Nine years ago today, Philadelphia Union went north of the border and made a statement as Justin Mapp and Danny Mwanga each netted a brace in the Union's 6-2 win in Toronto. Below is the original match recap that appeared on PhiladelphiaUnion.com.
In only their second season, the Union continue to make major strides. This was their most forceful statement yet.
Last Saturday, the club showed a whole lot of poise when they struck back and won 2-1 after the Chicago Fire had tied the match. They didn’t let an equalizer bother them and went on to secure three huge points at home.
This time, the Union went ahead 3-0, only to let Toronto FC get within a goal early in the second half. But instead of folding, Philadelphia exploded for another three unanswered goals, capping a 6-2 victory to earn three road points.
If last week showed poise and attacking promise, Saturday’s victory at BMO Field showed maturity and explosiveness.
“I think it just shows the desire and we don’t ever give up,” said Gabriel Farfan, who scored his first career goal in the second minute. “It shows the character of our team. It shows the desire and hard work we put in this week.”
It was a record-setting day for the Union with six goals scored, double the club's highest total previously. That makes eight in their past two league matches. They had only six goals in their first nine league matches.
Philadelphia also tied last season’s win total on the road with two. Over the last couple of weeks, Manager Peter Nowak has said how difficult it can be to win away from home in this league.
So wins like this one will certainly help in the long run. Next Saturday’s match at Colorado won’t be easy, but the club will have an extra dose of confidence in the buildup to it this week.
“Definitely,” Farfan said of this victory having a carryover effect. “It just shows what we’re made of. Yeah, it gives us confidence going into next week. We have worked hard in all our training sessions and I think it carried over into this game.”
At 6-3-2, the Union reclaimed sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference with 20 points – a total the club didn't reach until August 28 last year.
If the offense keeps up a solid pace – no one can expect six goals every match – the Union likely will be in very good shape, especially considering the strength of their defense.
“We never took our foot off the pedal,” Farfan said of Saturday's win, just the ninth time a road team has scored six or more goals in MLS history. “There were a lot of doubters that we could score and we proved them wrong.”
Danny Mwanga scored two goals, giving him three on the season and 10 in his short career. Justin Mapp added two goals while Farfan and Kyle Nakazawa each scored their first-ever MLS goals.
Any way you slice it, this was a dominant performance for the Union, who are hitting their stride just as teams across the league are set to lose a host of stars to CONCACAF Gold Cup duty.
“I just think we were pretty organized, we put a lot of pressure on their back,” said Mapp, who scored his first two goals of the season. “We forced a few turnovers. I think our guys had some good finishes by everybody, getting in good position. All around it was a good game for us.”
