Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Union
The Philadelphia Union (9-6-10) continued their run of good form Sunday night, putting 5 goals past San Diego FC (8-6-11). This makes it back-to-back 5-0 victories for the Union, following Wednesday’s rout of FC Cincinnati. Cavan Sullivan distinguished himself with a brace, his first multi-goal game in MLS, while Malik Jakupovic scored his first MLS goal. In net, Andre Blake made 5 saves to earn the shutout.
First Half
The opening stages of the match were largely dictated by the home side, as Philadelphia were content to remain compact and try to create on the counter-attack. San Diego had two good chances to score, one in the 3rd minute and the other in the 12th, but both times their players were unable to hit the target.
As the half wore on, the Union started to establish themselves, with their press beginning to wear down the opposition.
In the 20th minute, the Union shifted up a gear, creating a series of threatening opportunities. After a quick ‘1-2’ combination freed Frankie Westfield down the wing, the full back picked out a cross to Milan Iloski. Unfortunately, the former SDFC man couldn’t make contact, but the Union retained possession. After recycling play, and some deft dribbling by Neil Pierre, the ball was set for Cavan Sullivan at the top of the box, but the youngsters volleyed effort was inches over the crossbar.
The Union were now the ones in the driver’s seat, but both a Neil Pierre header, and a Kai Wagner power shot were unable to test Duran Ferree in net.
After a period of inactivity, San Diego had another big chance in the 43rd minute, but Andre Blake dived to deny Amahl Pellegrino.
The first half would end with a flurry of activity and some controversy. First, San Diego’s Alejandro Alvarado was shown a red card for kicking the ball into Milan Iloski’s head. However, this was reduced to a yellow after a video review. Immediately after, Iloski nearly put the Union ahead, but the Union forward saw his shot blocked by an SD defender.
Ultimately, the Union would go into the break with the lead. In the last minute of added time, Cavan Sullivan capitalized on an Indiana Vassilev cross with an inventive back-heeled finish, which gave Philly the lead right before the interval.
Second Half
In a dominant second half showing, the Union would score a further 4 goals to cement their win.
The Boys in Blue got their second in the 62nd minute, as Sullivan bagged his brace, following another connection with Vassilev. This time, the prospective USMNTer smashed a low shot past Ferree, nutmegging the keeper.
Then, in the 67th minute, Sullivan was involved again, this time lofting a through ball to an overlapping Westfield. The full back slotted a low cross into the center of the box, which Bruno Damiani one-timed home. It was the Uruguayan’s 7th goal of the season, equalling his total from last year.
Andre Blake was called into action again in the 78th minute, this time by Cedric Bakambu. Once again the Jamaican was equal to the effort.
In the 87th minute, the Union got their fourth, this time through a comical own goal. Anibal Godoy attempted a diving header to clear away Ezekial Alladoh’s shot – but could only put the ball past his keeper.
Malik Jakupovic scored the Union’s 5th and final goal of the night in the 4th minute of added time, putting an exclamation mark on the win. It was his first career MLS goal.
The final whistle sounded, seeing Philadelphia secure their fourth straight victory, and third straight clean sheet.
3 Points
- Cavan is Him: First multi-goal game in MLS. Already totals 6 goals and 11 assists in the league this season, with the majority coming after the World Cup break. This kid is legit.
- Richter’s at the Wheel: Undefeated in MLS. 4 straight wins. Back-to-back 5-0 wins. 8-0-2 since taking over. What more needs to be said?
- Don’t Be Afraid to Dream a Little Bigger: With just 9 matches left in the regular season, the Union are on the verge of what seemed unthinkable just 2 months ago: Playoffs. This recent form is not an illusion. The Union could be set up for a serious run this winter.
GOALS/ASSISTS
PHI – Cavan Sullivan (I. Vassilev, B. Damiani) 45+5’
PHI – Cavan Sullivan (I. Vassilev, K. Wagner) 62’
PHI – Bruno Damiani (F. Westfield, C. Sullivan) 67’
PHI – Anibal Godoy (OG) 87’
PHI – Malik Jakupovic (Q. Sullivan) 90+4’
DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY
PHI – Bruno Damiani (caution) 27’
SD – Alejandro Alvarado (caution) 45’
PHI – Neil Pierre (caution) 45+7’
SD – Oscar Verhoeven (caution) 90+1’
Lineups
Philadelphia Union: Andre Blake (C), Nathan Harriel, Kai Wagner, Francis Westfield, Neil Pierre (Japhet Sery Larsen 86’), Jovan Lukic, Danley Jean Jacques, Cavan Sullivan (Jesus Bueno 77’) , Bruno Damiani (Ezekiel Alladoh 77’), Milan Iloski (Malik Jakupovic 86’), Indiana Vassilev (Quinn Sullivan 69’).
Substitutes not used: Alejandro Bedoya, Ben Bender, Agustin Anello, Andrew Rick.
San Diego FC: Duran Ferree, Kieran Sargeant, Manu Duah, Ian Murphy (Dagur Thorhallsson 81’), Oscar Verhoeven, Jeppe Tverskov (C), Onni Valakari (David Vazquez 60’), Alejandro Alvarado ( Anibal Godoy 60’), Amahl Pellegrino ( Cedric Bakambu 60’), Elias Achouri (Bryan Zamble 73’), Anders Dreyer.
Substitutes not used: Pablo Sisniega, Pedro Soma, Sam Vines, Christopher McVey.
Officiating Crew:
Referee: Ismail Elfath
Asst. Referee 1: Jeremy Kieso
Asst. Referee 2: Stephen McGonagle
Fourth Official: Ricardo Fierro
VAR: Armando Villarreal
AVAR: Joshua Patlak
ok that was fun. our max possible points are 60. sitting in 7th now and looking up. however the remaining teams above us are all playing solidly so climbing any higher will be a real challenge and it might just be holding on to our spot. but we are definitely getting rolling at the right time and dare we dream of an actual run in the playoffs?
Awesome win! Everyone played extremely well. Doop!
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Union Players Abroad (Rhode Island FC) Update:
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Korzeniowski scored again Saturday night (9/12). I imagine the Union must have included a recall clause in the contract, for injury insurance, so recall this loan ASAP. He has nothing to learn there. USL is beneath his abilities. In USL, he now has 2 open play Goals and an earned PK (that he didn’t shoot), in his first 2.3 Games.
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I fear that, with the call ups at the end of the month, Iloski is going to move down to the midfield to cover for Cavan’s absence, so that they still have an off the bench MF sub player available like Vassilev. This would leave the Striker/Forward role exclusively to Damiani and Alladoh. A scenario like this will facilitate a huge drop off in production at the position, as we so painfully saw in the first half of the season.
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Therefore, get Korzeniowski back from that loan. Maximizing points during this window, versus KC and Orlando (and possibly Salt Lake) is critical, especially if you look ahead at the remaining schedule. We close out the season with some very tough matches.
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From the 2026 Union 1st Team stats that I found, it looks like Korzeniowski has more than double the production as Alladoh, in less than half of the appearances:
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Korzeniowski:
Appearances: 10
Goals: 2
Assists: 1
Alladoh:
Appearances: 23
Goals: 1
Assists: 0
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Bringing back the loan could give us enough performance up top to have the flexibility to temporarily move Iloski to AMF. Korzeniowski and Jakupovic are better 2nd or 3rd option Strikers down the stretch than Alladoh. Scheer needs to get this transaction done. Alladoh would benefit from a move down to Next Pro, too.
$4m to sign Alladoah.
Stas will not replace him this season… maybe next.
Stas is not an MLS player. He is a Chris Donovan-type player at best.
disagree…. Donovan shared a history, but that’s it..Stas is more like Conor Casey, bullish and unmovable…. maybe next year.
Stas has hit his ceiling. He will not be the 4th striker, even next year.
By Chris Dovonan-type player I mean a 4th striker getting mop-up minutes. And Richter clearly favors Jakupovic as 4th.
Stas will not be recalled. Quinn (who will not be called up to USMNT this time because he is still recovering) will fill in for Cavan. And there is still Anello as well. Stas is not coming back, despite your wildest dreams.
From the official MLS page,
Korzeniowski MLS stats:
6 games played (1 start): 136 minutes
Goals: 0
Assists: 1*
*Logged Hockey assist vs Orlando.
Also won a penalty against NYCFC.
Alladoh MLS stats:
22 games played (6 starts): 724 minutes
Goals: 1
Assists: 1
Logged game winning assist @ MTL and scored winner versus ATL.
Alladoh is 2 1/2 years younger than Stas. Ownership likely views him with greater potential. Additionally, after spending $4 million on him, the more games he plays the greater his re-sale value will be, should a transfer out become a possibility. Going down to MLS Next Pro would do nothing to help his value, and I don’t think it would help his development either. It’s clear he has the talent and physical tools required to succeed, but he’s still putting it all together. He has performed better in recent appearances in my view.
I like Stas’s game a lot. He was great at UPenn, and he’s local to the region. Here’s hoping he continues to score with Rhode Island and earns a spot with the Union first team, but for now, there’s a clear hierarchy in the striker’s depth chart.
Unlike last week, we faced a mid table West team on the road. Same final score. This decisive win has indisputable merit.
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Cavan showed tonight why he has the fine touch and instinct potential above MLS level and why MC wanted him early. As George said, the kid has it.
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His contributions make our journeymen more effective . Take Damiani for example. He needs a partner who isn’t similarly an MLS journeyman to get his own job done. Cavan has provided that.
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Here’s my continuing concern with Cavan. At late 16, he probably just got his Cinderella driver’s license where fear of trashing a car keeps his folks up at night as much as sports injuries. Men typically reach their natural peak in muscle mass and raw strength between 25 and 35 years old.
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The MLS world is now aware that he’s a real deal and arterial piece to our team. Older goons are gonna increasingly strategically bully him for the ball and target him for injury. The ethics and risk/benefit issues with both his interests and ours will be a challenging balance until he moves to MC to become their issue.
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Speaking of risk/benefit with youth, I was glad Jakupovic got late minutes again and it paid off with the final goal. This youth also has real potential IMO.
It is clear Richter (who is most familiar with Stas from UII) would rather have Jakupovic get minutes over Stas. Jakupovic is 17 and has upside. Stas is Stas and is not going to become an MLS starter. It was great to see Jakupovic get his first goal. Nice assist from Quinn there.
Dont see a downside to the team . Could finsh 4th. with both Sullivans and Ilosiki doing the set up Damiani will be adequate. Alladoh still seems lost. Team is jelling .
REMOVE the “INTERIM”…. Ryan has done enough to be treated, respected and paid like a MLS Coach.
Fun game to stay up late and watch on a Sunday night!
USMNT call ups are a concern especially with Orlando also being in good form and Griezmann on fire – 8 goals in 10 matches.
Interesting takes today considering we won big. As much as Cavan deserves the spotlight, I think it’s the coach who has figured out how to use this lineup and win. Now he’s slowly getting minutes for players that are down the depth chart and they are playing with purpose. You can say a twenty year old Alladoh looks out of place but last night he made a play that led to the own goal. He’s coming from a league that is clearly a step down from MLS much like Damiani. The problem is they both came into the team that spent the most in its history on both of them, when in reality this team didn’t spend that much.
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The coaching staff led by Ryan Richter has been impressive in how they’ve shutdown the opposing teams best player in these last two games. Anders Dreyer should have scored the first goal of the game but after that he was frustrated and not a factor. For me the interim stays until the season is over. He said they aren’t trying to finish ninth and I believe him but I also want to see him coach in the playoffs and stay hungry.
The cannot be answered ‘what if’ is what Carnell would have done with the post World Cup roster. Yes, Wagner at LB is a no brainer and Quinn returning is an upgrade over Anello as the attacking sub off the bench, but would he have swapped Pierre for Larsen and given Cavan the freedom that Richter has? I’m not so sure he would have.
The amazing thing to consider is that this team might actually have further upside when Quinn really rounds into form.
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The thing that could limit us for the rest of the season is an injury. We have good depth pieces in the midfield, and Rick is a good backup keeper, but in the front and back lines we don’t have much. Meanwhile I’m gonna enjoy TF out of this for as long as it lasts!
100%. Depth is my concern also. Since the U are doing well enough to probably make the playoffs, the FO has probably decided they can get away with just riding the horses they already have and adding no one else this season. Once again an unspoken statement by Sugarman that making the playoffs is he objective, not winning the cup.