Photo @PhilaUnionII courtesy Philadelphia Union II communications

For the first half Marlon LeBlanc’s high school adolescents dreamed the dream that Philadelphia Union II might bring a trophy home from Texas as they led at the break 2-0. But in the second half Michel Garbini’s college men asserted themselves, scored three times and turned the Union II’s dream into a nightmare.

Since back in 2016 then Editor-at-Large Dan Walsh forbade anyone ever again to write that any match had been a tale of two halves, we cannot say that even though it clearly was.

Markus Anderson scored for Philadelphia in the ninth minute on a spilled blast by MLS Next Pro Goalkeeper of the Year Daniel Collodi. And less than nine minutes later in the 18th  Eddy Davis doubled the score on a strike that Collodi could do nothing about.

But in the 51st North Texas striker from Oregon State and the third pick in last year’s Superdraft Logan Farrington struck a free kick brilliantly past Philadelphia goalkeeper Andrew Rick. And 14 minutes later in the 67th right midfielder Herbert Endeley crossed through the box to the far post where left winger Enes Sali had lost his marker for an equalizer against which Rick had no chance.

Finally, after Union II went down a man with 15 minutes to go for a clear last man back denial of a goal scoring opportunity (DOGSO), Pedrinho closed on the left post to score a similar cross from Tomas Pondeca for the win.

News in advance

Neither of the  first-team parent clubs remains alive in Major League Soccer’s playoffs, but their two second teams were restricted to the 26 players they had already chosen for their playoffs’ rosters. We do not know who those 26 players were for either side.

An earlier, problematic, Saturday weather forecast had resolved. The storm system passed through Friday and Friday night. Game day was sunny with no mention of local cyclonic phenomena. Tap-off was under the lights and 64 degrees.

North Texas won the USL League One championship in 2019, the first year of its and that league’s existence. Current North Texas interim head coach Michel Garbini played in that match for North Texas.

Neither Union II nor its predecessor Bethlehem Steel FC had ever played a home playoff game before 2024, let alone won three of them to play away for a league championship.

The two teams had never played each other in an official match in any year. Unofficially, they had never met in a preseason friendly either.

The most important difference between the sides was their respective age philosophies. A distinctly younger team, Philly, was challenging an older one, North Texas. Eight of the 11 North Texas starters could have celebrated the win by walking into a bar and ordering beverage alcohol legally. Only one Union II starter could have done the same.

While our data concerning FC Dallas, North Texas SC, and Dallas’s Academy are less certain than our Union II information, we think we know that North Texas had no academy amateurs on its game day roster while Philadelphia had four. North Texas had four first team Homegrowns while Union II had five.

First half

In a single phrase the story of the first half was Philadelphia Union II’s counter-pressure and high pressure dominated. North Texas had never experienced it, took 20 minutes to catch their breath, and roughly 20 more to begin to adjust to it.

Union II won a corner kick 53 seconds after tap. They scored their first goal in the ninth minute with right back Gavin Wetzel all the way forward to the penalty box to intercept a poor clearance and deliver the assist. They scored their second in the 18th when Cavan Sullivan was as far forward as the North Texas center back and delivered the assist for a shot from moderate distance to the opposite post on which the North Texas keeper had no chance.

North Texas’s first shot on target happened after 40 minutes and was a header right at Union II keeper Andrew Rick.

Without any statistics to support the assertion, our eyeballs and the seat of our pants say that Philly won every second ball and every 50:50 ball.

The Texans had three first half shots with only one on target. The Pennsylvanians had eight and four.

Second half

Coach LeBlanc substituted striker Sal Olivas for goal scorer Anderson at halftime.

North Texas interim coach Michel Garbini shifted his shape from the initial 3-4-3 to a 4-2-3-1 with Farrington pushed forward as a lone striker to reduce the ability of Union II center backs Neil Pierre and Olwethu Makhanya to intervene against north Texas’s attempts to control possession and penetrate Philadelphia’s defensive third.

The Texans took control of the tempo and played with much greater poise and urgency. And as has happened before this year, Union II played with not quite the same level of intensity they had had in the first half.

The substitution move LeBlanc made in the 79th minute may have told a story. At that point 30 minutes of extra time looked like Union II’s future, and coach did something we do not remember him having done all season. He sat both CJ Olney and David Vazquez at the same time leaving only Nick Pariano from his original midfield four. it has been a long season and the midfield stalwarts may well have been quite tired.

For that last ten plus stoppage LeBlanc was in a 4-1-2-2 being a man down. It was an ingenious improvisation. Wetzel, Pierre, Carlos Rojas, and Westfield were the back four. Jamir Berdecio had come on for Sullivan and was a single six. And Pariano and Sequera were the twin midfielders with Riasco and Olivas the strikers.

Unfortunately Pedrinho and Pondeca imitated Sali and Endeley from earlier and the match was over.

Cavan Sullivan

The Philly Phenom spent less time creating overloads on the flank and more time trying for combinations in the middle, we suspect because Texas had practiced how to force Union II into that pattern. He took something of a pounding in the first half while the referee was taking a more laissez faire attitude toward policing bad fouls than he did during Texas’s half of dominance. Sullivan did get one excellent shot on goal from distance that forced a good save from Collodi.

Sullivan was good. He belonged. He was not spectacular. He is not yet ready to save the first team next year. Jim Curtin’s successor must cultivate his growth effectively.

Next match

Union II’s 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season is over, as is North Texas’s.

Whether there will be any Union II post-season friendlies as in previous years is a question we did not ask to avoid creating a commentator’s jinx. The news conference next Monday in Chester with the Sporting Director and the Principal Owner may further inform questions of postseason activity.

Three points

1. Olwethu Makhanya allowed Farrington to get goal side of him in the 75th leading to the DOGSO red card. It was Union II’s first red card of 2024. It is ironic that two days after Jim Curtin was fired his play confirmed Curtin’s complaint that he tends to make game changing mistakes.
2. We will never know exactly what interim Texas coach Michel said to his side at halftime about being college men shown up by high-schoolers. Judging by his first half body language and facial expression, we suspect he may have mentioned the point.
3. Cavan Sullivan, Jordan Griffin who did not dress, Jamir Johnson who dressed but did not play, Andrew Rick, Neil Pierre, CJ Olney, and David Vazquez all were called up to either the USYNT U17s camp or the U19s camp in West Palm Beach and probably travelled directly thence from Dallas. Only one North Texas player from the match joined them, Diego Garcia.

BOXSCORE

Lineups

Union II (4-1-2-1-2, L-R) 1^st – 8; 2^nd – 8; A – 4. (Superscripts indicate which of the three roster sources applies.)

Starters: Andrew Rick¹; Frank Westfield², Olwethu Makhanya¹, Neil Pierre², Gavin Wetzel^A; Nick Pariano¹; CJ Olney¹ (Carlos Rojas² 79′) , David Vazquez¹; (Jose Riasco² 79′)) Cavan Sullivan¹ (Jamir Berdecio¹ 64′); Eddy Davis^A (Giovanny Sequera² 67′), Markus Anderson¹ (Sal Olivas² HT) Starters’ Ave Age = 18.7

Unused substitutes: Mike Sheridan²; Kyle Tucker², Kellan LeBlanc^A, Jamir Johnson^A.

North Texas (3-4-3), 1^st – 9; 2^nd – 11; A – 0. (Superscripts indicate which of the three roster sources applies.)

Starters: Daniel Collodi²;  Mats Westergren², Carl Sainte¹ (Anthony Ramirez² 61′), Nico Gordon²; Tyshawn Rose²(Abdoul Zanne² 61′) Diego Garcia² (Tomas Pondeca¹ 67′), Nolan Norris¹, Herbert Endeley¹; Enes Sali¹ (Malik Henry-Scott¹ 90+2′), Logan Farrington¹ (Turner Humphrey²,90+2′), Pedrinho². Starters’ Ave Age = 21.0

Unused substitutes: Antonio Carrera¹; Tarik Scott¹, Nicholas Mendonca², Daniel Baran².

Goals

Union II            9th minute           Markus Anderson (Gavin Wetzel)

Union II          18th minute           Eddy Davis III (Cavan Sullivan)

N. Texas          51st minute           Logan Farrington (free kick)

N. Texas          67th minute          Enes Sali (Herbert Endeley)

N. Texas          90+1st minute      Pedrinho (Tomas Pondeca)

Yellow Cards

Union II        47th minute         Frank Westfield (foul)

N. Texas        51st minute          Pedrinho (retaliation)

N. Texas        57th minute         Herbert Endeley (foul)

N. Texas        59th minute         Enes Sali (foul)

Red Card

Union II        75th minute        Olwethu Makhanya (DOGSO)

 Stats

Whistle & Flags

Ref: Joshua Encarnacion, AR¹: Art Arustamyan, AR²: Jeremy Smith, 4^TH: Jeremy Scheer, RAR: Max Smith. (Writer’s note: We believe RAR = replacement assistant referee.)