For the second time in three seasons, Philadelphia Union will be in the MLS Playoffs. A 5-1 route over visiting Minnesota United provided the final three points Philly needed to secure a postseason berth on Saturday night.
Playoff positioning
The Union’s win means they are in the playoffs, but there is still plenty on the line in the final two matches of the season. Philadelphia is currently in fourth place in the Eastern Conference and can end up as high as third if they win out. The Union next face New York Red Bulls at home, and both teams will have a lot to play for. New York will need to win out to have a chance at taking the Supporters’ Shield from Atlanta United, and the Union can continue to control their own destiny if they beat the Red Bulls. That win could lead to a showdown with NYCFC on the final day of the season with third place on the line.
Both third and fourth place would give the Union a home match to open the postseason, but third place would likely mean welcoming DC United or Montreal Impact rather than Columbus Crew to town. The Crew are a better side than the other two, so there is plenty of incentive to continue pushing for all the points down the stretch.
Bedoya positioning
There were plenty of heroes on the night, but Alejandro Bedoya’s movement around Minnesota’s wide open defensive shape provided lots of options for Borek Dockal to create in the center.
At times, Bedoya would pop up on the wing, then he would drop to cover Keegan Rosenberry. The captain would stay deep to help control Darwin Quintero, then he would burst forward unmarked, as he did for his goal. When Bedoya is feeling the rhythm of the Union’s passing game, he becomes incredibly difficult to track, and as teams seek him out they lose track of Dockal, who is an expert at recognizing where Bedoya will create a hole.
As the captain made himself ain impossible mark, Minnesota’s already loose defensive shape was easily exposed. Even though Philly’s opener came on a ball over the top, it was off a quick exchange of passes up the right that pried up the defense and left man-mountain Cory Burke alone against a defender that was simply no match.
Ilsinho needs no positioning
Ilsinho was making his long-awaited comeback, and Jim Curtin had determined that the Brazilian would get a few minutes to find his game-legs again. Unfortunately for Minnesota, this meant Ilsinho would face a back three that could not on their best day handle him individually, and could barely contain him as a unit.
Once Ilsinho began to dominate the ball, the Loons were constantly pushed back because they always needed to add another player to help on the right. And yet, in the end, it was still not enough. Coming in with five goals on six shots on frame, Ilsinho notched his sixth goal on his seventh strike on target. And boy, was it another memorable one. Cutting in off the right, the Brazilian unloaded a rocket that Bobby Shuttleworth sadly watched zip by him into the net.
Ilsinho and the surging Union are back in action on October 21 when they welcome New York Red Bulls for the final regular season match of the year at Talen Energy Stadium.
