In a battle of high pressing teams and little space to operate, Philadelphia Union came up on the wrong side of the scoreline as they fell to New York City FC, 1-0.
The latest chapter of the Eastern Conference rivalry saw another section about homegrown goalkeeper Andrew Rick as he make two reaction saves to keep the game level after 45 minutes. Playing within the confines of Citi Field in Flushing, one pass would make the difference as Alonso MartÃnez scored for the home side in the 55th minute.
Philly returns to Subaru Park to kick off a two-game homestand next weekend that begins with Atlanta United on Saturday, April 19th. The contest will see the Union celebrate Greener Goals Presented by Subaru as part of celebration of Earth Day. Tickets for the 7:30PM contest can be purchased online by clicking here.
How The Match Unfolded
In the wake of a recent transfer and injuries, Head Coach Bradley Carnell sent out another never-before-seen lineup on Saturday night.
For the second time this season, Homegrown Andrew Rick made the start in net, filling in for typical starter Andre Blake, who'd been listed as questionable with an adductor injury.
During last weekend's match, Ian Glavinovich suffered a meniscus injury, and he was also out for the match having undergone a successful surgery early in the week. Without him, the defense featured Olwethu Makhanya and Jakob Glesnes paired at centerback. As for outside backs, Kai Wagner made his return to play after missing two matches with an oblique injury, starting opposite Nate Harriel.
In the wake of Daniel Gazdag's recent transfer to Columbus Crew, Jovan Lukic, Indiana Vassilev, Danley, and Quinn Sullivan made up the midfield, while last week's attacking duo in Tai Baribo and Bruno Damiani stayed in tact.
With Blake out and Rick in net, Oliver Semmle made the bench, sitting alongside Homegrown centerback Neil Pierre, who was added to the roster on a short-term call up, Frankie Westfield, Alejandro Bedoya, Jesus Bueno, Jeremy Rafanello, Cavan Sullivan, Chris Donovan, and Mikael Uhre.
12', Andrew Rick save! | In the 12th minute, New York City’s Kevin O'Toole made a pass across the box, and it was almost lethal -- Kai Wagner attempted to track it down, but slipped due to wet conditions on the pitch. His fall allowed AugustÃn Ojeda to set up a shot for Hannes Wolf that nearly made it 1-0 in favor of the hosts, but just like he did last time the two teams met, 19-year-old Rick made an impressive stop, keeping the match level.
19' Another big block | Philadelphia Union made another big stop six minutes later -- this time, it was Lukic, sliding to block a shot from Mitja Ilenic.
55', New York City goal | After a scoreless first half, it was the hosts who earned the first advantage of the match. In the 55th minute, Mitja Ilenic sent a long ball up the sideline, finding Alonso Martinez just ahead of Nathan Harriel. Andrew Rick advanced to make a clearance then slid, misreading Martinez, who dribbled around him toward a wide-open net. He fired a shot near the top corner of the 18-yard box, sending the ball to the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.
66', Union make their first change | Carnell made his first change of the night in the 66th minute, sending numbers forward by exchanging the defensively minded Danley for striker Mikael Uhre. With a third forward on the narrow pitch, the change saw Vassilev drop further into the midfield.
75', Two more changes for the Boys in Blue | With 15 minutes left in the contest the Union injected two more fresh faces with Alejandro Bedoya and Chris Donovan, brought in for a late push for an equalizing goal. The duo replaced starters Sullivan and Damiani.
80', Donovan denied game-tying goal | Harriel found Donovan for a powerful header, but the chance was saved by Freese on his left side.
87', Carnell makes defensive sub | With just three minutes of regular time remaining, Carnell opted to make a change, this time altering his defense. Makhanya, a centerback, was taken out and replaced by Homegrown outside back Frankie Westfield.
90+', Union push late | Four minutes were added to the end of the rainy contest with the Union pushing for some set piece magic for knot of the game late. Tai Baribo would get on the end of a whipped in Kai Wagner corner but saw the effort go just over the crossbar.
