Philadelphia Union's offensive trio of Carranza, Gazdag and Uhre each notched a goal as the Boys in Blue earned three important points with a 3-2 victory against Atlanta United FC.
With a congested Eastern Conference table, Philadelphia Union were determined to set the ton in the first half of their marquee midweek against Atlanta. Head Coach Jim Curtin sent out his most complete starting XI in two weeks, welcoming 2022 MLS Defender of the Year Jakob Glesnes back to the lineup for the first time since the team’s September 20th draw against Charlotte. Defensive midfielders José Martinez and Leon returned to selection as well, rejoining the bench after missing time due to injury.Â
With a fortified lineup, Philadelphia’s first chance came early when a pass into a crowded box bobbled between multiple Union players in the second minute. Mikael Uhre gained possession for the team’s strongest of several chances toward the net, but the shot just missed his target, instead landing out past the right goal post. With Kai Wagner out due to yellow card accumulation, Jesús Bueno confidently took over corner-taking responsibilities, sending the ball into the box for an Uhre header saved by Atlanta keeper Brad Guzan.
Moments later, Bueno was forced to leave the match after going down at centerfield in pain. The young Venezuelan midfielder who’d stepped into a starting role as of late in the absence of his fellow countryman limped off the field, triggering Curtin to send in Martinez in the 12th minute.Â
Back on the field, the duo quickly reminded fans and teammates of their impact with a string of won duels, helping to limit Atlanta to just three shots throughout the entire first half.Â
In the 15th minute, Philadelphia had a chance to earn the first lead of the game when Mikael Uhre sent a cross to Julián Carranza off a fast break, but the 23-year-old Argentinian striker’s shot missed just left.
Union keeper Andre Blake began the reprisal of Saturday’s dominant performance in net against Columbus Crew, making a diving save to stop a powerful Tristan Muyumba line drive from the center of the box.
Blake made a second save moments after, booting the ball to Union’s attacking end where Uhre quickly drew a foul, earning a free kick for the Boys in Blue. Jack McGlynn, noticing a slow-to-set-up Atlanta squad, saw the opportunity for a quick pass to Uhre, who ripped a shot from outside the box. Captain Alejandro Bedoya found the ricochet for a shot of his own that was again but third time’s a charm; an off-kilter Daniel Gazdag claimed the resulting rebound for a bicycle kick to the back of the net, sending Subaru Park into hysterics.
Momentum continued to build in the following moments – Jack Elliott cleared the ball away from Atlanta possession, finding Carranza who burst down the field for a fast break pass to Mikael Uhre at the center of the box, ready for a boot to the bottom left corner of the net. With Uhre’s 41th minute score, the Union earned a two goal lead in just two minutes, setting the pace for the remainder of the second half. The officials decided there would be an added five minutes of stoppage time and the Union took full advantage of the pulsing energy in Subaru Park, battling through a physical effort from a desperate Atlanta.
Despite the comfortable first half lead, the Union continued to pour on the attack. Philadelphia’s 20-year–old homegrown midfielder helped set up another scoring opportunity, this time sending the ball to Carranza from distance. Carranza collected with a chest bump toward Gazdag, who swiftly tapped it back to the Argentine striker for his 13th goal this season.
Down a trio of goals, Atlanta United were presented the opportunity to start off the second half trimming down the deficit inside the first minute of play. The Five Stripes raced down the right side and whipped in a cross that Blake got half a punch on. The ball fell right to 8 for the one timer but air mailed it well over the crossbar.
After an unsuccessful counter attack by the Boys in Blue, the visitors again had a chance to start a comeback as Uhre committed a outside the box to set up free kick opportunity for FIFA World Cup Champion Thiago Almada. The service was cleared out but allowed the away side a corner. The ensuing corner was cleared out at the near post by Julian Carranza but quickly appeals rang from ATL for a second look. The Video Assistant Referee agreed and after a quick check pointed to the spot for a handball against the Union goalscorer. Almada stepped to the spot and hit a rocket into the upper 90 in the 57th minute to make it a 3-1 contest.
Curtin was forced into his second change of the night in the 61st minute when Uhre had to be subbed off which allowed homegrown Quinn Sullivan the opportunity to continue his strong September form. The forward was quickly put to work with a hard run down the right side before hitting a low shot from a tough angle that Guzan somehow kept out with a kick save. The rebound went to the top of the box for Gazdag only to be denied by a tip over the crossbar by the Atlanta keeper.
The Union defense was under pressure as the clock ticked to 90 as Edwin Mosquera and Jay Fortune joined the contest. The moved proved to be a key one as Mosquera became the beneficiary of the visitor’s second goal of the evening. In the 77th minute of play, Atlanta overloaded the box with a pass to the right side presenting a crossing opportunity from Brooks Lennon. The wing back cut a hard pass to the six where Blake made a diving reaction stop on Tristan Muyumba. The midfielder regained the rebound and shot a quick pass to the substitute for the one-time blast that snuck through the traffic to make it a 3-2 contest.
Curtin brought on defensive reinforcements with under 10 minutes to play with Matt Real and Damion Lowe on for Olivier Mbaizo and Alejandro Bedoya. The deo were under the highest pressure seconds after entering the match with back-to-back crosses from the Five Stripes that tested the backline’s communication in a new formation but passed as Jamal Thiaré climbed a defender and hit a header over the Union goal.
The lengthy stoppages due to yellow cards and VAR checks resulted in seven minutes of stoppage time added once the clock hit the 90th minute. The Union faced cross after cross during the entire duration of that seven with the Union faithful providing that extra bit of energy needed for the battled tests legs. As the clock hit the added time, Atlanta drove into the box but Elliott delivered the final blow with a sliding block out of bounds to deny the cutback pass and with it the final whistle rang out.
The Boys in Blue conclude their 2023 regular season slate of home matches on Saturday night when they host Nashville SC in another critical Eastern Conference showdown. The match presented by Independence Blue Cross sees the club recognize their fans for U Thank U night with various contests and giveaways throughout Subaru Park. Kick off for Saturday's contest is set for 7:30PM ET and will be streamed on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
