Photo courtesy Philadelphia Union II Communications and Columbus Crew 2

In 88 degree air temperatures Saturday afternoon at Columbus Crew 2’s Lower.com field at the Ohio State Fairgrounds in the Buckeye State’s capital city, Philadelphia II take him three points. Philadelphia Union II remained undefeated in road games this season defeating Crew 2 3-1.

Columbus’s left back Owen Presthus scored first on a counterattack in the 22nd minute from  a feed by Anthony Alaouieh. In the 30th Leandro Soria collected a rebound from the left post that came back into the right channel and tied the game. Next, on the third shot in the sequence of a sustained attack in the 47th, Gio Sequera headed home over Columbus’s goalkeeper, Luke Pruter, for the go-ahead match-winner.

In the 72nd Eddy Davis III slammed home the match relaxer off a brush touch by Pruter that was not strong enough to keep it out.

For the third consecutive match, Ryan Richter’s side played with only three field players and a goalkeeper on its bench. For the third consecutive match they won.

In advance

MLS mandated that the first team take five days off after the Charlotte match on June 14^th, and at an observed Union II practice three days later not all the usual first-teamers who play games down with Union II were present. Cavan Sullivan, as well as four other regulars, remained in middle Tennessee at the MLS NEXT Cup’s Showcase.

Columbus was missing players to MLS NEXT Cup, striker Chase Adams among them. While Union II played only its 11^th game of 28 on the summer solstice. Seventeen matches remain.

Coach Richter has said that YSC Academy graduation has already – or will soon have -removed three players from the academy amateur portion of his squad. They are defensive midfielder Zach Mastrodimos who had not been playing because of injury, front line reserve defensive midfielder Henry Bernstein, and starting right back Gavin Wetzel. Bernstein came back from Tennessee early to reinforce a wafer thin bench.

Once MLS NEXT Cup is over and the Academy U18s and U16s have had a couple of weeks off, the process of replacing the recent graduates will move into high gear.

First half

Union II dominated possession in the first half, and for the first 18 minutes Columbus lay deep absorbing pressure.

In the 19th minute Crew 2 achieved possession in their attacking third for only the second time,  But three minutes later they did it again and scored.

After that, Columbus enjoyed a series of threatening counterattacks. Two subsequent goals were disallowed for offside in the 24th and 35th minutes respectively.

For most of the half Union II attacked through its left channel with Isaiah LeFlore and CJ Olney combining with defensive midfielders Gio Sequera or David Vazquez. Only after half an hour did Philly start to try to advance through quick passes on the right.

Nick Pariano started at right back replacing the graduated Wetzel. And in the 30th minute he advanced, collected a ball in the offensive third on the right, and delivered it to Sal Olivas, who hit the post. The rebound came to wide open  Soria closing from the right, and he did not miss – tying the score with an unstoppable, wide-open blast.

After the goal, the referee called the hydration break mandated by conditions.

The final 15 minutes was highlighted by an excellent save from Union II goalkeeper Pierce Holbrook (see photo) in the 43rd minute maintaining the draw until halftime.

Second half

Neither coach Richter, nor Crew 2 interim head coach Josh Williams, made any substitutions at half time. Williams, standing in for the suspended Columbus legend Frederico Higuain, deserves full credit for getting his troops to be more offensively creative and aggressive in the match’s second stanza.

A side even younger than Philadelphia’s began to take it to their visitors in the middle of the half once they were down a goal. New Philly keeper Holbrook followed his excellent first half save with at least two more of equal quality. And then “big Stas” found “pacey Eddy” and the heart began to drain from the hosts.

Richter has been training Gio Sequera as a defensive mid, a position the Venezuela loanee played for the first hour. He played with aggressive offensive interventions galore, forcing his partner David Vazquez to play more of a reading fireman’s role. The combination was effective for this match.  But to this observer the defense is stronger with Vazquez next to Pariano in the double pivot, although who the right back would be is unclear.

The second defensive move Richter made was to bring Oscar Benitez on at center back for Rafael Uzcategui. Neil Pierre is clearly more comfortable at right center back than left. So Benitez ended up as a straight swap with Uzcategui. His athleticism and pace were real assets in the helter-skelter of the end of the match. He had the pace to run down Colmbus’s attackers from behind when necessary.

The third sub, Korzeniowski, did typical Korzeniowski things. He stands 6’4 and weighs just shy of 200 pounds, so he presents a physical challenge to anyone trying to mark him. And his quickness and agility are improving, a credit to Individual Development Plan Director Anthony Flores of the technical staff. The pass that found Davis for the breathing room goal was perfectly angled and weighted. The big man has become an impact player off the bench as he works his way back from some variety of upper leg soft tissue injury.

Hopefully the bench will not be so lean for the next match since it comes in only five days. That is  less recovery time than the Boys in the Lightning Kits have had after their previous two short-bench wins.

 Cavan Sullivan

The younger Sullivan did not travel to Columbus. Earlier in the week, Coach Richter  gently deflected the idea that he might no longer remain involved with the second team. We have no way whatsoever to know whether Manchester City’s presence on this side of the pond for the Club World Cup has anything  to do with the absence.

 Next match

Union II next play on the afore-mentioned fifth day, hosting New England Revolution II at Subaru Park Thursday, June 26^th at 7:00 PM in the first of four consecutive home games in 17 days.

Three points

1. Pierce Holbrook would have been PSP’s choice for co-Man of the Match alongside Sequera. He denied Columbus at least three times when goals would have radically altered the match’s psychology.
2. While Bradley Carnell’s principles of play are perhaps not as extreme as the  offensive a l’outrance of the French army at the beginning of World War One, they are in the same neighborhood. Columbus exposed those principles’ vulnerability to determined, fast counterattacks.
3. It will be interesting at the end of the season to see whether Ernst Tanner tries to buy Gio Sequera from LigaFUTVE’s Metrapolitanos. He has the aggressive mentality, the pace, and the ground coverage Tanner likes. And he is only 19. He does need to become a more consistently sure, reliable tackler and ball winner. But Richter is overtly figuring out ways to get him onto the game pitch.

Lineups

 Union II (4-2-2-2, L-R) Head coach Ryan Richter. 1^st – 7+0; U II – 4+3; A – 1.

Starters: Pierce Holbrook^{U II}; Isaiah LeFlore^1st, Rafael Uzcategui^{U II}, Neil Pierre^1st, Nick Pariano^1st; David Vazquez^1st, Gio Sequera^{U II}; CJ Olney^1st, Leo Soria^{U II}; Eddy Davis^1st, Sal Olivas^1st. Starters’ Av Age = 20.0

Unused substitutes: Mike Sheridan^{U II}; Oscar Benitez^{U II}, Henry Bernstein^A, Stas Korzeniowski^{U II}. Away at  MLS NEXT Cup : Jordan Griffin^A (LB), Kellan LeBlanc^{U II} (AM), Jamir Johnson^A (AM), Malik Jakupovic^{U II} (S).

Crew 2 (3-5-2) Interim head coach Josh Williams (Frederico “Pipa” Higuain was suspended for a disciplinary card).

Starters: Luke Pruter; Owen Presthus (Cooper Flanary 90+1′), Chris Rogers, Dylan Randazzo, Gianmarco DiNoto(Artem Grinblat 90+1), Quin Elliott (Alex Gimple 73′); Anthony Alaouieh (Malcolm Palacios 83′), Ibrahima Sy, Nico Rincon, Brent Adu-Gyamfi (Gio De Libera 73′); Cristian Ortiz.

Unused substitutes: Deven Patel; Isaac Tortola, Juan Granda.

 Goals

Crew 2           22nd minute           Owen Presthus (Anthony Alaoueih)

Union II        30th minute            Leandro Soria

Union II        47th minute            Gio Sequera

Union II        72nd minute            Eddy Davis (Stas Korzeniowski)

Yellow Cards

Crew 2           13th minute             Dylan Randazzo (foul)

Union II        52nd minute           Rafael Uzcategui (tactical foul)

Union II        90+5 minute           Pierce Holbrook (time wasting)

Stats

Whistle & Flags

Ref: Melvin Rivas; AR1: Donald Williams; AR2: Audra Fullen; 4th: Trevor Hadick.