another from the penalty spot for the Hungarian. Played some great passes for chances as well.
Mikael Uhre — 8
Had the quick throw to get the assist on Gazdag’s goal, and seemed more like himself this game. Also drew the penalty for Gazdag’s second. Another welcome addition to the lineup.
Julián Carranza — 7
Another goal for the Argentine, who has now scored in 2 of the last 3 games for Philly. Starting to heat up as the Union focus more on MLS.
Substitutes
Chris Donovan — N/A
Getting the last 10 minutes in a 2-0 game, Donovan was expected to help see out a result. Played a great pass for an assist on Carranza’s goal.
Matt Real— N/A
A stoppage time sub to see out the result.
Jesus Bueno – N/A
A stoppage time sub to see out the result.
Geiger Counter
Lukasz Szpala – 6
A pretty good night for the man in yellow. Kept the match in control and no major complaints from either team with his decisions.
Man of the Match — Daniel Gazdag
A brace and plenty of creativity in attack let’s the Hungarian take home the honor.
A win against a lesser team, but I am most concerned about their passing accuracy. So much sloppier than last year it seems (74% against NE!). It’s dangerous and ugly to watch. They need to clean that up.
The Union’s passing percentage in 2022 was 74.6%, or second worst in the league to Red Bulls – and New England came into the match in 2nd in the East.
I think with the way Donovan has been playing lately for the most part.. I’d give him a 7 for the assist and (I think) no glaring errors….
I agree. An N/A for someone who played 14 minutes including stoppage time and setup the goal which probably chopped off 2 minutes of stoppage time isn’t fair. He deserves a score in the 6-8 range.
It wasn’t just the assist. Everyone’s overlooking that he started that play with an interception and the initial distribution. For the all-out effort on that play and the resulting goal, I’d give him the courtest of a number. 😉
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I kid. I know these are just fun and arbitrary. I was just very impressed with every part of his contribution to that 3rd goal.
I agree. Donovan needs a score for the interception and the assist.
I might have given Mbaizo a 7. He’s such a threat on the attack and not at all bad when defending. Thought he had a very good game.
He was a constant threat on the right. If they play a more-defined 3-5-2, he’ll be better off with fewer defensive responsibilities. It’s a risk, but he adds more offensively than he does defensively. They need to find a way to negate his defensive shortcomings because he is needed in the attack.