Photo Kevin Barrett

Dislaying a coaching master class of how to contest a superior opponent with discipline, teamwork, and attitude, Toronto FC II head coach Gianni Cimini’s  once again youthful side tied Philadelphia Union II in regulation 2-2 Wednesday night and won the extra point in the subsequent penalty kick shootout to ease the memory of the 5-0 shellacking those same youngsters had suffered at Subaru Park five and a half weeks before.

In advance

Union II played four days after the first team’s previous game and three days before their next one. Given Andre Blake’s upper leg injury, Pierce Holbrook will have to back up Andrew Rick at the weekend now that Oliver Semmle is loaned away. The other usual Union II players were available, including to our surprise Cavan Sullivan who started and played 80 minutes.

Toronto II had a schedule similar to Philadelphia’s vis a vis its own first team but coach Cimini was successfully teaching his kids an important lesson that took priority over giving first teamers minutes.

Before tap Union II sat third in the table on 42 points while Toronto II sat seventh on 31. Philadelphia was trying to end a two-game losing streak in which they had been shut out twice. Right back Gio Sequera was suspended for yellow card accumulation, but Jordan Griffin’s recent run of excellent form allowed coach Richter to start a strong defensive line without drawing Nick Pariano away from defensive mid. Isaiah LeFlore has before played effectively on the right in Sequera’s place..

The previous match between the two sides was a deceptive five-goal clean sheet win for Union II. The deception was that it was a close match until Toronto’s excellent starting goalkeeper, Adisa De Rosario, was injured in a collision with his own player early in the second half and forced to leave the match. His departure knocked the stuffing out of his team, as they gave up four subsequent goals. Prior to the De Rosario injury the field had tilted in Philadelphia’s favor, but the match had remained a contest.

The Kaiden Moore acquisition

This past Monday, August 18^th Moore, a six-foot 165-pound center back from Warner Robins, Georgia (near Macon), was announced as being on loan to Philadelphia Union II for the rest of the 2025 season. We have discovered that he had been on loan from Atlanta’s first team to its second, and that he was scheduled to become a Homegrown player with the Five Stripes this coming January. Neither club’s announcement mentioned the words “purchase option,” so we only spectulate that permanent acquisition by Philly might be a possibility.

In addition to his 2023 success with the champion Atlanta United Academy U16 side, this past June Moore played for former Union II head coach Marlon LeBlanc at the four-match UEFA Friendship Cup in Switzerland. Moore started the first three games for LeBlanc against France, Argentina, and Australia. He dressed as a substitute for the final match against Portugal whose penalty kick shootout won the US the trophy.

Should Moore be permanently acquired, added center back depth at the professional level would create greater roster flexibility for both the Philadelphia first and second teams while the 2026 roster and schedule begin to take shape. At the very least he fills the slot unexpectedly vacated last June 2^nd by Ramzi Qawasmy’s surprise departure.

First half

Toronto took an excellent goal in the third minute. It resulted from a Philadelphia failure to recover sufficiently on the off-ball flank to pick up a wide open run into the box. The shot was uncontested, and goalkeeper Holbrook did well to even touch it.

Then coach Cimini’s plan began to unfold. Toronto immediately dropped into a defensive low block  conceding possession of the middle third to Union II for most of the game.  Philadelphia had several good chances to score in the first half, including a cross bar in the 26th and a far post in the 32nd.

Toronto had one other spectacular attempt. In the 33rd minute Toronto’s only  corner kick of the match produced a sizzling shot that had beaten keeper Holbrook but was saved off the line by the well-placed captain Pariano.

Kellan LeBlanc had tied things in the 14th on a feed from Sal Olivas to Eddy Davis to the young scorer. And Jordan Griffin scored his first professional goal in the 45th, Olivas to Sullivan to the young left back to take the lead.

Second half

But in the 51st Toronto striker Michael Sullivan took a feed from opening goal scorer Antone Bossenberry out of Timothy Fortier that bounced off the far post and in, and the match was tied.

Philly’s virtually instant response broke LeBlanc in on keeper De Rosario who turned away what could easily have been a third Philly goal. And Toronto began to believe. Their kids defended with fiercest abandon, and as the teenagers tired, coach Cimini judiciously brought on his older players.

Toronto’s belief produced some chances of their own. In the 58th they hit a post. Union II’s restraining line was often beyond the midfield stripe, evoking “hell for leather” charges that tried to take advantage. Bradley Carnell’s high risk system demands excellent center backs. time and again Neil Pierre and Rafael Uzcategui rose to the challenge.

Union II head man Ryan Richter made all five changes among the attacking six, but no one managed to sneak a ball onto the twine.

Since July 26th’s shut out of New York City FC II, Philly’s defense has conceded 3, 0, 2, 2, and 2 goals. The old midfield’s control in front of the back line is no longer as effective, inevitably so. Olney and Vazquez had been playing together for a year and a half prior to the younger Sullivan arriving in the second half of last season and Nick Pariano’s take over at defensive midfield. Their replacements are MLS NEXT Pro rookies at those positions.

And Philly has never been much good at breaking down a thorough-going low block. They train themselves to exploit chaos, not to lay subtle, systematic, well-rehearsed sieges to bunkers or blow up parked buses.

The mandated penalty shootout went to nine rounds as delineated below. And unfortunately captain Pariano missed the target with Union II’s ninth take.

Cavan Sullivan

Sullivan the Younger did his best to create breakdowns among coach Cimini’s defending ranks. We assume he played because he had not gotten minutes in previous first-team games in quantities greater than cameos.

We continue to assume he has stepped up to the ranks of first team primary reserves, that his time as a consistent mainstay of Union II has ended. He would be blocking LeBlanc and 16-year-old attacking mid Willyam Ferreira who both of whom need their chances with Union II to grow into Sullivan’s replacement pending the day when Manchester City claims Sullivan as its own.

Next match

Union II will next play on the fourth day at home at Subaru Park on Sunday, August 24^th at 3:00 PM against New England Revolution II.

Three points

1. Toronto II goalkeeper Adisa De Rosario is the son of former MLS and Canadian national team professional DeWayne De Rosario.
2. New Philadelphia acquisition Kaiden Moore dressed for the match.
3. Amateur Union II left back Jordan Griffin looks like he has become an effective MLS NEXT Pro  player. We can only hope that the Philadelphia organization will manage to sign him. since fellow left-footer Kai Wagner is not getting any younger.

 B O X S C O R E        

Lineups

Union II (4-2-2-2, L-R). Head coach Ryan Richter. 1^st – 6+1; UII –4+6; AA – 1+1.

Starters: Pierce Holbrook^UII (22.4); Jordan Griffin^AA (16.8), Rafael Uzcategui^UII (20.9), Neil Pierre^1st (17.8), Isaiah LeFlore^1st (22.7); Noah Probst^UII (21.0) (Leandro Soria^UII (20.8) 71′), Nick Pariano^1st (22.4); Cavan Sullivan^1st (15.9) (Willyam Ferreira^UII (16.5) 81′), Kellen LeBlanc^UII (17.4) (Stas Korzeniowski^UII (22.6) 71′); Sal Olivas^1st (19.1) (Markus Anderson ^1st (21.7) 61′), Eddy Davis^1st (19.2) (Malik Jakupovic^UII (16.2) 81′) . Starters’ Ave Age = 19.6.

Unused substitutes: (Alex Smith^AA (17.0); Oscar Benitez^UII (20.7), Kaiden Moore ^UII (18.3).

 Toronto II (4-2-2-2/5-4-1). Head coach Gianni Cimini.

Starters: Adisa De Rosario (20); Stephan Kapor (16) (Patrick McDonald (22) 74′), Richard Chukwu (17) (Mark Fisher (24) 74′), Reid Fisher (21); Hassan Ayari (22), Timothy Fortier (16) (Lucas Olguin (19) 81′), Marko Stojadinovic (21), Antone Bossenberry (17), Nate Edwards (22) (Constantinos Iliadis (19) 81′); Michael Sullivan (22), Josh Nugent (18) (Dekwon Barrow (21) 64′). Starters’ Ave Age = 19.3.

Unused substitutes: Shafique Wilson (24); Ytthallo (21), Jahmarie Nolan (15), Elijah Roche (17).

 Goals

Toronto II            3rd minute           Antone Bossenberry, (Josh Nugent, Hassan Ayari)

Union II.             14th minute            Kellan LeBlanc (Eddy Davis, Sal Olivas)

Union II              45th minute            Jordan Griffin (Cavan Sullivan, Sal Olivas)

Toronto II           51st minute            Michael Sullivan (Antone Bossenberry, Timothy Fortier)

Yellow Cards

Toronto II           90+1 minute           Dekwon Barrow (delay)

Stats

Whistle & Flags

Ref: Marie Durr; AR¹: Justen Lopez; AR²: Douglas Clayton; 4^th: Nick Karnovsky.

Shootout