Photo Credit: Ruairi Rossi
Despite a well-earned goal by Quinn Sullivan, the Union fell 2-1 to Orlando City in the first of two road games leading up to Decision Day.
Head Coach Jim Curtin made three changes to the starting lineup he’d used for the previous two matches. Olivier Mbaizo joined the backline in lieu of Nate Harriel while the midfield saw Danley Jean Jacques and Alejandro Bedoya starting over Leon Flach and Quinn Sullivan.
In what was a slow starting first half, the Union struggled to find their footing as Orlando City dominated possession for the first 20 minutes of the match. Despite seven shots on goal, the Lions were kept scoreless, thanks in part to defensive play by Jakob Glesnes. The Boys in Blue wouldn’t have their own chance at a goal until the 21′, and much like the following 6 attempts, none hit the mark.
A scoreless first half inspired Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja to make his own subsitution: Iván Angulo for forward Luis Muriel. Muriel’s impact was near immediate, as he connected with Facundo Torres in the 57′. With the goal, Torres claimed Orlando’s all-time scoring record.
Not even 10 minutes later, Muriel assisted on another goal, finding Duncan McGuire, who had come off the bench himself just minutes prior.
Orlando’s lead would be cut in half with 20 minutes left in the match, as this time a Union substitute found the back of the net. Off a throw in, Daniel Gazdag perfectly placed the ball for Quinn Sullivan to kiss it off the crossbar and over the goal line.
Despite multiple shot attempts in the final minutes–including three seperate aeriel attempts by Nathan Harriel, the Union found themselves coming up short, and ultimately, sliding out of playoff standings (for now).
Philadelphia continue their end-of-season road trip on Saturday night as they battle defending MLS Cup Champions Columbus Crew. Kick off from Ohio is set for 7:30PM ET on MLS Season Pass.
Three points
- Lineup changes: I’ll be the first to admit to being surprised by the changes in the Starting XI, as Sullivan especially has been such a big part of the energy our team has had as of late. Somehow, even with “fresh” players…the team looked gassed?
- Andre Blake: While Glesnes has been taking the goal kicks for the last 2 matches, some might have seen Andre limping after his last save as the final whistle blew. It’ll be important to keep an eye on the situation, given Philly’s quick turnaround before their next match.
- Goal Differential: Right about now, it’s the only thing we’ve got going for us. Given the buffer we have, what’s stopping Jim from aggressively pressing in these last two games and doing everything posisble to get a win (or two)?
Lineups
Philadelphia: Andre Blake, Kai Wagner, Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes, Olivier Mbaizo (Nathan Harriel–63′), Danley Jean Jacques, Jack McGlynn (Jesus Bueno –89′), Alejandro Bedoya (Quinn Sullivan–63′), Daniel Gazdag, Mikael Uhre, Tai Baribo (Samuel Adeniran–73′)
Unused subs: Andrew Rick, Leon Flach, Jeremy Rafanello, Cavan Sullivan, Chris Donovan
Orlando City: Pedro Gallese, Kyle Smith (Mikey Halliday — 80′), Rodrigo Schlegel, Robin Jansson, Rafael Santos, Ivan Angulo (Luis Muriel–46′), Cesar Araujo, Wilder Cartagena, Facundo Torres (Nico Lodeiro — 77′), Martin Ojeda (Duncan McGuire –61′), Ramiro Enrique (Luca Petrasso –77′)
Unused subs: Javier Otero, Heine Gikling Bruseth, Felipe, Luis Muriel, Yutaro Tsukada
Scoring summary
ORL – Facundo Torres — 57′
ORL – Duncan McGuire — 64′
PHI – Quinn Sullivan — 72′
Misconduct summary
ORL – Rodrigo Schlegel — 19′
PHI – Daniel Gazdag — 68′
ORL – Facundo Torres — 69′
PHI – Kai Wagner — 74′
PHI – Mikael Uhre — 90’+1′
ORL – César Araújo — 90’+2′
ORL – Duncan McGuire — 90’+5′
Of course they did.
THREE THINGS TONIGHT PLEASE.
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1. I’d like to say… WOW. Muriel was unbelievable. He’s exactly the kind of 1st tiered player Union should be targeting… not Redondo, not Messi, not Giroud, not Bale or Busquets… those guys are Tiffany players that do not fit the business plan. Fine.
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Muriel? EXACTLY the type of player they need to prioritize —> 2.8 million over 3 years 4.4 million cap hit. This is the cost of even doing business in this MLS with hopes of being relevant against the top echelon.
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2. So goddamn tired of Union right backs and the posters here who undersold Ray Gaddis’ value in favor of a player like Mbazio. And what of Jack McGlynn’s continued IGNORANCE defensively. Tracking runners is elementary soccer. Table stakes. Europe? No fucking way.
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3. And most important tonight…someone help me understand how Bedoya starts this game. Quinn Sullivan has been the most dangerous / best player on the field for Union. These are absolute must win games. Jesus Jim. Maybe I missed it and Quinn is not 100%. But it ridiculous he didn’t start.
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It’s Oct. we’re still watching? Maybe this weekend we’ll see Rick again.