Photo Philadelphia Union II

Sunday afternoon in Chester Philadelphia Union II conceded four first-half goals to visiting CT United FC before Stas Korzeniowski scored a second-half brace to cut the deficit in half. Kellan LeBlanc received a second yellow card and was ejected in the 84th minute, which slowed Union II’s momentum.

Two goals conceded during first-half stoppage time provided Connecticut’s margin of victory. The loss puts Union II 5 points out of a playoff spot with 4 matches to go at the time of writing.

In advance

Two fundamental points set the stage. Because of the damage the lacrosse games caused on the Subaru Park pitch, the match was moved to Kinetic Field #1 of the Sportsplex. And since Cavan Sullivan’s red card had been rescinded and Quinn Sullivan had received no escalation to his yellow card, there were no Union II roster consequences from the fights at the end of the first team’s Miami game.

The first team played away in Texas Saturday night, so double duty for deeper reserves was not possible. Malik Jakupovic made the Austin trip but did not play. The other usual first-teamers played for Union II.

Geiner Martinez was made available for Union II and started in place of captain Rafael Uzcategui, who exited Union II’s previous match early with an injury. This was Uzcategui’s first match missed since becoming a Union II player, and as the match unfolded, he was missed in the back line.

Saturday morning before any match play, CT United lay fifth in the conference on 40 points after 23 games. Philadelphia lay eleventh on 33 after the same. CT had played midweek beating conference-leading Crown Legacy FC in North Carolina.

With only five chances left to add points in the table, a result on the day was important to Philadelphia’s playoff chances.

First half

Connecticut’s Dylan Lacy scored after 35 seconds when right back Giovanny Sequera had made an awkward clearance on the back line that landed at the feet of forward Bryan Destin.

Connecticut’s Robbie Mora saw yellow in the 4th minute for an elbow to the face of Sequera, the first of the twelve issued during the match.

Union II’s Jordan Griffin received a yellow two minutes later.

The visitors’ Destin doubled the lead on a breakaway chance having been held onside by first-teamer Geiner Martinez. The Colombian center back stopped his run and allowed Destin to get one-on-one with goalkeeper Pierce Holbrook. Left back Jordan Griffin tried his hardest to catch up, but was unsuccessful.

Sal Olivas  ad started at striker and recorded Union II’s first solid chance of the match. His shot was saved by Connecticut’s goalkeeper Gunther Rankenburg.

Olivas was cautioned in the 20th minute. Kellan LeBlanc got one in the 24th minute.

Play halted in the 30th minute for a cooling and hydration break.

Connecticut’s Bryan Destin was cautioned in the 45th minute.

Sal Olivas committed a foul in second-half stoppage time, allowing Connecticut to take it quickly and score a third through Barnabas Tanyi.

The visitors made it 4-0 giving a brace to Bryan Destin a minute later on a quick breakaway, leaving Union II a mountain to climb after the break.

Second half

Kaiden Moore and Matheus De Paula were the Union II changes made at halftime They entered for Finn Sundstrom and Willyam Ferreira at center back and attacking mid respectively. De Paula played right back and moved Giovanny Sequera to left attacking midfield. Head coach Chris Harmon explained after the match that Moore was brought on because he is a left-footed center back and would provide more confidence in the back line. Geiner Martinez stayed on despite his earlier mistakes because he needed the minutes coming back from concussion protocol.

Kaiden Moore was cautioned in the 48th minute for slight contact on a Connecticut player.

The visitors’ Robbie Mora went in hard against Abdoulaye Diop, and a foul was not called. Mora went down with a bloody nose and needed to be taken out of the game. During the stoppage, goalkeeper Pierce Holbrook asked head official Danielle Chesky why it was not a yellow card, and Chesky seemed to respond by gesturing at the injured player.

Chesky awarded a penalty to Union II and gave a yellow card to Connecticut’s Barnabas Tanyi after a foul in the box on Abdoulaye Diop in the 51st minute. Stas Korzeniowski stepped up to take the kick and placed it in the top right to get one back for Philadelphia. After scoring, Korzeniowski went to collect the ball from the net and was reprimanded by the referee for the action.

Stas Korzeniowski got a yellow card for dissent after correctly protesting a changed foul decision in the 58th minute.

Korzeniowski scored again on the end of a free kick in the 61st minute from a Matheus De Paula delivery.

Theo Reed entered for Sal Olivas at striker for Philadelphia in the 65th minute.

The visitors made a concussion sub in the 68th minute.

Connecticut’s Steven Sserwada was cautioned in the 69th minute for a foul on Oscar Benitez.

Connecticut made three more changes in the 70th minute.

Timo Mendoza entered for Abdoulaye Diop in the 73rd minute. Diop had been on the receiving end of a number of challenges, so it was a good decision to take him out.

Giovanny Sequera received a heavy tackle and was flipped by Connecticut’s Steven Sserwada in the 75th minute, but the foul was called in favor of Sserwada.

Play paused in the 76th minute for a hydration break.

Kellan LeBlanc got a second yellow card in the 84th minute for getting tackled meaning Philadelphia finished the match a man short.

Connecticut’s Daniel Dippolito was cautioned in the 85th minute.

The fourth official indicated a minimum of 12 minutes of added time.

Mamoutou Berthe and Tyler Gladstone entered for Oscar Benitez and Jordan Griffin in stoppage time.

CT United captain Alex Monis was cautioned late in stoppage time for a foul on Giovanny Sequera. Kaiden Moore took the resulting free kick and hit the wall.

Next match

Union II next play on the seventh day, Sunday, August 30th, away to FC Cincinnati 2 at Northern Kentucky University. Tap-off is at noon.

Three points

1. Sal Olivas made his first start since June 28. He has not scored a professional goal since September 1, 2025.
2. Head official Danielle Chesky struggled to keep control of the match and make decisions when needed, but Union II was already 4-0 down by the time her decisions became egregious.
3. Stas Korzeniowski now has 10 goals for Union II this season in eight games, all of them starts.

B O X S C O R E 

LIneups

UNION II (4-2-2-2, L-R). Interim head coach Chris Harmon. Roster sources: 1st team 4 + 0 ; Union II — 6 + 2; Academy Amateurs — 1 + 7. Starters’ avg Age = 20.3

Starters: Pierce Holbrook; Jordan Griffin (Tyler Gladstone— 90+)’, Geiner Martinez, Finn Sundstrom (Kaiden Moore— 46′), Matheus De Paula; Abdoulaye Diop (Timo Mendoza— 73′), Oscar Benitez (Mamoutou Berthe— 90+’); Kellan LeBlanc, Willyam Ferreira (Matheus De Paula— 46′); Sal Olivas (Theo Reed— 65′), Stas Korzeniowski.

Holbrook	Griffin	Sundstrom	Martinez	Sequera	Diop
U II	U II	1st	1st	UII	AA
23.4	17.8	19.8	23.6	20.5	16.5
Benitez	LeBlanc	Ferreira	Olivas	Korzeniowski
U II	U II	U II	1st	1st
22.2	18.4	17.5	20.1	23.6

 Substitutes: Matthew White; Oliver Pratt, John Ruf. 

White	Pratt	Moore	De Paula	Berthe	Mendoza
AA	U II	AA	U II	AA	AA
16.9	22.9	18.8	17.8	19.6	17.1
Ruf	Reed	Gladstone
AA	AA	AA
17.3	17.8	17.1

CT UNITED  (4-3-3). Head coach Shavar Thomas. Per Transfermarkt, full squad average age = 22.1

Starters: Gunther Rankenburg; Lukas Kamrath, Jahvar Stephenson (Michael Bohmah— 68′), Rickson Van Hees, Ayden Wolanski (Neo Che— 70′), Steven Sserwada, Dylan Lacy (Jamison Ping— 70′), Robbie Mora (Warren Agostini— 51′), Barnabas Tanyi (Caua Paixao— 84′), Bryan Destin (Daniel Dippolito— 70′), Alex Monis.

Substitutes: Anthony Ramos; Ernesto Gomez, Adre Applewhaite. 

Goals

CT: Lacy— 1′

CT: Destin— 13′

CT: Tanyi— 45+2′

CT: Destin— 45+3′

UII: Korzeniowski— 55′ (penalty)

UII: Korzeniowski— 61′

Yellow Cards

CT: Mora— 4′

UII: Griffin— 6′

UII: Olivas— 20′

UII: LeBlanc— 24′

CT: Destin— 45′

UII: Moore— 48′

UII: Korzeniowski— 55′

CT: Sserwada— 69′

UII: Sequera— 75′

UII: LeBlanc— 84′ (second caution, ejection)

CT: Monis— 90+’

Whistle & Flags

REF: Danielle Chesky; AR1: Ethan O’Hearn; AR2: Diego Lucio; 4TH:Cedric Cook

Stats

U II	Statistic	CT	U II	Statistic	CT
8	Shots	13	2	Offsides	3
3	Shots on goal	6	2	Goalkeeper Saves	1
2	Blocked shots	2	2	Clearances	4
452	Total Passes	286
78.8	Pass Accuracy %	66.4	22	Fouls	23
3	Corners	3	5	Yellow Cards	6
3	Total Crosses	3	1	Red Cards	0