Photo: Ron Soliman

The Union began their Round of 16 CONCACAF Champions Cup showdown vs. Pachuca with a 0-0 draw on Tuesday night. The scoreline was not indicative of the drama, as it was a wide-open and end-to-end affair for most of the 90 minutes.

But how did the team look?

Player Ratings

Andre Blake – 7

With Pachuca’s finishing prowess no better than Philly’s on Tuesday, Blake was largely untested. He did have to make a few saves to keep his porch clean, but nothing overly spectacular. Delivering Pachuca their first shutout of their season will be seen as a success, as well as a confidence-builder in his first game back from injury.

Kai Wagner – 6

Kai’s ability going forward was mostly muted on the night. With Harriel playing out of position at LCB, and McGlynn’s known defensive short-comings, Wagner’s positioning and decision-making on when to get forward played a significant role in keeping Pachuca off the score-sheet.

Nathan Harriel – 8

The young homegrown talent played out of position, as well as out of his mind on Tuesday. He was the best Union defender on the field. He could be seen winning what seemed like every contested header, stepping up well to intercept Pachuca passes around the penalty area, and even spraying 40 yard diagonal passes to jump-start Union attacks. A great performance from the twenty-two year-old, and his versatility is a promising sign for the Club.

Jakob Glesnes – 4

Through the first 45 minutes, it appeared that it might be another howler for Glesnes. It surely has been a string of performances that he will want to forget. Yet, Glesnes did well in the second half to settle in and turn things around, ultimately keeping the ball out of his own net. Still, this lack of consistency from Glesnes is uncharacteristic from him. While these performances he’s turned in are concerning, his offseason hernia surgery should add some context to the disappointment so far in this young season.

Olivier Mbaizo – 4

Similar to Wagner, Mbaizo was unable to find a way to contribute going forward. Unlike Wagner though, Mbaizo had some issues dealing with Pachuca’s attack down his side. In the post-match presser, Curtin praised Pachuca’s Idrissi and Gonzalez, who operated primarily on Mbaizo’s side and gave Mbaizo trouble for a good portion of the match. Curtin said of Mbaizo’s performance,  “When Mbaizo defends forward, and is aggressive… he is incredible. In the moments when you back off, and let Idrissi run at you, it is party over. I thought Mbaizo had some good moments, but also some moments where you watch the film and he could be a little bit tighter.”

Alejandro Bedoya – 6

Another appearance for Bedoya where his presence seemed to calm the team. In his 74 minutes, the captain was active in all thirds of the pitch, akin to what he has done in Philly for the last eight years.

Jose Martinez – 9

Easily Jose’s best performance in this young season. Was active in all areas of the pitch and held the talented Rondon out of the dangerous areas in front of his center-backs. A great showing from El Brujo.

Jack McGlynn – 8 

McGlynn is still growing into that shuttler role defensively, but his ability going forward is second to none on this team. His passes, his deception, his confidence on the ball – all exquisite for his age. Curtin said this after the game, “Jack is never going to be the fastest, quickest, or most dynamic guy on the field, but he is developing these little ‘outs’ to get out of tight spaces… where he can free himself and get that extra step to play a 60 yard ball that goes to Quinn.” Another excellent performance from McGlynn. He truly makes the ball smile.

Daniel Gazdag – 4

Not Gazdag’s best night in a blue shirt. He struggled to find the game and create the chances we are accustomed to seeing from him. Gazdag and Uhre seemed out of sync. Uhre’s movement seemed to crowd Gazdag at times, and other times, Gazdag was searching for an option to progress the ball and Uhre struggled to find space. The lack of Carranza was glaringly evident, and seemed to contribute the disjointed-ness from the front three.

Mikael Uhre – 3

A trait that all good strikers have is that they are opportunists. Uhre had two grade A scoring chances 1 on 1 with the keeper in the first fifteen minutes of the game – both scuffed into the midriff of the Pachuca keeper. He seemed to disappear for much of the middle 60 of the match, not doing enough to create space by stretching the defense with his movement laterally or vertically. The interplay between Uhre, Gazdag, and Sullivan was lacking. Uhre was given opportunity as the lone forward, and simply did not make the most of it across the entire 90 minutes.

Quinn Sullivan – 7

A different role than usual for Quinn as a dual ’10’ in what appeared to be some variation of a 4-3-2-1. He had some giveaways here and there, but looked very dangerous in his 87 minutes, and often was at the forefront of driving play down the right. He found acres of space on numerous occasions, and was able to create some of the best Union chances on the night. The confidence exuded on the one-touch back-heel pass he had to an offside Bedoya was a perfect encapsulation of the progress he has made over the last couple seasons with the first team. Really strong start to the season for Sullivan.

Substitutes

Jesus Bueno – 4

A rough showing for Bueno. He was in a tough position coming into a wide-open game late in the match – not necessarily a game state that will bring out Bueno’s best attributes. He struggled to connect play from the back to the front in his short shift.

Markus Anderson – N/A

Geiger Counter:

Ismael Cornejo – 7

The referee had his whistle close to his mouth for most of the contest, sometimes erring on the “whistle-happy” end of the spectrum. Though, this definitely kept two physical teams in check, as he only handed out two yellow cards on the night. With all of the discourse surrounding VAR in the game today, the VAR decision overturn the PK and Harriel yellow card to ultimately a handball in the build up of the play is one of the best real-time use-cases for VAR in recent memory. That alone earns the referee crew, and Cornejo himself, a fairly high score.

Player of the match:

Jose Martinez

After an injury scare in Kansas City over the weekend, El Brujo looked unaffected on Tuesday. He did a phenomenal job defensively, covering his defensive responsibilities well by winning back possession and contributing to the build up by springing attacks the other way. He never was caught-out, and was much-needed “shield” in front of Glesnes and Harriel all night in dealing with his fellow countryman, Rondon. Curtin said of his performance, “Jose had a tough task to sit in the middle of that block of three midfielders is not easy. You have Rondon who is a talented striker… the fluidity of their attack… Jose had a really strong performance.”