Photo: Marjorie Elzey
It’s another goalless draw for the Philadelphia Union, this time coming at home to Toronto FC. Despite picking up a point, it was another disappointing home outing from the Boys in Blue.
Onto the ratings.
Oliver Semmle – 8
Semmle wasn’t asked to do a ton in this matxh either, but it’s another clean sheet with a few key saves along the way. Semmle is getting more comfortable with his center backs and starting to pick up clean sheets to show for it.
Kai Wagner – 8
Another nice defensive effort by the German left back in this match. Recovered well and marked his space. Haven’t seen him jump into the attack as much as previous seasons though.
Jack Elliott – 7
Elliott has started to play his way back into form as the season progress. Does well man marking and getting in the way of shots for key blocks.
Jakob Glesnes – 7
Like Elliott, Glesnes has also been coming into form more recently. Does well passing out of the back and blocking shots. Hasn’t been pushing up as high in previous seasons though.
Nathan Harriel – 7
Another good night for the young right back who has been building upon solid performances of late. Does well back tracking and providing options in attack but still figuring out when to fully join the attack.
Leon Flach – 7
Another strong performance from Flach as he holds down the base of the midfield diamond. Nothing flashy about his game, but has been providing the work rate the Union have been lacking as of late.
Jack McGlynn – 6
An alright night for McGlynn, who had no glaring problems in midifield. Likes to have the ball in his feet which the Union need in midfield but slows down the attack a little to frequently.
Alejandro Bedoya – 6
A rare start for the aging Union captain and another solid shift. Runs out of gas around the 60 minute mark which leaves the midfield open but provides good passing connections.
Daniel Gazdag – 7
A few good passes from Gazdag in the attacking half but no clear looks at goal for the attacking midfielder. Missing Carranza hurts his game the most as they link up well in attack.
Mikael Uhre – 6
A more active display from Uhre on the night than in recent outings. Had a look at goal but was unable to finish, something that has been lingering with much of his time with the Union.
Quinn Sullivan- 6
Brought energy to the attack with Carranza missing but like Gazdag was unable to find may chances at goal. More defensive minded than Carranza which helped keep a clean sheet.
Substitutes
Jose Martinez – 6
A brief 15 minute cameo for Martinez off the bench for Bedoya. Kept the midifield compact and helped win possesion.
Chris Donovan – 6
A short stint for Donovan as well who brought energy looking for a late winner. No clear looks on goal though.
Tai Baribo – 5
Not much impact for Baribo in another rare appearance. No looks on goal but made a few passes.
Geiger Counter
Rubiel Vazquez – 5
No glaring issues from the man with the whistle in this one. No complaints from other time regarding officiating.
Player of the Match
Oliver Semmle
Back to back clean sheets for the young goalkeeper in which he’s had to make a few strong saves. A good sign for a team when the second team goalkeeper has started to build a scoreless streak.
No goals but the offense players score above average? This was a snooze fest from the midfield in. The defense was stout but the offense was non existent, from my perspective.
A 0-0 draw with 1 shot on goal AT HOME against a team right next to them in the standings and the only player below a 6 is a late substitute? That’s basically saying the result was not only acceptable, but was a good result. I would just drop everyone by a flat 2 points to make the ratings match what happened on the field (drop the subs just 1 point and keep the ref as is).
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The player I wanted to focus most on is Sullivan. At times he looked like the best player on the field such as when he tried to chip the keeper from a tough angle and barely put it over the net. At other times, though he seemed to lose focus and would just cycle the ball back rather than attacking or turn the ball over needlessly.
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That being said, I don’t understand why he was not called into the Olympic training camp with McGlynn and Harriel despite scoring the second most goals (behind Paxten Aaronson) in the qualifying tournament.
The 7 for Flach does not align at all with the tactical analysis that Blake provided elsewhere. I think Blake is spot on! Flach provides good defense but at a huge cost to the offense. When Martinez came on the field, that dynamic changed instantly for the better. Flach is where the ball goes to die. I’m just not a fan of 0-0 games, better than a 2-0 loss for the U, but dreadful for the fans. I miss Martinez. I know he has his haters, you know who you are, but the Union need him on the field.