Photo: Marjorie Elzey
It was a physical and tight Game 2 of the first-round playoff matchup between Philadelphia and New England on Wednesday night. Philadelphia closed out the series thanks to a late Chris Donovan goal and advanced without the now-suspended Kai Wagner.
Player ratings
Andre Blake — 8
A playoff clean sheet for Blake, who didn’t have much action for longer periods of the game, but made the big stops when needed.
Nathan Harriel — 7
A very nice outing for the young defender considering he was playing on the opposite side of the formation. He got into the attack and recovered well defensively.
Damian Lowe — 7
No glaring mistakes from Lowe on the night. Another nice outing filling in for Jakob Glesnes. He did pick up the early yellow card but stayed out of trouble the rest of the night.
Jack Elliott — 6
An average match for Elliott. He made some good blocks and helped keep the clean sheet — not much more you can ask for in a road playoff game.
Olivier Mbaizo — 7
He provided more of the offensive threat with Wagner suspended, but didn’t let his advanced position comprise defense. Nice recovers and sound defensively all night.
Jack McGlynn — 8
A great night for the young midfielder, who set up multiple chances for the Union including the game-winning assist. A great ball in that Donovan poked home.
Jose Martinez — 6
A quieter night by El Brujo’s standards. Subbed out early on for him and appeared to be grabbing his hamstring. An average night for the Union’s emotional leader.
Alejandro Bedoya— 7
Battling injuries and father time for most of the season, Bedoya turned back the clock this series. He occupied space and combined well with the attackers.
Daniel Gazdag — 7
Even without preferred strike option Julian Carranza, Gazdag was able to find the forwards and link play. An active night with no goals or assists to show.
Quinn Sullivan — 7
If there was any question that Sullivan was ready for a road playoff start, he answered it soundly. A threat in attack all night, he brought new life into the attack with speed and energy.
Mikael Uhre — 6
Uhre had some looks but was unable to finish them off and looked to be less involved than Sullivan. Subbed in his usual stint around the 65th minute.
Substitutes
Chris Donovan — 8
The game-winning goal off the bench gets up a pretty high rating after a nice run to finish off the McGlynn pass.
Joaquin Torres — 5
A match that was calling out for Torres, especially up a man. Didn’t have an outsized impact on the game.
Leon Flach — 6
A late defensive sub to help see out the result following the goal. Good to see him back in action after an injury most of the year.
Jesus Bueno — 6
A good 15 minutes to help see out the win.
Geiger Counter
Drew Fischer — 5
An evenly called game with a lot of emotion. Got the red card call correct after the video review.
Man of the Match — Jack McGlynn
McGlynn has come up big in the playoffs before for the Union, and he stepped up once more on Wednesday night. Numerous chances were created by the midfielder, including the lone goal to win the series.
A little high on Blake given that his biggest saves didn’t count due to offsides. He doesn’t get credit for those on the scoresheet. Should he get credit in player ratings?
What’s weird is I think I disagree with every number here, but agree with the vibes of the numbers as a group. This was a big boy win, without a bunch of regulars, at a place where only one other team won this year, amidst an ugly scandal, etc… and the team just did the job. If inflation is partly psychological, then sign me up for player rating inflation on that account.
Statistically, Blake doesn’t get credit. But to the emotion of the game’s ebb and flow, consider the following.
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What if that earliest chance had gone in and been disallowed?
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New England would have felt a lot better about its chances.
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Instead they were reminded that Andre Blake on a hot night is extremely challenging as an opponent. Back in the day in a match up there Blake was exceptional. Double digit saves in a single half, maybe?
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The brick wall set the tone. Then Antony-Kaye’s deliberate foolishness harmed their chances severely.
Yeah it didn’t count officially but he still made an incredible play. I’d argue it passes the eye test soundly and that’s worth something
Defensively, the most interesting development in hindsight was that taking off Jose Martinez did not enable Carles Gil and/or Gustavo Bou to takeover the match.
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I was a bit worried when Martinez had to go off.
excellent point. especially because it was Torres, I believe who came on, not a d-mid. Defense was very good over all.
I think this is too high for Harriel (who got beat like a drum by Farrell on numerous occasions) and Bedoya (who was largely invisible, though I acknowledge his contribution to the overall defense). Elliott should be higher in a match where the defense really kept them at bay.
Blake got robbed in Goaltender of the Year, again. How many games did that St Louis guy play?
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23… That’s how many.
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Total crap.
Torres should be higher. He was involved in the play that led to to the foul, that ;ed to the free kick that Donovan ultimately put away.
I did think Torres did decent enough in his first minutes in a long time. Some dangerous moves, and much less dribbling into traffic.
… shows how much MLS values the fans. Still no official date or time for the bracket predicted match between FCC and Union.
D*cks.
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Whenever it is…
WIN…
KEEP WINNING…
HOST MLS Cup 2023!
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3 clubs stand in our way.
End that nonsense starting THANKSGIVING weekend.
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DOOP!
Kind of hoping the game is Sunday so I won’t be tempted to drag my wife and father to make a detour to Cincinnati on the way home from Thanksgiving in Michigan. (My dad is 86 and I’m not sure he wants to sit in the cold watching a game.)
There’s no official date because the 1st round of the playoffs doesn’t end until the last game is decided on Sunday. How long have we been sports fans? C’mon we’re all smarter than this, and know that the TV networks dictate the dates and times of playoff games. Fox gets a say in what matchups they’ll simulcast on their networks.
Why does the bracket page on mlssoccer.com not load ? Their website is very poorly run imho.
Go Union, beat Cincinnati !!!
DOOP!!!
I think you answered your own question there. You really can’t expect them to care since Messi’s not involved.
Probably spot on… meh.