Photo courtesy of @PhilaUnion on X

PRESS RELEASE BY THE PHILADELPHIA UNION, with added notes by PSP’s Ryan Sedwick

CHESTER, Pa. (May 7, 2025) –  The Philadelphia Union returned to Subaru Park to face Indy Eleven on Wednesday night in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, earning their first win in the tournament since 2018. In the sixth minute, midfielder Alejandro Bedoya scored his 30th goal for the club to give the Union a 1-0 lead. In the second half, Elvis Amoh scored the equalizer to send the match to extra time. After extra time, the game was decided by kicks from the penalty spot. Homegrown goalkeeper Andrew Rick made one save in the shootout to secure the Union’s spot in the Round of 16.

First Half

A heavily rotated Union side were dominant in the first half, and got off to a fast start with an early goal from captain Alejandro Bedoya. Making his first start of 2025, Bedoya headed home a beautiful cross from Olivier Mbaizo to put Philadelphia up 1-0 in the 6th minute. The Union controlled the rest of the half, retaining possession and putting in shot after shot, but were unable to find a second. Indy Eleven’s first real chance came just before half-time, when Jack Blake took a shot-cum-cross that rocketed toward the top corner, requiring Rick to make a fingertip save to push the ball off the crossbar.

Second Half

The Indy Eleven came out much stronger in the second half, and were rewarded in the 48th minute, when Maalique Foster ran onto a through-ball and squared it into the box for a cheeky finish from Elvis Amoh.

The goal brought a response from Bradley Carnell, who subbed in many of the Union’s starters as the second-half progressed. Jovan Lukic, Kai Wagner and Tai Baribo came on in the 58th minute for Jesus Bueno, David Vazquez and Bruno Damiani. Indiana Vassilev came on in the 81st minute for a limping Olivier Mbaizo.

These changes slowly tilted the balance of play back in favor of the Union, but neither team was able to find a winner, and the game went on to extra time.

Extra Time

Frankie Westfield came on at the start of extra time for Mikael Uhre. The Union continued to press and create quality chances. In the 102nd minute Cavan Sullivan shook loose on the left edge of the six-yard box, but the young Homegrown blasted his shot high and wide. And in the 118th minute Tai Baribo skied his shot from the edge six-yard box following a Kai Wagner free kick.

Penalties

With neither side able to break the deadlock, the match went on to penalty kicks. Rick made a great save, and his teammates went five-for-five from the spot, securing the victory for the Union.

Ryan Sedwick’s Three Points:

• Finishing Woes: The Union had 33 shots, 11 of which were on target, but scored only once. I don’t need any advanced analytics to tell you those are some bad numbers. Thankfully, this didn’t carry over into the shootout.
• Asleep Out of Halftime: The Union were very clearly lulled into a false sense of security by Indy’s first-half performance, and struggled to get up to speed when Indianapolis came out much stronger in the second half. Nowhere was this more apparent than on Indy’s goal, where a simple ball down the line caught the entire Union backline asleep.
• Quality Off the Bench: The Union brought on a ton of regulars in the second half, and eventually this quality started to overwhelm the Indy Eleven. It came at a price though, as Carnell was likely hoping to get his starters more rest ahead of a tough slate of games the rest of May.

The Union will return to Subaru Park to host Columbus Crew on Saturday, May 10 (7:30 p.m. ET/ Apple TV).

Philadelphia Union 1 (5) – Indy Eleven 1 (4)
Subaru Park (Chester, PA)
Wednesday, May 7, 2025

TODAY’S MATCH INFO
Referee: Matthew Corrigan
Assistant Referees: Justen Lopez, Andrew Charron
Fourth Official: Stephen Foster
Weather: 70 degrees and cloudy.

GOALS/ASSISTS
PHI –  Alejandro Bedoya (Mbaizo) 6’
IND – Elvis Amoh 48’

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY
PHI – David Vazquez (caution) 55’
IND – James Murphy (caution) 69’
PHI– Olwethu Makhanya (caution) 88’
IND – Benjamin Ofeimu (caution) 90+1’
IND – Aedan Stanley (caution) 90+2’

Lineups
Philadelphia Union: Andrew Rick; Olivier Mbaizo (Indiana Vassilev 81’), Olwethu Makhanya, Jakob Glesnes (Nate Harriel 46’), David Vazquez (Kai Wagner 57’ ); Jeremy Rafanello, Jesus Bueno (Jovan Lukic 57’), Cavan Sullivan, Alejandro Bedoya; Bruno Damiani (Tai Baribo 57’), Mikael Uhre (Frankie Westfield 91’).

Substitutes not used: Oliver Semmle.

Indy Eleven: Reice Charles-Cook; James Musa, Benjamin Ofeimu, Hayden White, Aedan Stanley; Aodhan Quinn, James Murphy (Cameron Lindley 91’), Maalique Foster (Elliot Collier 73’); Elvis Amoh (Romario Williams 73’), Jack Blake, Bruno Rendon (Joshua O’Brien 91’).

Substitutes not used: Patrick Hogan, Edward Kizza, Hunter Sulte.

PSP’s Three Points

• Too close for comfort – A short-handed Union side were taken through 120 minutes to PKs by a USL side who sat in a low block for much of the tilt. Truly a game where Jack McGlynn or Daniel Gazdag would have come in handy.
• Cavan’s first start – Cavan Sullivan registered his first start for the franchise, going the full 120 minutes and ultimately fitting in fairly well for a 15 year old. His vision is well beyond his years, and his confidence to simply try things led to some good opportunities for the Union.
• Round of 16 – The Union advance to the USOC Round of 16 for the first time since 2018. The team are set to face the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in a Pennsylvania Derby.