Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Union

On a rainy Saturday night in the nation’s capital, the Philadelphia Union hung six on an already eliminated DC United amidst the backdrop of a sparsely populated Audi Field. In a weekend where all of their Supporters’ Shield competitors dropped points, it was a much needed return to form from the Boys in Blue. Let’s get into the ratings.  

Player Ratings:

Andre Blake — 7

Four saves to keep the clean sheet along with some assists from the upright and crossbar.

Kai Wagner — 7

Another solid shift from the German full back who picked up his 11th assist of the season. A few moments where he made some mental errors through poor fouls or needless bickering with the referee, but his two-way value remains immense.

Olwethu Makhanya — 8

In a welcome return from suspension in league play, Makhanya hardly put a foot wrong both defensively and on the ball. When the U-22 Initiative player is mistake free, he’s among the best on the field.

Jakob Glesnes —  6

Not the most confident showing from the experienced Norwegian on the ball but he made up for it with some inspired defending, including some key last ditch blocks, totaling four on the night.

Nathan Harriel —  7

Big shift with Westfield away at the U-20 World Cup. Harriel worked hard all night, even ending the game playing attacking midfield despite picking up a knock. Game leading five interceptions.

Jovan Lukić — 7

Shaky start to the contest with a poor giveaway at midfield that created a dangerous counterattack for DC. But the Serbian midfielder settled into the match nicely. Led both teams in tackles with six.

Danley Jean-Jacques — 8

Would love to see a heatmap of Danley’s performance because it looked like the Haitian midfielder covered every blade of grass at Audi Field. Racked up the defensive stats with 2 interceptions, 3 tackles, and a match leading 13 recoveries. Excellent on the ball too with 91.4% passing accuracy on 58 attempts.

Indiana Vassilev — 8

An eye opening showing from the former Villan. Vassilev displayed poise and tidiness on the ball in addition to his usual hard work off of it. Bagged a brace to clinch a personal best goalscoring season at the senior level with 6 in all competitions.

Quinn Sullivan — N/a

Withdrawn after 10 minutes due to an ACL tear. Here’s hoping the young midfielder can make a full recovery.  

Bruno Damiani — 7

Good positioning to get open for his close range opener. He’s finally starting to find the back of the net consistently. Still needs some polish, and occasionally makes the wrong decision – as younger players tend to do. Earned his first career MLS assist.

Milan Iloski — 9

Involved all night, found the back of the net through a deflected strike to open the scoring in the second half. Credited with a pair of assists, including the secondary on the opener and the primary on the closer. What a signing he has been for Philly.

Substitutes:

Mikael Uhre – 9

With Sullivan’s early injury, Uhre stepped up in a big way. He ended with 1 goal and 2 assists, setting up the opener and netting the closer – and forcing a double doink OG in the middle. A big performance at a critical juncture for the Danish DP.

Jesús Bueno – 6

Given plenty of time and space in the midfield, the Venezuelan midfielder was able to pick out a couple of forward passes to spring his teammates forward.

Jeremy Rafanello – 5

The game was all but finished once Rafa came in, but he was unfortunately forced off through injury.

Olivier Mbaizo – N/a

Late sub brought on to close out the blowout.

Ben Bender – N/a

The same as above.

Geiger Counter:

Jair Marrufo – 5

Suffice it to say the refereeing did not affect the outcome of the match, even if there were some foul calls that could have gone either way

Player of the Match: Mikael Uhre

Although the stats haven’t been there for Uhre this season, the pacey striker’s work ethic and commitment have not wavered. Saturday was a just reward for his continued determination. With the injury absence of Quinn Sullivan, an in-form Uhre would be a welcome addition to the Philly lineup.

What’s Next

The Union have now wrested control of their destiny back from the unertain grip of fate. Philadelphia need just two more wins to claim their second ever Supporters’ Shield. Next up, the Boys in Blue return home to face the surging NYCFC in a rivalry match that promises to set the tone for the final weeks of the regular season.