Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Union
The second week of the MLS season saw the Philadelphia Union return home to Subaru Park to kick off their home opener on a windy March evening. The Boys in Blue continued their winning ways with a decisive win over a Cincinnati team featuring its “A-Team”, despite the match being sandwiched between two Champions Cup games.
The Union took another three points and looked very good in doing so. The strikers have now scored an impressive seven goals in two games, with Tai Baribo adding a hat trick to his season-opening brace.
Here are the ratings.
Player Ratings
GK Andre Blake – 6
Another solid effort from Blake, who had a quieter game than the season opener. Statistically, he was less accurate with his long clearances than in the season opener (but fewer went out of bounds), while his passing was much improved over last week. Challenged fewer times than against Orlando, he made two saves while conceding a goal. The goal by Evander was beautiful, and Blake was screened – making him unable to see the shot until it was too late. In hindsight, last week’s rating of 6 was too low, as two saves and one goal is a decent game and warrants a 6 this week.
LB Kai Wagner – 8
Once again Wagner was terrific, marauding the left side and tallying another assist just six minutes into the match. While his crosses and long passes were less accurate than we’ve come to expect, once again his only touch inside Cincinnati’s 18-yard box led to a Baribo goal. Teams that let him get open with the ball inside the box do so at their own peril. Defensively, he won every tackle and 75% of his duels. Another great game from an important part of the Union’s defense and even more so the offense.
CB Jakob Glesnes – 7
Despite facing Cincinnati’s Evander and Kevin Denkey (who arrived for transfer fees totaling $28 million – totaling more than the entire Union team!), Glesnes was comfortable and confident anchoring the back line. Whether intentional or not on the part of head coach Bradley Carnell, the Norwegian is not carrying the ball as far up the field, making recovering on defense easier. With two exceptions (the Evander goal and the scrum after Blake dropped a save), the entire back line looked good, and Glesnes’s calmness and leadership probably was a major factor. He also led the team with ten total clearances.
CB Olwethu Makhanya – 7
It may only be two matches into the season, but Makhanya might be giving Ian Glavinovich a run for the second starting center back position. Again showing poise beyond his twenty-years of age, Makhanya put in another very good defensive appearance, making a very respectable seven clearances on the night and passing the ball out of the back accurately on the whole.
RB Frankie Westfield – 7
Another newcomer making a potential statement with respect to a starting position, Westfield turned in another good shift at right back. Starting for the second week in a row, he kept a healthy (or at least healthier) Nate Harriel from making the game-day squad. A quieter match offensively than his debut, but still effective nonetheless.
DM Danley Jean-Jacques – 7
A very solid game from midfielder who looked even more comfortable in the second match of the season. Danley was dangerous with the ball at his feet, more than once dribbling out of danger and also passing very accurately on the night. Dispossessed only once during the match, he also made an impressive five interceptions and nine recoveries.
DM Jovan Lukić – 7
Lukić appeared to this writer much more comfortable in the right pivot than he did in his debut. He, too, passed accurately out of danger and in close quarters, while contributing nearly as many interceptions as Danley (three), to go along with nine recoveries. Lukić’s command on the ball allowed Glesnes and Makhanya to maintain their positions throughout the match. All in all, a very good game.
AM Quinn Sullivan – 8
Once again starting in the left attacking midfield role (but switching to the right at times), Sullivan had another assist to open the season as he crossed (from the right) in injury time to a charging Bruno Damiani who scored the fourth Union goal on the night. Again, it is only two matches into the season, but Sullivan appears to have locked down one of the two attacking midfield roles (a position at which he seems to excel even more so than as a striker).
AM Dániel Gazdag – 8
The Union’s all-time leading scorer did not add to his tally, but instead notched two assists – both to Baribo on counter-attacks. One, being in the right place at the right time and being aware he was played onside (something Referee Allen Chapman seemed to miss before a VAR correction). The second, a nice recovery from a Baribo pass which he coolly slotted through two defenders and goalkeeper Roman Celentano to return the ball to Baribo, who slammed it into the roof of the net.
FWD Mikael Uhre – 6
Overshadowed by his striking partner, Uhre hardly had a poor game. He didn’t score on the night, though he only took one shot. He was more effective and accurate passing on the night, and importantly drew coverage away from Baribo (who was never guarded by more than one defender).
FWD Tai Baribo – 9
After a brace to open the season, Baribo scored a hat trick in the second match. Two goals on two shots in the opener. Three goals on four shots in this game. Enough said. All three goals came on the counter attack, which have the Union looking lethal in the first two matches – Baribo one of biggest the reasons.
Substitutes:
(69’) Bruno Damiani – 7
Brought on for Uhre, Damiani made an immediate statement with shot right after entering the pitch. He opened his scoring for the season with a nice finish on the end of a Quinn Sullivan cross. Owner of the highest transfer fee ever paid by the Union, he looks like he will challenge (and overtake) Uhre for the second starting striker position.
(82′) Cavan Sullivan – 6
The younger Sullivan gets his first minutes of the year, showing hustle and some nice dribbling skills.
(82’) Indiana Vassilev- n/a
(89’) Jesus Bueno – n/a
Geiger Counter
Allen Chapman – 5
Despite the home crowd feeling like Chapman was favoring the visitors with respect to fouls, he called a relatively even match. It is a legitimate question, however, if he did not see the back pass playing Gazdag onside or if he does not understand the rule? (His explanation was that Baribo was in an onside position; nothing about Gazdag.) For what it’s worth, Apple’s crew didn’t seem to understand the rule at first either.
Player of the Match – Tai Baribo
How can it not be after a hat trick?
What’s Next…
The Union head north to New England to face the Revolution at Gillette Stadium. 7:30 pm on Apple TV.
Damiani for Uhre next match and we’ll win by an even larger margin. But I must say that Uhre at least looks better than last year.
Dunno yet – Uhre actually looked more on the same page w/ Baribo I thought, which makes sense (and helps Baribo). Thought more players were running into the same spaces + each other after the subs. Curious to see how it develops
isn’t it great to have the problem of too many decent strikers? ask me how often I thought that over the past decade.
Brilliant!
Olwethu Makhanya and Frankie Westfield can only play 6 MLS games this year, unless they change their roster designation. This means someone might need to move or they are going to see mostly U2 time this year.
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Olivier Mbaizo might be on the move if Westfield seems ready. He’s got a green card and makes to much to be a third string backup. He’s signed through 2026, with options in 27-28, which makes him a good option for a team to trade or buy. Harriel gives you cover at multiple positions, so you would think he’s not going anywhere.
Think they have enough room to change it right now for the guys who earn it… that said, no reason to keep so many RBs when that cap space could go elsewhere
Westfield’s ‘normal’ position is left back, at least that’s where he was on last year’s depth chart. Harriel and Mbaizo are the only 2 right backs. Though clearly Westfield can play there.
Makhanya is on the senior roster as an U22 player. Westfield though is on the off roster budget Homegrown Player slot.
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Westfield can also play leftback, where he provides cover for Wagner.
I’m not sure how Denkey didn’t take advantage of it but I’d dock Blake down to 5 for his fumble that almost made it 3-2
the only blemish I saw and competently reflected in the 6 on an otherwise decent outing.
Uhre is doing what he was brought for. Pressure and draw defenders away. Every time defense leaves him be, he makes them pay with a goal. He makes it possible for Baribo to get goals.
With that in mind it’s why Baribo just was announced as player of the matchday for matchday two.
I like what I see from Uhre, and I would not be quick to disrupt the starting front three chemistry right now… unless form slumps or there is a midweek game ripe for rotation.
I’ll go the other way — we should be rotating all three guys something like 80-60-30 so that we don’t get crushed when someone wears out. So start Bruno the next two games if he is ready, giving each of Uhre and Baribo a 30 minute run for one of them. And, yeah, that means Uhre gets the bench for this game because Baribo is so hot.
Don’t forget, Baribo and Gazdag will likely be missing from the St. Louis game in 2.5 weeks due to international duty.
I’m in step with your decision on the ratings. Blake made his mistake after standing around in 35 deg. 20 mph winds. I wonder if he was just cold. He is… although it’s hard to say… only human, and had next to nothing to do all night. I would like to give my wife a 9.5. She was cold and shivering from around 55 mins on. I offered to take her home, but her reply was “ It ain’t over yet!” And I’m glad we got to stay for the 4th goal!!
Ok she deserves a 10!
Maybe the Apple crew didn’t understand the offsides rule for that goal, but the radio guys were right on it. Seba was fuming about that offsides call.
I think the lineman was screened as to who hit the pass, so he raised the flag after the goal went in the net. The system worked the way it was supposed to.
This is such a basic rule that Chapman definitely knew it (and I’m not a lover of the PRO refs). But if he wasn’t sure who hit it, and the lineman suspected it was off of us, then, fine.
Still doesn’t explain why Chapman’s explanation was that Baribo was onside. It was Gazdag who was played onside. Sure, Chapman *probably* knew the rule, but his explanation does not inspire confidence. And if it is such a basic rule then the Apple crew should know it. They clearly didn’t. Someone made them aware of it in their earpieces…
I took a look at the highlights on YouTube to check the positioning of the officials. Allen Chapman had a perfect view of the back pass. Look at his positioning at 1:13 of the highlights–he is looking right at the play and no one is screening him. From the highlights, we cannot see the linesman’s view. The goal went in an 29:47. The players were retreating backwards when Chapman went to the monitor at 31:12. If Chapman knew the rule, then he should have consulted with the linesman to ask why he called the play offside. I was there–no such consultation took place. Admittedly, I was yelling loudly that the refs should “read the damn rulebook,” but it is very clear to me from all of the evidence that Chapman saw the play and but for the VAR official, would have blown the call.