Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Union
The Philadelphia Union delivered a commanding performance at Subaru Park on Thursday night, overwhelming Trinidad & Tobago’s Defence Force FC 7–0 in the second leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup Round One tie to advance with a 12–0 aggregate victory.
It was a night to remember for the home side, highlighted by a historic performance from 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan, who starred with four goal contributions, including his first professional goals and a brace in front of the home crowd.
Head Coach Bradley Carnell made five changes from the first leg, blending a bit of experience with exciting young talent: Andrew Rick started in goal again, and the defense from left to right was Giovanny Sequera, Olwethu Makhanya, Geiner Martinez, and Olivier Mbaizo. The midfield consisted of Alejandro Bedoya, Jovan Lukic, Jeremy Rafanello, and Sullivan. Ezekiel Alladoh and Stas Korzeniowski started as the striking tandem.
How The Match Unfolded
First Half
From the opening whistle, Philadelphia played with intent. High pressing, quick ball movement, and aggressive runs in behind immediately pinned Defence Force deep in their own half. The breakthrough came early, settling any nerves and igniting a small but lively home crowd. Martínez opened the scoring in his first start for the Union, meeting a set-piece delivery and firing home confidently in the 7th minute.
Once the first goal hit the net, the floodgates opened. Lukic doubled the lead from the penalty spot in the 10th minute, and just two minutes later Korzeniowski added his first of the night with a well-worked finish after a quick build-up.
Philadelphia’s midfield dictated tempo, winning second balls and transitioning quickly into attack. The Union’s wide players stretched the field, creating space centrally for late runs and combination play around the box. By halftime, the Union were in full control at 3–0 and the two-legged contest was effectively over.
Second Half
The second half kicked off with Ben Bender and Sal Olivas replacing Makhanya and Lukic as part of a reshuffle. Up comfortably, the Boys in Blue showed no signs of easing off. Instead, they continued to press and attack with precision. Clinical finishing and sharp movement turned defensive mistakes into goals, and the scoreline steadily ballooned.
Just under three minutes into the half, Stas Korzeniowski scored again, notching his first career brace and celebrating a standout home debut. Ben Bender made it 5–0 in the 53rd minute with a clinical strike after linking play in midfield.
Defence Force struggled to cope with the Union’s pace and physicality, rarely threatening going forward. Philadelphia’s defensive shape limited counterattacking opportunities, and Rick was largely untroubled throughout the night.
Malik Jakupovic came on for Korzeniowski to maintain attacking momentum in the 59th minute. With fifteen minutes remaining in the match, Jesus Bueno entered in place of captain Bedoya to help control midfield in the closing stages. A minute later, Sullivan etched his name into club lore with his first Union goal, a stunning left-footed finish that sent the crowd into a frenzy – or as much of a frenzy the half full stadium could muster. Sullivan capped off his remarkable night by scoring his second goal of the evening to make it 7–0 with two minutes left in the match.
Sullivan was among the bright performers, showing confidence and creativity in the attacking third. His four goal contributions (two goals, two assists) made him the standout star of the night and the youngest American to score in the competition’s history. Veteran leadership in midfield ensured the tempo never dipped, while the back line remained organized to preserve the clean sheet.
PSP’s Three Points
- Total Control from Start to Finish: The Union set the tone early and never let up, scoring three times in the opening stages and overwhelming Defence Force with relentless pressure. The 7–0 scoreline (12–0 aggregate) reflected complete dominance in possession, chance creation, and defensive stability.
- Youngsters Step Up: Cavan Sullivan delivered a breakout performance with a brace and multiple goal contributions, becoming the youngest American to score in the competition. The match also featured strong performances from emerging players, showing the Union’s depth and development pipeline.
- It Gets Much Harder: With the 7–0 victory, the Union advance to the Round of 16 where they will face a tough test against Club América of Liga MX — dates and times are expected to be confirmed by Concacaf soon.
The Union return to MLS action this weekend with a home match against New York City FC – momentum from tonight’s dominant showing could prove invaluable against the team that knocked the Boys in Blue out of the 2025 MLS Playoffs.
Lineups
Philadelphia Union (4-2-2-2):
Andrew Rick, Olwethu Makhanya (Ben Bender 45’), Geiner Martinez, Olivier Mbaizo, Giovanny Sequera, Alejandro Bedoya (Jesús Bueno 75’), Jovan Lukić (Sal Olivas 45’), Jeremy Rafanello, Cavan Sullivan, Ezekiel Alladoh, Stas Korzeniowski (Malik Jakupović 59’)
Substitutes not used: Andre Blake, George Marks, Nathan Harriel, Japhet Sery Larsen, Milan Iloski, Danley Jean Jacques, Indiana Vassilev, Bruno Damiani
Defence Force F.C.: Isaiah Williams, Jelani Felix, Russell Francois, Shirwin Noel (Triston Hodge 57’), Isaiah García, Rivaldo Coryat (Philip Tinto 80’), Joshua Araujo-Wilson, Tyrese Bailey (Darius Ollivierra 80’), Adriel George (Justin Sadoo 56’), Christian Bailey (Nicholas Dillon 56’), Kathon St. Hillaire
Substitutes not used: Sheldon Bateau, Jamali Garcia, Curtis Gonzales, Keston Julien, Jabari St. Hillaire
Scoring Summary:
PHI – Geiner Martínez 7’
PHI – Jovan Lukić 10’
PHI – Stas Korzeniowski (C. Sullivan) 12’
PHI – Stas Korzeniowski (E. Alladoh) 48’
PHI – Ben Bender (C. Sullivan) 53’
PHI – Cavan Sullivan (E. Alladoh) 76’
PHI – Cavan Sullivan (S. Olivas) 88’
Disciplinary Summary:
PHI – Stas Korzeniowski (caution) 23’
DEF – Kathon St. Hillaire (caution) 25’
PHI – Sal Olivas (caution) 77’
The result speaks for itself. Carnell did what was expected with experimenting and giving youth time, including a full 90 for Cavan whose assists were quality along with bagging two late goals.
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Granted the opponent was weak, but what was put together paid off in spades. Starters on the bench had to take note besides rest. All that is a good thing for all around depth and motivation purposes.
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We’ll see if the match helped for Sunday given it’ll clearly be a stepped up challenge. Many starters got their predicted rest, but the result suggests that Carnell can believe he has meaningful experimental options with starting lineups and subs if Sunday’s performance is less than ideal.
Wikipedia is showing the next round schedule as being March 10 (Tuesday) in Chester and March 18 in Mexico City.
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The Union have never fared well in Mexico City losing their two games 8-0 on aggregate. My thought is you play a similar lineup as tonight, take your beating, and focus on the regular season.
IMO you will take your beating in Mexico City regardless of the lineup, but you do not want your team’s psyche destroyed. This is a new group; last season was a veteran group.
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And the young kids have no experience playing at Mexico City’s more-or-less mile and a half high altitude (7,350 feet on average says AI).
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The old group got destroyed at Pachuca at altitude a few years ago.
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I would not risk the group chemistry to a deliberate surrender to Club America.
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Totally different subject, thanks for schedule heads up about the potential dates for the two America games. Well done!
Too me it’s even worse when the first team takes a beating like that. I think it was a major reason why 2024 turned out so badly. The team never really recovered. Compare that with the beating they took in Vancouver last year when they were also resting players for the Open Cup semi-final and were using a make-shift lineup. That allowed them to recover and go on to win the shield.
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And no problem on the dates. I had checked last night for my own edification because I wasn’t even sure whether it was next week or the week after.
Besides group chemistry as Tim mentioned, so does experience.
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Playing quality teams like CA stand to improve the players. Obviously we’re not going to win CCC, but it provides top regional competition opportunities.
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So does the gained experience of playing in less than preferred conditions. Estadio Azteca offers that due to altitude, weather, and usage. The pitch can be choppier. Due to altitude, they’ll experience how to adjust play, e.g., frequent substitutions, compact defensive shape, controlled possession, lighter touch on passing and long-range shooting due to lighter air, avoiding sustained high-tempo pressing, etc. The crowd atmosphere is also intense in Estadio Azteca so it’s helpful for maturing psychological factors.
The issue is that if you really push at altitude, most likely in a losing effort, you may also be throwing away another 3 points less than 72 hours later when you host Chicago.
Also true Andy. Given we won’t win CCC, it’s a situation where we may give up points in league that matter for a result that ultimately won’t. Still, gained experience like CA at Azteca may pay off in overall future results. There’s pros and cons to be balanced by Carnell and the lads.
Felt sorry for Defence Force. These early rounds for almost all MLS teams have been a joke. The Caribbean Club teams are so overmatched. The commentators were way over zealous in their praise for the Union organization. I just dont see this team going anywhere but down this year. The team is basically UNION II with a couple of of odds and ends that would not be starting on any MLS team. No veteran quality with the exception of Blake. A coach with a style of play that will only win vs weak opponents as proven by last years record vs the top teams in each division. Dont take too much pride in beating these teams . Wish the commentators were more honest about why the MLS teams have been so successful in this first round. Most of these countries dont even have running water in 95 % of their homes , let alone a training facility or any money to build a team.
“Most of these countries dont even have running water in 95 % of their homes”
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You are an @$$.
Was there last night and had fun! Other than the cold, it was enjoyable in a lot of ways. Nice Stas got a brace. He and Alladoh did great with hold-up play. Yes it was a weaker side, but they are also both very young. Great that Cavan got 2+2!
One of the more amusing moments of the night was when Bedoya was subbed off. We sit right behind the bench, so saw him jog over towards Carnell. He was almost to bench when he realized he still had the Captain’s armband on. He turned around to give it somebody, then realized that he was looking at a field full of kids. He looked back over to Carnell with a confused look like, “Who do I give it to?”
Bueno was coming on, so Carnell pointed to Bueno, who Ale gave it to – so funny!
I saw that from across the field. (I normally sit in the press box when doing Home match reviews, but sat in my seats this time.) It was funny seeing Bedoya scan the field, then resort to Bueno.
I was going to go last night, but had an unexpected late night at work. Got home in time for the second half! The boys did what I expected. Nice to Cavin get goals. Club America will be a much tougher test!!