A Friday Friendly: Philadelphia Union II 2-0 Ocean City Nor’easters

Photo Courtesy Ocean City Nor’easters Twitter

The Philadelphia Union II gave opportunities to young players and built match conditioning in an exhibition match against nearby USL-2 club, Ocean City Nor’easters. For those who care about the score, it was 2-0 Philadelphia, although, as it has been in the past for both sides, the goal was not winning but rather experience and evaluation.

In Advance

Union II’s hosting of Ocean City Nor’easters in an open-door friendly began the USL-2 side’s 2026 preseason campaign. The Nor’easters are an amateur team that provides game minutes and development opportunities to NCAA players during the summer months.

Union II head coach Ryan Richter is an Ocean City alumnus himself (2008-2010), and is still in the top 10 all-time stats for goals scored and appearances with Ocean City. Other notable ties include former Union II players Devon Stopek and Owen Moore, as well as Union Academy graduates Jacques Mason and Michael Tzimoulis.

Coach Richter used the exhibition match to give opportunities to players who haven’t had many opportunities, including Union Academy Under-16 standout midfielder Abdoulaye Diop.

Before the match, Union II announced that its next four home matches will be played at Kinetic Field at the WSFSBank Sportsplex (aka, the Championship Field) to accommodate the Ivory Coast national team as they train at the Union’s facilities ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This exhibition served as somewhat of a rehearsal for the championship field’s ability to host a crowd for a Union II match.

First Half

Union II left back Jordan Griffin wore the armband for the home side, as regular captain Rafael Uzcategui spent the first half on the bench, and the second as well.

The Boys in Blue looked to play with possession and break down the Nor’easters’ defense. Goalkeeper Pierce Holbrook was called upon a few times to clean up his box on Ocean City counterattacks early in the half.

Stas Korzeniowski drew a foul on the edge of the box later in the half that earned the Ocean City defender a yellow card. Willyan Ferreira’s service hit the crossbar and went over.

Kaiden Moore earned a yellow card for contact on a Nor’easters player after he had a brief miscommunication with his center back partner, Oscar Benitez.

Ocean City, to their credit, looked very put together for a group playing its first meaningful minutes together. The first half ended scoreless. They played a 4-1-4-1, and their striker had meaningful pace that tested Union II’s back line.

Second Half

Union Academy’s center back Andrew Craig, attacking midfielder Samuel Gallego, and Union II defensive midfielder Mamoutou Berthe entered at the half for Union II. They replaced Jordan Griffin, Tyler Gladstone, and Matheus De Paula. Kaiden Moore slid out to left outside back, where he filled in during last year’s MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference Final. Goalkeeper Pierce Holbrook took the armband for the second half.

Sal Olivas opened the scoring in the second half around the 55th minute (there was no running game clock, so all minute numbers are rough estimates). He slotted in a rebound after two blocked shots from Willyam Ferreira and Kaiden Moore.

Korzeniowski drew another foul outside the box, and this time it was Union Academy midfielder Samuel Gallego whose delivery just skimmed over the crossbar.

Nehan Hasan entered for Stas Korzeniowski later in the half, somewhere around the 70th minute.

Oliver Pratt went down holding his knee a few minutes later. He exited the pitch under his own power and looked like he wanted to continue, but Coach Richter chose to err on the side of caution and replace him with Academy defender Lennon Harrington. Harrington has now played three different field positions for Union II this season, the other two being center back and defensive mid.

Timo Mendoza entered for Abdoulaye Diop around the 80th minute.

Just after the change, Lennon Harrington connected with Samuel Gallego in the box, who made it 2-0.

Next Match

Union II will play again at Kinetic Field at the WSFS Bank Sportsplex on Wednesday, May 13, at 7 PM during the first team’s road match against Orlando City SC.

Three Points

Abdoulaye Diop did not look out of place in his first opportunity with the second team. He started and played for about 80 minutes. He is 16.3 years old.

Oscar Benitez played 90 minutes at center back. He remained a physical presence behind the ball, but kept himself out of the referee’s book and did not commit any unnecessary fouls.

Sal Olivas grew into the match during the second half and was well-positioned to score the opening goal.
Willyam Ferreira played the full 90 and became a engine of creativity as the second half wore on.

Union II Lineup

Pierce Holbrook; Oliver Pratt (Lennon Harrington– 75’), Oscar Benitez, Kaiden Moore, Jordan Griffin (Andrew Craig– 46’), Matheus De Paula (Mamoutou Berthe– 46’), Abdoulaye Diop (Timo Mendoza– 80’), Willyam Fererria, Tyler Gladstone (Samuel Gallego– 46’), Sal Olivas, Stas Korzeniowski (Nehan Hasan– 70’)

Unused Substitutes: Alex Smith; Rafael Uzcategui, Giovanny Sequera, Kellan LeBlanc