Photo: Marjorie Elzey
In a chippy affair that saw lots of flops, fouls, and a particularly egregious sending off, The Philadelphia Union defeated Mazatlán FC on a penalty shootout, winning 4-3, after a 1-1 tie in regulation. The Union will now advance the Semi-Finals in the Leagues Cup for a second consecutive year. They will face Columbus Crew who also win via Shootout following a 1-1 regulation tie with NYCFC.
Despite a promising start, it was not until being reduced to 10 men at the end of the first half that the Union took the lead. Forward Tai Baribo was adjudged to have committed two fouls in as many minutes, and after a lengthy review, was sent off with a second yellow. Almost immediately after, Jack McGlynn’s lovely through ball put Mikael Uhre in on net, who scored.
In the second half, Mazatlán really began to apply the pressure. They equalized from an attacking set piece and late in the second half, hit the crossbar, but were unable to take a lead. Following the conclusion of second-half stoppage time, the game immediately went to a penalty shootout.
The Union were able to dispatch Mazatlán in the shootout, with Andre Blake making two saves and Jesus Bueno scoring the winning penalty.
First half
The first real chance of the game came to Philadelphia. In the 5th minute, Quinn Sullivan played Uhre into the final third. Uhre’s cutback pass is weakly cleared by a defender and went right to the onrushing Sullivan who takes a powerful shot from a tight angle which rippled the side netting on the outside of the goal.
Mazlatan struggled to maintain possession in the opening ten minutes, and the Union looked better in the early stages of the match.
McGlynn and Gazdag combined for a lovely sequence of passes deep in their defensive third to get out of pressure, much to the pleasure of the nearest supporters’ sections.
Around the 10th minute, Los Canoneros grew into the game and began to create attacks, but the Union were able to deal with them. Mazlatan had found space in the width of the pitch and started attacking down the wings but every cross they sent in was cleared away by a Union defender.
Jack Elliot had to slide to make a good block on a Mazatlán winger who was looking to square a dangerous ball across the six in the 15th minute.
In the 21st minute, Andre Blake had to make a fantastic one-handed diving save. Arciga had space at the top of the box and rocketed a shot towards goal but Blake got his fingertips to it. On the ensuing corner, a dangerous ball was headed across his net but again Blake stood tall and claimed it.
Not long after, Arciga was involved in the play again but this time for the wrong reasons. After stepping to Wagner, the Mazatlán player left a foot in, fouling the German defender and drawing the ire of the crowd. No card was issued but it marked the start of the chippiness that can so often accompany these inter-continental matchups.
After a period of Union turnovers that saw Mazatlán dominate possession, the first coherent Union attack in a while came in the 38th minute. A McGlynn dime found Sullivans who laid it off to Uhre who was able to win a corner. On the second consecutive Union corner, a scuffle in the box between Baribo and a Mazatlán defender led to the Israeli striker being carded.
On the next play, the ball was cleared away for another corner. Again Baribo and a defender came together but this time the referee went to his back pocket and showed a straight red card to Baribo. After a minute or two the referee went to the VAR monitor to review.
After a long review, Head Referee Selvin Chavarria waved off the red card and instead issued a yellow card, still sending Baribo off due to it being his second yellow card.
However, the Union would get almost instant catharsis. Uhre isolated his defender just across the halfway line. McGlynn, spotting the run, played a lovely ball that sent Uhre in behind. The Dane still had a lot of work to do, but from an extremely tight angle, he chipped Ricardo Guiterrez and the ball bounced in off the far post, giving the Union a 1-0 lead three minutes into first-half stoppage time.
Second half
An exciting end-to-end start marked the beginning of the second frame of action. Wagner barely managed to clear away a dangerous Mazatlán squared ball in the Union box. His clearance found Sullivan who played an outrageous outside-of-the-foot-pass that split the Mazatlán center backs and put Uhre through on goal. The Dane tried to round Gutierrez but didn’t get the angle right and his chance went begging.
After a period of back-and-forth possession with no notable action, Uhre got in behind the Mazatlán defense again. This time it was direct from a long Jack Elliot pass. Although Uhre won a corner, the script was suddenly flipped on the Union.
Mazatlán won the ball and counter-attacked themselves while the 10-man Union were still out of position. A retreating Glesnes did enough to slow down the ball carrier but he was adjudged to have committed a foul and was duly booked in the 58th minute. On the following free kick, about 25 yards from Andre Blake’s goal, the ball was played out wide to an unmarked Arciga. Despite Harriel’s pressure, the cross came into the box and Alonso Escoboza headed home past Blake to tie the score in the 59th.
Head Coach Jim Curtin turned to his bench in the 66th minute, making a triple change by sending on Damion Lowe, Alejandro Bedoya, and Jesus Bueno. These changes also seemed to signify a formation change to a 5-3-1 with Gazdag now operating as the sole Center Forward.
Mazatlán had the majority of the changes down the stretch, which is understandable given Tai Baribo’s red card and Curtin’s decision to bunker up.
A defensive miscommunication nearly spelled disaster for the Union in the 86th minute. A Mazatlán cross swung in and while Blake moved to collect, Lowe jumped and cleared it out for a corner. The resulting corner led to a flurry of chances for Mazatlán that the Union barely survived. First, a Mazatlán header hit the crossbar and was cleared away by Elliot. Mazatlán kept the ball and got off a few more vicious shots that were all well blocked by the Union defense.
With the final substitution of the match, Curtin put on Jose Martinez, who is expected to leave the club in this transfer window.
Penalty kick shootout
Blake stood tall and dove the right way on the first Mazatlán PK, stonewalling Josue Colman.
Martinez stepped up to take the first Union penalty, his stuttered run-up froze the keeper and he smashed his shot home, with the crowd roaring their approval
Mazatlán scored their next shot but so did Elliot.
Blake made another spectacular save, this time denying Alan Torres, giving the Union a massive advantage in the shootout.
Damion Lowe also employed a stutter step run-up, which also fooled the goalie, as he passed the ball right up the middle.
Even though Mazatlán scored their next take, if Sam Adeniran converted, the Union would advance to the Semi-Final. Unfortunately, he missed, and his shot clanged off the upright.
In the next round, Blake guessed the right way but was unable to stop the shot.
At this point in the shootout, the score was tied at 3-3. But, if Jesus Bueno scored, the Union would win. After a lengthy buildup, Bueno walked up to the spot, calmly approached the ball, and slotted it home past the diving Gutierrez.
Three points
Another bad refereeing performance — The Barbio double red card feels like a Mark Geiger decision that would have been discussed on MLS’s Instant Replay 10 years ago. It was a ridiculous sequence and yet another chapter in some of the terrible refereeing decisions made in the Leagues Cup. Being a referee at any level is a hard job, but with all the tools these officials have in this competition, this kind of decision is bizarre- no matter which team bears its ill effects.
Grit it out — How’s that for Philly grit? Despite going down a man, and losing the player who’s been their talisman over the team’s recent winning streak, the Union almost instantly took the lead. Then, despite conceding an equalizer, they roughed it out and won via shootout. The Boys in Blue are back.
Jose’s swan song — With an imminent transfer to Corinthians seemingly in the final stages, it was something of a surprise that the Venezuelan was able to dress for this match, let alone play. Despite only getting subbed on in 2nd half stoppage time, Martinez made his presence felt by scoring the first PK for the Union in the shootout. He will be missed by the Union Phaithful.
Lineups
Philadelphia Union (4-4-2)
Andre Blake, Kai Wagner, Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes, Nathan Harriel, Leon Flach (Jose Martinez 90 + 1’), Jack McGlynn (Damion Lowe 66’), Quinn Sullivan (Alejandro Bedoya 66’), Daniel Gazdag (Sam Adeniran 82’), Mikael Uhre (Jesus Bueno 66’), Tai Baribo
Mazatlán (3-4-2-1)
Ricardo Gutierrez, Luis Sanchez, Lucas Merolla (Josue Colman 46’), Facundo Almada, Jesus Escobar, Jordan Sierra, Roberto Meraz (Alan Torres 82’), Bryan Colula (Omar Moreno 60’), Edgar Barcenas (Willian Vargas 68’), Arciga Ramrio, Brian Rubio (Raul Camacho 82’)
Box score
15’ Yellow Card – Brian Colula
40’ Yellow Card – Tai Baribo
45 + 1’ 2nd Yellow Card – Tai Baribo
45 + 3’ Goal – Mikael Uhre (Jack McGlynn)
45 + 9’ Yellow Card – Edgar Barcenas
58’ Yellow Card – Jakob Glesnes
59′ Goal – Alonso Escoboza (Ramiro Arciga)
63’ Yellow Card – Brian Rubio
79’ Yellow Card – Facundo Almada
Officiating crew
Head Referee: Selvin Antonio Brown Chavarria
Assistant Referee: Gerson Orellana
Assistant Referee: Iroots Appleton
4th Official: Walter Lopez Castellanos
Watched this jawn up in Canada under the table at dinner. Then my wife made me get off the floor so I just held the phone low. Haha. Thought for sure the fix was in when Tai got sent off but dang if we didnt score. A nice guts win that I hope pays off later in the season. Would have liked to see Gazdag get back on that horse. Thought the U wasnt allowed to win on days the Phils win, but glad to see they didnt get the memo…
So, Concacaf Ref and a ref that hates the Union in charge of VAR…
Garber loses on penalty kicks !
Jose you will be missed !
Most bullshit card I have ever seen.
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Credit to the team for fighting through and moving on.
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Mazatlán had three opponent red card in their last three games. Seems like they played the refs this tournament.
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The music they played to drown out the chant was so ridiculous.
Both cards on Baribo make you think the ref got paid. Now we head to Columbus without a red hot striker.
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So if they face LAFC in the final at home with the chance for revenge for MLS Cup, I would imagine the SOB’s will stand strong on the boycott and the stadium will only be half full. Would be fitting for the team to win the Cup with no one in the stadium much like the Supporters’ Shield season.
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The sad part about tonight was Jose Martinez playing his last game in a stadium that wasn’t sold out.
That was sad. But credit to the fans who made the tifo for him. That was incredible.
Ramblings, Rants, and Remembrances from a ridiculous rendez-vous between two resembling rookie rivals….
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Credit where credit is due… sublime finish by Uhre on the goal…
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Criticism where criticism is due…. God damn Uhre is awful the rest of the time…The ball went to him to die… and for all his usual flopping he doesn’t go down when he actually draws contact from the keeper???!! Starut is infuriatingly vexing…
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We do not realize how good we have it with Blake… i mean we do…. but we don’t… dude is the GGOAT of MLS and no one seems to notice. I mean we notice, but we just expect it now after 10 years… “Yeah Dre’s got that.”
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Froo Froo bullshit penalty kick run ups are probably my least favorite thing and as damaging to the image of soccer as bullshit CONCACAF antics that idiot CONCACAF refs eat wit a spoon… looking at you Adeniran.
After nearly two months without a win, it’s now seven unbeaten. Would I like to see this in the regular season? Sure. But this has been a really fun and exciting Leagues Cup and I’m glad I didn’t opt out. If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.
And what a send-off for our beloved El Brujo!
+1
With Sugarman selling and benching El Brujo within another reach of a first championship in anything (a big FU to the team and fans), the last thing we needed was Baribo getting a BS red. Not holding my breath, but it should be overturned if there’s a review to be had.
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For a team given no respect, Mazatlan had a very honorable tournament performance, including tonight. I didn’t mind the chippy play. They did what they had to do, and it almost worked again for them.
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Colorado knocked out Club America deep in a shootout. We get the final if we beat Columbus. My voodoo curse on Sugarman and tonight’s referee and VAR team.
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Oh well, we’ve been here before and will again. The team should accept the challenge. Be the Bad News Bears or Tom Berenger’s Cleveland Indians and decide to win the whole damn thing.
Note: I understand the arguments why he was sold. I just want El Brujo fully available for these final matches in LC.
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Yeah, it’s a slight risk he could be injured, but it’s low, and Sugarman should owe that to the team and fans to give us the best chance to win a CCC spot and our first potential championship trophy, especially now that Baribo is unavailable due to a BS red in the semifinal.
I got home in time to watch the match on Crapple last night. FWIW, here are my observations:
1) It is impossible to overstate Andre Blake’s importance to this team. Someone who is nerdier than I could probably look up the results of all matches both with Dre and without him during his tenure with the Union and report those results to us. We have seen a microcosm of that this year: Everyone plays better when he is in goal, period.
2) I am sorry I was not there to wish El Brujo adios in person. I am glad he was honored by taking the first PK of the night. He is the grittiest player the Union have had in their tenure, bar none. He is a Philly kind of guy, and I hope that when his career is over, we can welcome him back when there is a full house and we can truly show our appreciation for all that he has meant to this team.
3) Selvin Brown is not qualified to referee youth soccer, much less CONCACAF matches. I knew it was going to be a difficult night when in the 25th minute or so, Mazatlan’s player was allowed to get away with a nasty late challenge on Wagner with no yellow card. Not to be a conspiracy theorist here, but given Wagner’s reputation, the foul seemed designed to incite retaliation. After the foul, Tai Baribo can be seen asking Brown why there was no yellow card, which was richly deserved and which, if it had been given, would probably have resulted in less fouls in the game.
4) I took a quick look at the rules for yellow card accumulation in Leagues Cup because I was curious why Mazatlan, which led Leagues Cup in the total number of both fouls and yellow cards, would engage in so many challenges that risked yellow cards. The answer is that yellow card accumulation was reset before the quarterfinals.
Good luck to the U. in Columbus–they are going to need all the luck it to score without Tai Baribo.
I’m still not going to LC matches and don’t want to give Crapple more viewership so I went and listened to the radio broadcast. I learned that Dave Leno is an extreme homer as an announcer which unfortunately brings in to question his credibility when he questions the yellow cards issued to Baribo.
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Anyway, given the Columbus’ result, next Saturday’s game was already being postponed to increase congestion later on. The good news is that Columbus has played 5 more games than the Union due to drawing Pachuca later in the CCC tournament than the Union did. 3 of the Union’s 11 remaining games (including LC) are against Columbus although it’s going to be tough to find a window that is not during an international break to play the rescheduled game.
I agree Leno is a homer but in this case I think he was correct- those yellows to Tai were suspect.
Yes, I get that reading the recap and comments, but at the time it was hard to tell.
Leno is a home, but LeToux usually calls it straight
Columbus entered in the round of 16 in the CCC, so they only played 3 more CCC games than we did, plus they missed the group stage of Leagues Cup and have only played 23 league games, whereas we’ve played 25. By my count, that means we’ve actually played 1 more game this season than they have (0 if you count their friendly against Aston Villa). Because they have so many games remaining, including the Campeones Cup, rescheduling the league game will be tough.
Good call, I forgot that they entered both tournaments later.
I was at the match — sorry, I like this whole Leagues Cup thing — and good Lord what an emotional roller coaster. Blake was otherworldly, Uhre’s finish on the goal was sublime, and Baribo’s ejection was one of the worst displays of refereeing I’ve ever seen. Glesnes failed to pick up his man on the Mazatlan goal, but otherwise the defense was very strong, especially my man Elliott. The Tifo and crowd welcome for El Brujo were amazing.
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I think our chances of beating Columbus on the road without Baribo or Martinez are slim. But at least Colorado ousted América somehow, so when we get them in the 3rd place match we’ll be at home, with Baribo, and I think our odds of CONCACAF qualification are very good.
Additional points on the Mazatlan goal – I thought they took it quickly (but legally) and caught Union flat footed. Danny H also pointed out on the broadcast that Mazatlan executed a perfect pick play to prevent Harriell from getting out to press the player who sent in the cross.
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Best of luck, Brujo. What a way to say goodbye.
+1. Quick takes offer the flat footing. Plus it was a good header goal. Intelligent and well executed by Mazatlan.
Definitely some moments in 2nd half were they turned off and had some poor passes but they did just enough. Thanks mostly to Blake. Thought Curtin’s move to make 3 defensive subs to sure up the defense so they didn’t lose outright and could get to penalties was an astute read of the situation- something we don’t always see from him.
I actually didn’t like that move from Jim at all. He left us with one non-striker playing up top, virtually insuring that we would be unable to score on a counterattack. I wanted him to bring in Adineran earlier rather than Lowe. Glad it worked, obviously, but we were fortunate that Blake did better on PKs than he usually does. That is not his strength.
Good points. I had the same initial reaction but then realized I was just waiting for Mazatlan to score. I think Jim saw it was more likely they would score than us, and coming back from down a goal would have been tough.
If anyone hasn’t seen, next Saturday’s game against Columbus has been pushed back to the following Wednesday (8/28) which means it is not during an international break and both teams will be playing on the same amount of rest (although it will be a short rest for the New Jersey game the following Saturday).