Philadelphia Union regained first place in the Eastern Conference with a determined 2-1 win over Inter Miami CF. Daniel Gazdag finished from the spot in the first and before Cory Burke and Gonzalo Higuain traded goals in the second frame.
Jim Curtin made two changes to his backline as Stuart Findlay and Olivier Mbaizo got the midweek starts. Up top, Mikael Uhre partnered with Cory Burke in front of what has been the club’s preferred midfield this season.
In the fifth minute, Mikael Uhre had his first look at goal when he spun onto his left at the top of the box and rifled a shot that Drake Callendar pushed over the bar. On the ensuing corner kick, Cory Burke had a clear look at goal with a free header but the ball was pushed down onto a Miami arm. And cleared away. Bryce Duke stayed down on the play but was back up and involved in the ninth minute when Miami built their first attack. Alejandro Bedoya cleared the box and Philly poured forward once again.
Uhre tested Callendar again in the 11th minute after Gazdag collected a turnover and Burke released his strike partner. The goalie parried away a low drive to his left from a tight angle as Uhre once again found a dangerous gap in the back line.
In the 23rd minute, the Union combined up the right before Gazdag found Uhre with a slip pass to the edge of the box. The striker rounded Aime Mabika, but as he passed the defender caught his foot and brought him down in the box for a penalty.
Daniel Gazdag strode to the spot and lashed the opening goal down the center.
Miami was determined to attack up the right through Yedlin but Leon Flach’s defensive work made that unproductive. Burke tried his luck from distance for the Union before Miami generated a big chance in the box. Duke collected the ball in acres of space, took a touch, and tried to shimmy past a sliding Flach.
He slipped, and the ball made its way around the box to Campana, who stroked it straight at Andre Blake’s well-positioned frame. A pause for VAR to analyze Flach’s tackle revealed it was clean.
Duke picked up a caution in extra time, but the tone of the match was set as the teams went to the tunnel: Miami would attack through Yedlin and look for late runners, while the Union would crash forward on counterattacks through Gazdag.
Miami had an eye on the equalizer early in the second half as they kept the Union pinned deep. Ten minutes in, Philly used their fitness to find their attacking boots and Gazdag combined neatly with Beodya up the right to earn a corner.
At the hour mark, Phil Neville played his trump card, inserting Gonzalo Higuain for Emerson Rodriguez. The home side continued to own the ball and began getting numerical advantages on the near side that let them sneak through Philly’s lines.
Jim Curtin responded by inserting Julian Carranza for Mikael Uhre, giving the Argentine his first minutes as a permanently signed Union player in a closely-fought match against his former club.
Cory Burke doubled Philly’s lead in the 66th minute with a towering header. Kai Wagner’s deep service found the Jamaican in the box and he rose above everyone to place an undeniable finish into the netting.
Curtin sent on reinforcements in the form of Paxten Aaronson and Quinn Sullivan as Burke and Gazdag rested. Aaronson spun Miami in circles up the left while Sullivan engaged in a sprint session up the right that earned the Union another well-placed free kick. On the ensuing play, the ball was half-cleared before Bedoya found Sullivan in space and the Homegrown dinked a cross into the middle that Aaronson couldn’t wrap his foot around and lifted over the bar.
Higuain pulled Miami within one with a stunning cutback and left-footed finish from the top of the box in the 82nd minute, but even with over eight minutes of extra time the home side came up short in the end.
Philadelphia Union is back at Subaru Park for an Eastern Conference rivalry showdown as they host the New England Revolution on Saturday, July 16th. The match presented by Socios.com is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET with coverage on PHL17 and PhiladelphiaUnion.com. Limited tickets for the rivalry contest remain so be sure to purchase your tickets before they are gone!
