Philadelphia Union went north of the border and struck twice in the opening half however two late goals proved the different as CF Montreal claimed a 4-2 result.
The two sides combined for three goals in the opening half with the Union grabbing the early lead via the homegrown connection from Nathan Harriel and Quinn Sullivan. The homeside answered back seven minutes later off a set piece from Josef Martinez but the Boys in Blue grabbed the first half lead at the break as Jesus Bueno finished off a volley from Leon Flach. Montreal found a second game-tying goal just before the hour mark as a free kick snuck through the box and was credited as an own goal as Jack Elliott tried to clear the service from Bryce Duke. With the contest seemingly looking like both sides would split points, substitute Dominik Yankov netted a heart-breaking goal in the 89th minute to grab the lead. With the Union pushing forward in search of a third goal, the hosts struck on the counter in stoppage time through Ruan.
In the face of injuries and Copa America call-ups, Head Coach Jim Curtin opted for a 4-4-2 formation with Chris Donovan up top alongside Tai Baribo. The pair made for a relatively inexperienced duo, as the night marked Donovan's second start this year and Baribo’s fourth. The midfield was manned by the young guys, namely Jack McGlynn, Leon Flach, Jesus Bueno, and Quinn Sullivan, while the back four was business as usual, with Jack Elloitt and Jakob Glesnes paired at center back, with Kai Wagner and Nate Harriel on the wings. For the second straight game, 18-year-old Homegrown goalie Andrew Rick started in net, again taking over the role Oliver Semmle’s been holding while Andre Blake recovers from injury.
Daniel Gazdag made his return to the matchday roster for the first time since departing for the UEFA Euros, where he represented his native Hungary until they were officially eliminated on Wednesday. His last match played for the Union was coincidentally against C.F. Montreal the day prior, which marked the pair’s final fixture before the league entered the International break. Alongside Gazdag on the bench was Union II’s 17-year-old CJ Olney, who earned his third of five allowed short-term call-ups for the trip. Just like Rick, Olney made his debut against Charlotte, entering in the match for meaningful minutes on the pitch. Even with the pair, it was a shallow bench featuring just six substitutions also including Semmle, Olivier Mbaizo Olwethu Mahkanya, and Jeremy Rafanello. Due to injuries to starters Andre Blake, Alejandro Bedoya, Mikael Uhre, but Philadelphia wasn’t the only team shorthanded. Montreal too were down key pieces as they played the contest without Mathieu Choiniere, Ariel Lassiter, Samuel Piettte, and Joel Waterman due to international duty.
Saturday’s on-and-off rain let up just in time for first kick despite heavy downpours on the pitch minutes before. With a slick surface, the opening 10 minutes was physical and unproductive for both sides, with bodies from each sliding across the grass and into each other often. The first shot of the match came in the 10th minute, when Rick stopped an attempt from Josef Martinez. He took another in the 12th, throwing his body airborne for a bicycle kick attempt that went into Montreal’s half-full Supporters Section.
By the 20 minute mark, neither team had much offensive success, but Philadelphia Union remained determined – team captain Jakob Glesnes led the team in vocal fashion, wearing the captain’s armband with pride.
Stade Saputo was silenced in the 29th minute, when the Homegrown connection took beautiful form for a Quinn Sullivan bank shot in the box to give Philadelphia Union a 1-0 lead. It was McGlynn who first took it up the middle, finding Harriel darting down the right sideline unmarked. Upon receiving the pass, Harriel spotted Sullivan in the box, who settled it with his left, then booted the ball to the bottom left of the net, hitting the post with force which sent it to the opposite corner.
The homegrown’s worked off of that momentum, with both Sullivan and McGlynn putting Montreal’s keeper, but Montreal found a goal of their own in the 36th minute, when Martinez lept above a crowded box, heading a corner kick from Bryce Duke past Rick to equalize.
The match didn’t stay knotted for long – Jesus Bueno was the hero when he finished off a corner sequence, tapping the ball past Sirois for his second Major League Soccer goal. Wagner’s corner was nearly cleared out of the box, but a vigilant Flach headed it back into the crowded box where Baribo and Elliott drew Sirios’ attention, while Bueno snuck behind Raheem Edwards to descend on the ball's odd bounce before the keeper could regain his positioning. It was check by VAR for possible offsides, but it was ruled a goal, giving Philadelphia Union a 2-1 lead before halftime.
Montreal emerged from halftime with a vengeance, equalizing in the 56th minute by way of a Duke free kick. His whipped ball into the box was a lethal one, causing Rick to jump for the save but his effort was mistimed. The ball bounced underneath him, and despite last-chance efforts from both Union centerbacks to stop it from going over the line, Montreal leveled the score at two a side.
In the 61st minute, Curtin made his first change of the match, injecting fresh energy and proven scoring prowess into the match. On Thursday in his prematch press conference, Curtin promised the media that if Gazdag made the trip to Canada, he’d contribute in some capacity, and he stuck true to his word, adding the 28-year-old Hungarian to the mix to replace Donovan.
As Montreal continued to mount challenge after challenge in the offensive third to send their fans home with three points, the Union turned to its limited bench with 20 minutes to go. Curtin opted to go to a back five as Oliver Mbaizo entered in the place of Baribo. The Cameroonian slide into the right side of the defense while Harriel joined Elliott and Glesnes as the three center backs of the Union. Up top the versatility of the goal-scoring Sullivan was again put into practice as he paired alongside Gazdag.
With less than 10 minutes left in the match, Sullivan led a solo attack to try and snatch another road victory for the Union. Taking a pass tipped ball from the midfield, the homegrown raced forward and attempted a low shot across the rain-slicked grass but saw the effort saved.
Montreal continued to push numbers into the attack, focusing their attention on the flank where Brazilian Ruan could get into space. The playmaker served in a hard cross into the box but saw it denied by a big block from Elliott in his 200th career MLS start.
The Canadian side kept on pushing and its bench delivered as substitute Dominik Yankov netted a heart-breaking goal in the 89th minute with a run into the box after taking a pass from Raheem Edwards. The lead grew to two in stoppage time as Ruan headed home a cross at the post courtesy of darting runs from subs Lassi Lappalainen and Kwadwo Opuku to seal the win for the Montreal fans.
Philadelphia Union opens July in the Windy City as they head west to take on Chicago Fire FC on Wednesday, July 3rd. Kick off from Soldier Field is set for 8:30PM ET with match coverage on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
