The Philadelphia Union extended their unbeaten streak in Major League Soccer play to six, getting a 3-0 win over the New England Revolution at Subaru Park.
The Union started off the half moving the ball well and exploiting spaces in the channels. With the team in a 3-5-2, Olivier Mbaizo and Kai Wagner got plenty of touches in the attacking third. New England’s Latif Blessing picked up an early yellow card, going in the referee’s book in the fourth minute. The Union had a great chance in the sixth minute of play when Daniel Gazdag hit a ball from the center of the pitch to Julián Carranza, but it was just out of the striker’s reach. Carranza hit a solid shot in the eighth minute, forcing New England goalkeeper Djordje Petrović to make a save after it was deflected en route to the net.
The pace of play slowed for a bit, with the midfielders clogging up the passing lanes and making life difficult for one another. New England had their first good chance in the 19th minute when Bobby Wood got onto a centering pass from the corner, but the attempt went well wide of the net. Then at the other end of the pitch in the 20th minute, the Union had a flurry of chances as the result of a counterattack, but the Revolution defense held, blocking the shots and clearing it before anything got to Petrović. Damion Lowe hit a shot from distance in the 22nd minute but it was straight at Petrović. The Union had a couple more chances, with Dániel Gazdag getting a shot on goal from distance in the 22nd and Carranza getting a header in the 27th but Petrović was up to the task. It was a bit of a scary moment in the 35th minute when Brandon Bye collided with Kai Wagner at midfield, but after a moment being attended to by the medical staff, Wagner was able to come back into the match.
New England began putting pressure on the Union in their end, but the Union were able to come right back down the field and get some pressure of their own. New England was committed to playing a physical style of play, which caused the flow of the match to be interrupted frequently. After a Bobby Wood yellow card for a foul at the 45 minute mark, the teams started pushing and shoving a bit, but cooler heads prevailed and the half ended without incident.
The Boys in Blue came out looking for an early goal, and while they had a couple of good opportunities in the early minutes, nothing materialized until the 54th minute, when Damion Lowe sent in a great ball for Julián Carranza. Carranza headed the ball on frame, but Petrović made a great stop on it. The Union kept at it however and in the 55th minute Daniel Gazdág got onto a ball in the box and ripped one past Petrović for his first goal from the run of play this season.
New England however came back down the field and had a chance when Emmanuel Boateng put a shot from a tight angle into Andre Blake’s hands, and Brandon Bye put the rebound well into the stands to defuse the situation. Then at the other end of the field the Union had a great opportunity when Jose Martínez made a nice move along the end line to get free and hit a ball into the box. The ball was dummied brilliantly to Carranza, but his shot missed just high. Then in the 71st minute Mikael Uhre was taken down in the box. Referee Lukasz Szpala pointed to the spot, and Gazdag converted for his second goal of the evening and sixth of the season.
The Union kept going at the Revolution, not letting up as the time crept toward the 90 minute mark. They earned several corner kicks, and kept the ball in the River End for a good portion of the remainder of regulation time. When New England did get back down the field, the Union were able to counterattack, with Chris Donovan making a great run down the right flank and putting the ball through the defender’s legs to Carranza for his fifth goal of the season.
Philadelphia Union returns to action next weekend as they hit the road for the final time in May with a rivalry showdown against New York City FC. Kick off from Citi Field is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 27th with the action on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
