Philadelphia Union Academy's U17 side showed its championship resilence to overcome a one-man deficit to defeat Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 2-1, to secure their spot in the MLS NEXT Cup Semifinals.
Playing their third consecutive match in as many days, the Union side found itself behind in the match against the Canadian side as Vancouver were awarded a penalty kick in the 22nd minute. Goalkeeper Gavin Atkinson guessed correctly however saw the shot just go beyond his reach to the right to put the Whitecaps ahead by a goal.
Union didn’t stay down long as a quick pass from the middle of the pitch set up a smooth move from Nehan Hasan to cut inside the box. 1v1 against the keeper, the shootout hero saw his shot saved by the keeper however Diego Rocio grabbed the rebound for the one timer to equalize inside less than a minute after the Whitecaps grabbed the lead.
Just before the first half stoppage time, the Baby Snakes saw their numbers drop to 10 as Zachary Greer was sent off for his second yellow card of the match. Despite being down on the pitch, Philly stuck to its plan with Anisse Saidi having a go from 25 yards out to force a tip save from the keeper. After a back to back coner kick clearances from Vancouver, the Union struck on their third attempt as Henry Bernstein connected with the lightest of glances from Saidi at the near post for the go-ahead goal.
Peter McDonnell's side were in control in the second half, not allowing a shot from Vancouver until the 74th minute of play when a half chance off a corner kick ended up going wide of the Union net. Philly had its own chances to put the match away as defensive standout Zach Mastrodimos showed some offense as he gained possession in a scoring area at the top of the box. With the open space to shoot, Mastrodimos did just that with a left footer curler that was saved by the keeper in the 52nd minute.
The two-time defending Generation adidas Cup champions will take on LA Galaxy in a rematch of the 2024 GA Cup Final with a spot at the MLS NEXT Cup Final on the line on Friday, June 21st.
