Philadelphia Union accomplished its goal of getting home field advantage in the first round of the 2023 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs despite falling to the New England Revolution, 2-1, on Decision Day 2023.
With defensive midfielder José Martinez missing from the lineup due to yellow card accumulation, Head Coach Jim Curtin opted for the 3-5-2 formation in New England turning to the center back trio of Damion Lowe, Jack Elliot, and Jakob Glesnes.
His starting lineup also included two homegrowns in defender Nate Harriel and midfielder Jack McGlynn, with Harriel starting at right back instead of Olivier Mbaizo, who was not available for selection after picking up an injury during play with the Cameroonian National Team.
With rain and wind making the turf difficult to predict, the Union started off strong in the third minute with a near-chance via a through ball from Daniel Gazdag to team captain Alejandro Bedoya, who was caught offside. Moments later in the fourth minute, the Boys in Blue created a similar opportunity, this time featuring a Kai Wagner pass to Mikael Uhre, who was also positioned offside.
With postseason home field advantage on the line, the game was unsurprisingly physical from the start – the first yellow card of the match was dealt in the seventh minute after Harriel’s defending against Ryan Spaulding spurred the official’s whistle.
New England earned their first two shots of the game in the ninth and 10th minute, with 24-year-old Tomás Chancalay booting the ball from the center of the box. Carranza matched their energy with a shot of his own from the right side of the box in the 12th minute following a pass from Harriel, but his effort missed the net left.
Chancalay and teammate Noel Buck continued the Rev’s attack with two more shots before Philadelphia Union claimed the first with a Carranza goal in the 16th minute. Kai Wagner booted the ball from the defensive half of the field toward Carranza and Uhre sprinting in lock-step toward the goal, causing Revolution keeper Jacob Jackson to advance toward them. Revolution defender Dave Romney found the ball first, headed it toward Jackson in a moment of miscommunication, causing Uhre to follow through toward the net and fall, with Carranza hitting the ground soon after. Amidst the chaos in the box, Carranza kept his focus, knocking the ball toward the unprotected net for a 1-0 lead and his 13th score of the season.
Philly nearly doubled its lead in the 18th minute as Uhre tried to skip a shot from just inside the box along the wet turf but Jackson was attentive, making the save.Â
Philadelphia Union was able to maintain their lead for just six minutes, until a Carles Gil shot blocked by Damion Lowe was ruled a handball, giving Revolution an opportunity to equalize from the penalty spot. Gustavo Bou made the most of the opportunity, sneaking the ball perfectly inside the post to beat Andre Blake and knot the score at a goal each.
During the deliberation, Wagner earned a yellow of his own, shown the card for dissent against the official’s decision. (TK if not sent off)
While the Union finished off the first half with more shots on the board, it was the hosts that claimed the lead going into the break with a fortunate connection in the 42nd minute. With the Union pressed high, the Revs launched a counter attack through their playmaker Carles Gil who Jack Elliot for a pass through a tight window to Bou. With the Union racing back to tighten the scoring angle, Bou ripped a right-footed blast that snuck under the Union keeper and put New England ahead 2-1.
While the Union finished off the first half with more shots on the board, it was the hosts that claimed the lead going into the break with a fortunate connection in the 42nd minute. With the Union pressed high, the Revs launched a counter attack through their playmaker Carles Gil who Jack Elliot for a pass through a tight window to Bou. With the Union racing back to tighten the scoring angle, Bou ripped a right-footed blast that snuck under the Union keeper and put New England ahead 2-1.
Both teams had a quiet start to the second half in their respective attacking ends, with neither team finding a shot until the 58th minute. That’s when the centerbacks started to get involved in the Union’s attack, with Elliot attempting a header off a Wagner cross and Jakob Glesnes trying a blast from distance. Philadelphia’s 26-year-old German left back continued his attempt to spark the attack, impressing with a textbook cross across the box that didn’t find the foot of any of his teammates.Â
In the 68th minute, the Revs ramped up their attack starting with a pair of Gil chances in the 68th and 70th minute. Buck first found Gil for a shot from the right side of the box saved by Philadelphia’s three time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. Two minutes later, Gil tried to extend the lead again with a shot that nearly hit the top left corner but just missed. Chancalay added to the offensive pressure with a shot of his own, but missed left.
After an unsuccessful chance from Julián Carranza and near-banger from distance from Jack McGlynn, Curtin injected fresh legs into his offense, replacing Mikael Uhre for Jesus Bueno and McGlynn for Leon Flach in the 75th minute.The two new contributors both joined the team for the first time since recovering from their respective injuries. Bueno tried to make an impact quickly, taking a shot from outside the both in the 77th minute after a Kai Wagner pass. After that, the game saw a lull in the formerly vibrant attack until Harriel nearly became the hero sliding in for a unsaveable dagger to the top left corner that would’ve tied the game a twos, but his effort was deemed offsides.
With the conclusion of the Eastern Conference’s Decision Day matches, the two sides will face off again in the First Round of the 2023 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. The Union are the No. 4 seed via the goal differential tiebreaker after they fell to New England, 2-1,  on the final day of the 2023 Major League Soccer regular season. The No. 4 spot sees the Boys in  earn home field advantage in MLS’s new playoff format. A top-four finish in your conference gains hosting rights for the first and third leg of the Round One Best-of-3 series (bear in mind the third leg is only played if necessary), and the higher seed will host in the single-leg format of the conference semifinals and finals. Philadelphia Union racked up 55 points during the 34-game campaign via a 15-9-10 record.Â
Major League Soccer will announce the complete First Round details in the near future. However tickets for the Union's home playoff match are on sale and don't wait to lock up your seat because they're going fast. To purchase tickets, please click the image below.
