Photo courtesy of Marjorie Elzey

The Philadelphia Union continued their impressive second-half turnaround on Saturday night, defeating CF Montréal 2-0 at Subaru Park to extend their unbeaten run to eight MLS matches. After a scoreless first half, Danley Jean Jacques broke the deadlock in the 57th minute before Cavan Sullivan added a goal 18 minutes later. Andre Blake also came up huge, saving a Prince Owusu penalty in the second half to preserve the Union’s advantage and ultimately earn the clean sheet.

With another three points secured, here are the player, referee and head coach ratings from Philadelphia’s latest victory.

Player Ratings

Andre Blake — 9

Came up with the biggest save of the night, denying Prince Owusu from the penalty to preserve the Union’s lead.

Kai Wagner — 7.5

Consistently involved from the left, taking corners and getting forward to create opportunities. He also tested Breza with a shot early in the second half, though his yellow card slightly dampens the performance.

Neil Pierre — 7

Steady defensive performance that helped the Union keep Montréal scoreless. He was called for several fouls, but generally handled the workload well.

Nathan Harriel — 7.5

Quietly effective defensively and helped the Union limit Montréal’s attacking threat.

Frankie Westfield — 7

Solid overall outing with involvement forward. He did commit a few fouls, including one that gave Montréal a free kick late, but nothing damaging.

Danley Jean Jacques — 9

The midfielder delivered when the Union needed him, scoring the opening goal in the 57th minute. He also continued to get involved around the box and provided the physical presence Philadelphia needed.

Jovan Lukic — 6.5

His early yellow card put him under pressure almost immediately, and he committed several fouls throughout the first half.

Cavan Sullivan — 9

Another outstanding performance from Sullivan, capped by a goal that made MLS history. He was dangerous throughout and continued his remarkable run of goal contributions.

Indiana Vassilev — 7

He was involved in the physical side of the match but didn’t have a major attacking contribution before coming off.

Bruno Damiani — 6.5

Had plenty of opportunities to break through, including multiple first-half shots, but couldn’t convert any of them. He also picked up a yellow card for a foul on Owusu, making for a frustrating night despite his activity.

Milan Iloski — 7

Was active around the box and created several opportunities, including two shots immediately after halftime and a dangerous header later on. He couldn’t find the net, but his movement and set-piece involvement remained valuable.

Substitutes

(69′) Quinn Sullivan — 7.5

Injected attacking energy after coming on and repeatedly looked to test Breza, registering three shots in the final stages. He couldn’t add to the scoreline, but was a consistent threat.

(69′) Jesus Bueno — 6.5

Came on to help see out the final portion of the match, but picked up a yellow and committed a couple of fouls late. Effective enough in closing the game, but not especially influential.

(82′) Alejandro Bedoya — N/A

(82′) Ezekiel Alladoh — N/A

(90′) Malik Jakupovic — N/A

Geiger Counter

REF  — Chris Penso — 7

Penso handed out eight yellow cards (four to each side) and attempted to keep the game under control without allowing the physicality to escalate. His biggest decision of the night, awarding Montréal a penalty after Neil Pierre’s foul on Gennadiy Synchuk, was a consequential call, but Penso ultimately got the major moment right in terms of managing the situation.

Richter Scale: 

Ryan Richter – 9

The lineup worked, the substitutions worked, the team scored twice after halftime, and the Union comfortably saw out another three points. The only reason not to give him a 10 is that Montréal’s early threat and the missed chances in the first half showed there was still room for improvement.

Player of the Match: Cavan Sullivan

Sullivan gets Player of the Match narrowly over Blake and Danley because his goal not only sealed the three points but continued his historic run of five straight regular-season matches with a goal contribution.

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