Photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union

In a game characterized by momentum swings and near misses, the Philadelphia Union tied the visiting Charlotte FC to extend their club record undefeated streak to 15 games. After a Pep Biel handball resulted in a penalty awarded to the Union, Milan Iloski stepped up to convert the spot kick. Charlotte came out swinging in the second half and pulled ahead, but a Bruno Damiani blast was enough for the Boys in Blue to claim a share of the points. Let’s get into the ratings.

Player Ratings:

Andre Blake – 5

While Dre was not at fault for the first Charlotte goal, he seemed uncharacteristically slow to react to their go-ahead strike. Though the defense did well to limit the Crown’s shots on goal, Blake only managed one save and had some distribution errors. 

Kai Wagner – 6

Got caught out of position, with Rodolfo Aloko getting in-behind a few times. But, he was able to stay involved with the attack, setting up a number of dangerous deliveries into the opposition’s box.

Nathan Harriel – 5

Not the cleanest game from the converted center back, who allowed Aloko to get past him on Charlotte’s opener. Harriel had the chance to win the game late for the Union, but his diving header sailed over the crossbar.

Neil Pierre – 6

The Union’s newest breakout star this season put in a monstrous shift on defense, totaling 18 (!) defensive contributions. However, he did get turned around by a few of the Charlotte attacker’s runs and was unable to threaten on set-pieces as much as he had over the summer.

Frankie Westfield – 6

Largely shut down Allan Saint-Maximin on the wing, but was consequently not as effective on offense as he can be. His shot in the 60th minute was a good one, and demanded a big save from Kristijan Khalina.

Danley Jean-Jacuqes – 8

Confident and assured in the center of the park, Jean-Jacques did a little bit of everything, and picked up a nifty assist on the Union’s tying goal.

Jovan Lukic – 7

Strong defensively and involved on offense, the Serbian’s run of good form continued on Saturday.

Cavan Sullivan – 7

An extremely tight offside decision wiped off a goal for the young star, which is a shame since the level of his performance deserved being rewarded with his name on the scoresheet

Indiana Vassilev – 5

Ran around a bunch but was unable to affect the game the way he has in recent contests.

Bruno Damiani – 7

Bruno may have finally proven the doubters wrong over the past few weeks. The Young DP has scored in three straight games, including the game winner last week, and the equalizer on Saturday. Hopefully, his concussion clears up quickly.

Milan Iloksi – 6

Iloski is having a career best season and could well break the Union’s scoring record for a single campaign. He found the back of the net from the spot, and really should have scored again in the 53rd minute, but could only rattle the crossbar.

Substitutes:

Quinn Sullivan – 7

Provided an instant spark off the bench. Although he didn’t get on the scoresheet, his involvement was key in helping the Union equalize.

Malik Jakupovic – 5

Looked sharp off the bench. Has seemingly displaced Alladoh as the 3rd choice striker.

Geiger Counter:

Jon Freemon – 5

Freemon made a number of calls that seemed harsh on both teams – namely the hand ball on Biel and the offside decision on Sullivan. However, while most of these decisions seem to be technically correct, some of the finer details were questionable. For example, Damiani was down with a head injury in the buildup – and later came off with a concussion – but Freemon awarded advantage instead of stopping play. Conversely, lots of ‘ticky-tack’ fouls were called, halting play.

Richter Scale: 

Ryan Richter – 6

Richter’s adjustments have paid dividends for the Union’s season. He only made two substitutes in this game, somewhat rare in the modern day, but with limited depth and most of the team playing well, why fix what isn’t broken? While he seems to be more in the mold of a man-manager than a tactician, his ability to raise the level of his team is what’s truly impressive. In particular he has been able to get a lot out of the home growns (many of whom are his former academy players), and the defensive midfield duo of Jean-Jacuqes and Lukic.

Player of the Match: Danley Jean-Jacques

The Haitian national team captain was in control of the match all night, and has been in top-form of late. His excellent inter-play with Bruno Damiani rewarded him with a back-heeled assist, capping off a great performance from the midfielder.

What’s Next?

The Union remain in the friendly confines of Subaru Park next Saturday where they will contest another big matchup against the 3rd placed New England Revolution. The Boys in Blue could lock down their spot in the post-season and move into a home playoff position should they win and have results go their way. Kick-off is set for 7:30 PM.