The Philadelphia Union desperately needed a result on the road.
They got it. Just not the one they ultimately could have had.
While the Union could have garnered three points, they were forced to settle for one following a frenetic 1-1 draw Sunday night against D.C. United at RFK Stadium. After a two-game losing streak, the Union will take the point.
“A point on the road in this league is really important,” said Philadelphia team manager John Hackworth. “And we haven’t had that. For us to get a point on the road, no matter all the craziness, it’s important for this team. We’re young and have to be able to learn from this.
“Are we disappointed we didn’t get three points? Yeah, but at the same time D.C. is a very good team, and to come into this stadium, with a ton of history, where they have been exceptional all year, I think if you had said this to me before the game, I would have taken a point. I wouldn’t be happy with it, but I would have taken it.”
Brian Carroll scored his first goal of the season in the eighth minute and the Union had a number of other opportunities to extend the lead but couldn’t capitalize.
But D.C. United responded with an own goal in the 71st minute and kept the pressure on, eventually leading 12-1 in corner kicks before going down to nine men.
Instead of celebrating a huge road win and three points, the Union had to be content with one.
“We just got a point on the road,” Hackworth said. “We’re good. That’s a good result for us. I’m not disappointed. I’m not. Would I love three points? Absolutely. But the fact is we didn’t play great in the second half and that was our fault. We could have scored a second goal. I think we should have scored two. We will talk about that. We will talk about execution.
“At the same time, we did what needed to do in a very hostile environment. This is a positive effort for us that we have a result in this kind of atmosphere. There are a lot of teachable moments from this game.”
So the Union return home with one hard-earned point. Yes, they could have compiled three. But they’ll certainly take one.
“I enjoyed my time here, but it was a hostile crowd,” said Union midfielder Freddy Adu, a former member of D.C. United. “We did what we had to do to win. We came in here and we fought. We were a little bit unfortunate. We missed a couple chances for the day, but at the end of the day we came here and got a tie. It is better than a loss. I wanted to leave here with three points. That's why we play the game and today we didn't get that. But a tie is better than a loss."
