Daniel Gazdag scored late but Philadelphia Union’s comeback attempt came up short as they concluded March with a 2-1 setback at Inter Miami CF.
Facing off against one of the most infamous rosters in MLS history, the Boys in Blue brought their physical and intense style of play to south Florida, embattling the city that they represent on their chests. With X-time MLS All-Star Kai Wagner unavailable due to an injury, the home side turned to attacking on the flanks which resulted in Jordi Alba setting up the opening goal sequence early in the first half. Superstar Lionel Messi entered the contest in the second half and made an instant impact as he doubled Miami’s advantage after receiving a pass from Luis Suárez.
Philly didn’t sit back after falling behind by two goals, with Quinn Sullivan continuing his hot start to 2025 with his fourth assist of the season with a perfectly weighted cross to Gazdag to make it 2-1 with 10 minutes left.
The Boys in Blue look to put the result in the rear view mirror quickly as they seek a season-sweep of the league’s other Florida side, Orlando City SC, next weekend. Limited tickets for the April 5th contest at Subaru Park are going fast so don’t wait as it will mark the return of the fan-favorite Postgame Fireworks Display.
How The Match Unfolded
Philadelphia Union was back together after an international window that saw seven players earn a call-up for a total of nine absences. After his group got it done shorthanded against St. Louis City, Head Coach Bradley Carnell had some tough decisions to make, and on Saturday, he opted for his third unique lineup this season.
Andre Blake reclaimed his spot between the posts, but this time, in front of a diffe backline. Kai Wagner was out with an injury and didn't make the trip, so without him, Jakob Glesnes, Ian Glavinovich, Nate Harriel, and Frankie Westfield made up the defense. The midfield reverted to it's look for the first four matches of the season with Jovan Lukic, Daniel Gazdag, Danley Jean Jacques, and Quinn Sullivan.
Up top, Mikael Uhre and Tai Baribo were reunited, making for the night's Starting XI against Head Coach Javier Mascherano's Inter Miami.
On the bench, Andrew Rick resumed his role as back up keeper after a clean sheet against St. Louis CITY, sitting alongside Olivier Mbaizo, Olwethu Makhanya, Jesus Bueno, Alejandro Bedoya, Indiana Vassilev, Cavan Sullivan, Bruno Damiani, and Chris Donovan.
25', Miami earns early lead | Two minutes after Benja Cremaschi was shown a yellow card, the 20-year-old capitalized on a perfect pass from Jordi Alba across the box, waiting for Westfield to divert his run toward him before finding teammate Robert Taylor for the first goal of the night.
Halftime | Miami maintained the lead at half, and after a trip to the locker room for both teams, Carnell made his first change of the night, swapping Lukic for Vassilev.
55', Messi returns to MLS play | Mascherano made a change of his own soon after, sending in Argentinian soccer superstar Lionel Messi to replace Taylor, the night's first goal scorer.
57', Messi makes it 2-0 | Two minutes after subbing on, Messi doubled his team's score, putting the ball past Blake for a 2-0 Miami lead.
59', Another Union change | In need of a goal, Carnell made another change to his group, replacing Uhre with Bruno Damiani, who made his first start in Blue and Gold in the team's 1-0 win against St. Louis CITY last weekend.
60', Baribo denied off the corner| Trailing by a pair of goals, Philly turned to its corner kick excellence to kick start a comeback. Quinn Sullivan went short to Vassilev who quickly ripped a centering cross into the box that connected perfectly with Baribo right in front of goalkeeper Oscar Ustari to made the reaction stop to deny the header from the Union's Israeli striker.
70', More Miami subs | Up 2-0, Mascherano added in fresh legs in Yannick Bright and Telasco Segovia.
75' Union subs | With 15 minutes of regular time remaining, Jesus Bueno and Chris Donovan replaced Danley Jean Jacques and Tai Baribo, fresh off international duty with Haiti and Israel respectively.
80', Gazdag gets one back | Philadelphia Union didn't get discouraged despite the deficit. Instead, Daniel Gazdag capitalized on a perfect pass from Chris Donovan and Quinn Sullivan over Miami and into the box, sending the ball past keeper Oscar Ustari.
90', Stoppage Time | With Inter Miami forced into a late change due to an injury to its keeper, nine minutes were added to the Eastern Conference showdown. In the fifth minute, the Boys in Blue earned a corner kick but Damiani's attempt on the grass rolled right into the gloves of Drake Callender. In the final seconds of the match, Philly had one more chance on the boot of Sullivan as he picked out substitute Chris Donovan in the box but the forward's headed flick went inches wide of the far post.
