Philadelphia Union Academy midfielder Kellan LeBlanc had a memorable first MLS NEXT Pro start as he scored twice but ultimately came in a losing effort as Union II suffered a 4-2 setback to Toronto FC II.
After a one hour weather delay in Toronto, Union II took to the pitch with a revamped lineup north of the border. Union Academy midfielders Kellan LeBlanc and Jamir Johnson earned their first starts as amateurs in MLS NEXT Pro, joining Nick Pariano and Carlos Rojas in the middle of the pitch. The backline saw the return of center back Olwethu Makhanya alongside Neil Pierre while Jamir Berdecio and Gavin Wetzel occupied the outside back positions in front of goalkeeper Mike Sheridan. The front line was led by Leandro Soria off a two-goal performance that earned him MLS NEXT Pro Player of the Matchweek recognition while Markus Anderson returned to the lineup.
Kellan LeBlanc wasn't overwhelmed by the moment as he earned the Boys in Blue the first scoring opportunity early in the match. Recognizing a poor pass at the back from Toronto's Abraham Rodriguez, the 16-year-old intercepted the ball and was quickly taken to the ground by Charlie Staniland which resulted in the game's first booking. LeBlanc and Soria stood over the ball from 20 yards out but the left-footed midfielder opted for the curling shot that went inches over the upper 90.
The homeside capitalized on its first attempt into the red zone as Richard Chukwu threaded a pass into the box for Jesús Batiz. The pacey forward quickly got a shot off as Pierre raced to cover the space but the shot snuck inside the near post with plenty of power behind it. The deficit became two for Union II as TFC's Ythallo scored off a corner kick with a smashing header set up by Julian Altobelli.
Philly sought a quick response and had back to back chances through the boots of the homegrown Pariano. In the 24th minute the Boys in Blue quickly got the ball into the box with Soria who laid off a pass for the midfielder's blast that went just wide. Less than a minute later again the ball was at Pariano's feet as he teed up a threaded cross to the back post that nearly connected with a darting run from Anderson. The Union Academy graduate kept pushing for his first professional goal in the 28th minute but again a left-footed curler just missed the far post.
After LeBlanc had his attempts at a goal early on in the first half, Jamir Johnson took over the scoring chances late in the opening half. The U-18 midfielder nearly put the squad on the board in the 39th minute with a free kick screamer that beat the keeper but went wide. During the run of play, Johnson again was quick to try and score as he collected possession outside the penalty area and went for the fast post again but saw the same result.
Down by a pair of goals at the break, Head Coach Marlon LeBlanc turned to his available substitutes as Sal Olivas entered in place of Soria. The visiting side continued the dominate the scoring chances and finally got one past the keeper in the 50th minute. Putting the club's offensive philosophy into fruition, Sheridan started things off blast past the center stripe that was flicked forward by Olivas. Anderson positioned himself perfectly with a defender at his back to win the second ball with a header of his own to allow Pariano to race under the ball and head it to the left side for Berdecio. The Bolivia left back chased it down before the ball went out of bounds and whipped a centering cross toward Olivas and LeBlanc. Sal just missed with a flying header but LeBlanc smashed it home on the volley for his first MLS NEXT Pro goal.
Union II nearly had the equalizer just moments after breaking into the scorer's column as Anderson flashed his pace on the right flank before hitting a centering pass into the six where LeBlanc was denied a chance at a second. The opportunity to get a brace came a few moments later once again in Union II's fashion of play. Olivas began the play with a perfectly timed press on the keeper that forced a poor pass from the back. The ball went right to Anderson who quickly shot a centering pass to his left for LeBlanc who blasted it into the net to tie the contest up at 2-2 in the 57th minute.
After seeing their two-goal lead erased, Toronto FC II again attempted to push forward with an attack for the first time since they scored. The attack didn't result in a goal during the run of play but it did set up an opportunity to score as Julian Altobelli and Makhanya came together in the box. The referee quickly pointed to the spot where Altobelli converted to put the homeside up by a 3-2 margin with half a hour to go.
Needing another goal, LeBlanc turned to his firepower on the bnech as leading goalscorer Eddy Davis III entered alongside Academy players Diego Rocio and Jordan Griffin, who earned his first appearance for Union II, in place of Johnson, Kellan LeBlanc and Rojas. As the group sought to build into the match, Toronto pressed the backline and were rewarded with a fourth goal as Charles Sharp forced a turnover at the back to set up Hassan Ayari for the goal less than three minutes after the forward took to the pitch in the 77th minute. Zach Mastrodimos became the second member of the Union Academy U-18s to make his MLS NEXT Pro debut shortly after the goal was scored as he came on for Pariano in the midfield.
The Boys in Blue kept pushing with the hope of deja vu for the Canadian side but the second of their two-goal leads did not evaporate as they claimed all three points in front of their fans that stuck throughout the down pour.
Union II is back in action next with a home clash against Columbus Crew 2 on Monday, August 26th. Kick off from Subaru Park is set for 6PM ET.
