Philadelphia Union resumed MLS action on Wednesday night, falling to the defending MLS and Leagues Cup Champions Columbus Crew by a 1-0 margin at Subaru Park on Wednesday night. Next, the Boys in Blue will visit New York Red Bulls to renew their rivalry on Saturday.
How The Match Unfolded
Head Coach Jim Curtin shook up his lineup for Philadelphia Union’s return to Major League Soccer play against Wilfried Nancy’s high-powered Columbus Crew side. The backline stayed the same as usual with Kai Wagner, Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes, and Nate Harriel protecting Andre Blake, but there was a new face in the midfield, as Danley Jean Jacques made his first Union start. He lined up with Alejandro Bedoya, Leon Flach, and Quinn Sullivan while Baribo and Gazdag were paired up top.
As for Columbus Crew, Nancy unsurprisingly gave quite a few impact players a break to start the match after his team defeated LAFC on Sunday in the Leagues Cup Final. With most of the team's starters on the bench, Andres Herrera made his Crew debut, while Aziel Jackson, Dylan Chambost, and DeJuan Jones made their first MLS starts.
13' | Philadelphia Union was inches away from scoring the opening goal when a stop from Patrick Schulte bounced off the post and nearly went in. Sullivan faciliated the shot, finding Baribo in the box for a close range tap in that just barely missed the gap between Crew keeper Schulte and the right post. In his first start, Danley had an opportunity to run onto it for a shot of his own, but a Columbus defender intercepted the ricochet before he could get to it.
23' | Head Coach Jim Curtin was forced to make his first change of the match early in the first half when right back Nate Harriel went down in pain. After a visit from team training staff on the pitch, he left the game for the locker room, and Olivier Mbaizo was subbed in.
38' | Philadelpha Union's attacking effort was thwarted by the woodwork again in the 38th minute when Olivier Mbaizo found Quinn Sullivan for a powerful shot above Schulte's reach, but it’s trajectory was just off, and it nailed the crossbar instead.
HALFTIME | 0-0
54’ | Philadelphia Union continued to battle in front of the box early in the second half, and in the 54th minute, Mbaizo spurred another near chance, this time for Tai Baribo. When a service from Wagner was blocked away, Mbaizo recovered it for a pinpoint pass to Baribo, who headed the ball for a shot that was stopped by Schulte.
62' | Wilfried Nancy made a trio of substitutions in the 62nd minute, adding in two players from his Leagues Cup-winning starting XI in Diego Rossi and Max Arfsten, plus 27-year-old winger Yaw Yeboah for his first minutes in over a month.
72' | Both Columbus' manager and Curtin made changes in the 72nd minute -- Nancy sent in Cucho Hernández and Darlington Nagbe, while Curtin replaced Alejandro Bedoya and Danley Jean Jacques with Mikael Uhre and Jack McGlynn.
75' Yeboah goal | Yeboah scored the opening goal in the 75th minute, placing a header through a sliver of space between Union defense and the post off a pass from Arfsten on the opposite side of the box. Columbus maintained their lead through the final whistle, defeating the Philadelphia Union in both team's return to MLS regular season play.
