Chester, PA. (May 30, 2021) – The Philadelphia Union took on the Portland Timbers at home at Subaru Park on Sunday, May 30th. The Union earned three points extending their unbeaten run to five games. With the win, they are now second in the Eastern Conference with 14 points heading into the international break. In the first half, Kacper Przybylko wasted no time making his impact felt. After multiple chances, he was able to head the ball into the back of the net in the 26th minute from a free kick. The goal put him in sole possession of third on the all-time scoring list with 26 goals, breaking his tie with Jack McInerney. Five minutes later during a corner kick, he registered an assist for the Union’s second goal when he helped the ball along to Sergio Santos who finished for his first goal in the MLS regular season. The Union continued to dominate in the second half where they rewarded with their third goal of the night. Jack Elliott scored his first goal of the MLS season in the 63rd minute with an assist from Cory Burke.. In the final minutes of the match, Union homegrown Paxton Aaronson made his first appearance for the first team when he was subbed on in the 88th minute. Andre Blake made key saves in the second half to extend his clean sheet streak to three. It would be Blake’s sixth clean sheet in the MLS regular season and the 50th of his career.Â
Following tonight’s match, all 20 players on the Union roster participated in a special jersey swap with their limited edition PRIMEBLUE jerseys. As part of a league-wide initiative, from May 20-28, fans nominated those they believe made a positive impact in their communities on Twitter using the hashtag #JerseySwapEntry, tagging the club, and sharing a brief description of why their nominee should be recognized, with four ultimate winners. Building off this idea, Union players decided to expand from the five jerseys to do a full 20-man roster swap. The remaining jerseys were given to those who kept the team running behind the scenes, especially during this past trying year and the team’s return during the pandemic such as: groundskeepers, culinary staff, stadium workers, security, covid testers, doctors, and more.
The Union are set to return after the international break away at Mercedes Benz Stadium on Sunday, June 20, where they will face Atlanta United FC. (2:00 p.m. ET / ESPN).
Philadelphia Union 3 - Portland Timbers 0
Subaru Park (Chester, PA)
Sunday, May 20, 2021
TODAY’S MATCH INFO
Referee: Robert Sibiga
Assistant Referees: Adam Garner, Kathryn Nesbitt, Mike Rottersman
Fourth Official: Matthew Thompson
VAR: Edvin Jurisevic
Ast. VAR: Tom Supple
Weather: 52 degrees, Cloudy
GOALS/ASSISTS
PHI – Kacper Przybylko (Wagner) 26’
PHI – Sergio Santos (Przybylko, Wagner) 31’
PHI – Jack Elliott (Burke) 63’
DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY
PHI – Olivier Mbaizo (caution) 6’
POR – Dario Zuparic (caution) 62’
POR – Claudio Bravo (caution) 72’
LINEUP
Philadelphia Union: Andre Blake; Kai Wagner, Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes, Olivier Mbaizo; Jose Martinez, Leon Flach (Paxten Aaronson 88’), Alejandro Bedoya (Quinn Sullivan 90’) , Jamiro Monteiro; Sergio Santos (Cory Burke 60’), Kacper Przybylko (Anthony Fontana 90’).
Substitutes not used:Â Matt Freese, Matt Real, Aurelien Collin, Stuart Findlay, Jack McGlynn.
Portland Timbers: Logan Ketterer; Josecarlos Van Rankin (Pablo Bonilla 90’), Claudio Bravo, Dario Zuparic, Bill Tuiloma; Diego Valeri (Renzo Zambrano 89’) , Eryk Williamson, Yimmi Chara, Marvin Loria (Zachery McGraw 68’); Felipe Mora (Dairon Asprilla 80’), Jeremy Ebobisse.
Substitutes not used:Â Hunter Sulte, Blake Bodily
Team Notes
- The Philadelphia Union are undefeated in the last five matches.
- It was the Union’s third straight shutout of the MLS regular season
- Forward Kacper Przybylko scored his 26th goal of his career to break the tie with Jack McInerney to hold third place on the club’s all-time goal scoring list.
- Goalkeeper Andre Blake collected his fifth clean sheet of the MLS regular season.
- Goalkeeper Andre Blake collected his 50th clean sheet of his MLS career.
- Jack Elliott scored his first goal of the MLS regular season.
- Kai Wagner registered two assists in the match.
- Homegrown Paxton Aaronson made his MLS debut for the Philadelphia Union.
- Three Union Homegrown players made appearances for The Boys in Blue – Anthony Fontana, Paxten Aaronson, Quinn Sullivan
- The Union have scored in five straight MLS regular season matches.
- The Union scored three goals for the first time this MLS regular season, with all three coming from set pieces.
The Union are set to return after the international break away at Mercedes Benz Stadium on Sunday, June 20, where they will face Atlanta United FC. (2:00 p.m. ET / ESPN).
