Observations: Philadelphia Union 2 – 0 Tampa Bay Rowdies

Photo Kevin Barrett

The least important statistic in a preseason scrimmage is the score. Saturday night Philadelphia scored twice and kept a clean sheet against the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the USL Championship at Tampa’s home pitch in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Philadelphia played a slightly lesser side for the first hour when the score was 0-0 thanks to several stellar saves by goalkeeper Andrew Rick, including a saved penalty kick in the 47th minute. After a more experienced midfield and attack came on in a ten-player substitution in the 62^nd minute, Philadelphia took control of the match and scored twice. Alejandro Bedoya and Ezekiel Alladoh did the honors.

In advance

No left back replacing Kai Wagner has yet been signed. Interpreting remarks head coach Bradly Carnell made while in Spain, we expect Nathan Harriel to play in his place as though Wagner were hurt or suspended (our words not Carnell’s). That did not happen in St. Pete. Academy Amateur left back Jordan Griffin played left back for the last half an hour and looked reasonable for the time and place. He had Alejandro Bedoya in front of him and Nathan Harriel next to him for advice and support.

Two other still unannounced players are not yet with the first team we think. They are striker Agustin Anello and right back Giovanny Sequera, and neither has yet been officially announced as signed. Anello has yet to arrive, and Sequera, after going to Spain without a P1 visa, had to return home to Venezuela in order to re-enter the United States. As a Union II player officially, Sequera is – we think – not eligible for a P1 visa and still faces the return home requirement.

The organization first experienced the difficulties of lower league professionals travelling internationally early in Bolu Akinyode’s and James Chambers’ tenures with Bethlehem Steel FC a decade ago.

The scrimmage

While discussing the Clearwater phase of preseason while still in Spain before the FK Buducnost Podgorica match, Carnell mentioned that the Tampa event would be three 45-minute periods for conditioning purposes. He said a second extended event would bring the second group’s conditioning minutes to the same quantities as the first.

That expectation was changed to 120 minutes in advance of the event, and then to only 90 by tap-off. Carnell followed his plan by giving the bulk of the minutes to a lesser side but did not get them the quantity of running he had originally hoped.

First sixty two minutes

Tampa Bay was on the front foot for the first twenty or so minutes as a Union combination we had not before seen was figuring out how to play together. Goalkeeper Andrew Rick made several excellent saves to keep his side in the match both early and late.

The “figuring out” primarily involved the defensive line where Rafael Uzcategui of Union II partnered Olwethu Makhanya for the first 30 minutes and then newcomer Geiner Martinez for the next half an hour at center back. Jesus Bueno and Jeremy Rafanello were the defensive midfielders in front of them, with Ben Bender at left back and Olivier Mbaizo on the right.

By the second half-an-hour, the Union were no longer back on their heels and were giving more offensive punch than they were receiving. The experience of playing together was a positive integration, a “gelling” if you will.

For the first hour the Union ‘s attack created occasional thrusts but only once did it seriously threaten to score. Sal Olivas found the cross bar with his header in minute 41. Stas Korzeniowski got off one thunderous right-footed worm-burner that went just wide, but Tampa seemed aware of him and was collapsing around him effectively almost all of the time.

Cavan Sullivan was not a weak sister, but did not manage to create much effective offensive play. CJ Olney saw his first meaningful minutes of preseason and remains competent but not spectacular.

The final half an hour

Jeremy Rafanello was the only Union player who played the full match. He combined and interchanged with Frank Westfield in the right channel for the last half an hour. Rafanello is what Carnell has called an “all-rounder.”

Blake replaced Rick in goal and did not have to make the same quantity of saves that his understudy had done, but he did have to demonstrate that he remains a highly capable keeper two or three times.

The defensive line in front of Jamaica’s captain saw Jordan Griffin at left back, Nathan Harriel next to him at left center back, Finn Sundstrom at right center back and the aforementioned rotation of Westfield and Rafanello among right back and right attacking mid. Jovan Lukic and Danley Jean Jacques were the defensive mids fronting the defense.

In the attack Ezekiel Alladoh was the striker higher up the pitch with Milan Iloski playing next to or slightly behind him. Bedoya was the left-sided attacking mid next to the Rafanello-Westfield combination on the right. There was less of Carnell’s usual horizontal interchange among the attacking mids from this group, probably to keep Griffin surrounded and protected by experience.

Unsurpisingly the balance of the match tilted significantly towards the Union. Tampa only occasionally produced offensive thrusts until they threw caution to the winds in the last few minutes trying to salvage a goal. But Blake and Rick combined to produce a joint clean sheet.

Bruno Damiani, Indiana Vassilev, Japhet Sery Larsen, Eddy Davis, and George Marks did not play.

The final preseason scrimmage

On two separate occasions the match commentator suggested that Union fans watch social media for information about a broadcast/livestream of the Union’s next match Tuesday evening February 10^th at 6:00 PM against Montreal at the DiMaggio Complex in Clearwater.

We suggest consulting the Union’s official website once the Academy’s brand-new Snow Bowl tournament is over to discover the truth of those reports.

Union Lineup

(4-2-2-2; L-R)

First Group (minutes 0-62): Andrew Rick; Ben Bender, Olwethu Makhanya (Geiner Martinez 30’), Rafael Uzcategui, Olivier Mbaizo; Jesus Bueno, Jeremy Rafanello; Cavan Sullivan, CJ Olney; Sal Olivas, Stas Korzeniowski.

Rick	Bender	Makhanya	Martinez	Uzcategui	Mbaizo
62	62	30	32	62	62
Bueno	Rafanello	C Sullivan	Olney	Olivas	Korzeniowski
62	62	62	62	62	62

Second group (minutes 63-90): Andre Blake, Jordan Griffin, Nathan Harriel, Finn Sundstrom, Frank Westfield; Danley Jean Jacques, Jovan Lukic; Alejandro Bedoya, Jeremy Rafanello; Milan Iloski, Ezekiel Alladoh.