Philadelphia Union II fell in its final regular season finale, falling to Chicago Fire II by a 2-1 margin on Sunday afternoon.
Union II came into the contest looking to secure the top spot in the Eastern Conference with a win but with the road loss will enter their third-consecutive playoff appearance as the No. 2 seed with the results on Decision Day. The Boys in Blue dominated the first half but it was the hosts who needed a win to secure their own berth into the postseason finding the back of the net in the 15th minute on a headed finish from Peter Soudan. MLS forward Markus Anderson found a second-half equalizer just before the hour mark but the hosts grabbed the deciding goal shortly after to grab the win.
Philadelphia Union II now turns its attention to Tuesday afternoon's MLS NEXT Pro Pick-Your-Opponent selection show which will be live-streamed by the league at 2PM. During the show, the Union will have the second pick and will choose their postseason opponent from the No. 5-8 seeds. The matchup determined during the Selection Shows will then take place at Subaru Park on Sunday, October 20th.
In control of their path for the top seed in the East, the Boys in Blue came out on the front foot with a high pressing attack that kept Chicago on its back foot and pinned on their side of the pitch. Less than two minutes into the match, Union II earned the first set piece as the end result of a darting run by forward Markus Anderson. CJ Olney continued to target the first team attacker with a counter attacking effort that saw the homegrown whip a cross to the back post but just off the mark. Philly’s first attempt on goal came from the club’s single-season scoring leader with Nick Pariano threading a pass to Eddy Davis III who was denied by Patrick Los in net.
Chicago’s first attacking sequence of the game was all they needed in the opening half as Justin Reynolds attacked up the right side of the pitch and hit a long cross into the box. Peter Soudan headed it at its high point and snuck it into the back of the net to give the hosts the lead and lift them up the conference table.
The youthful Union II have proven time and time again that they are comfortable playing from behind and nearly knotted up the contest at one if not for a goal line clearance. Again the attack came from Olney as he raced up the left side and attempted a cross to the back post. The Chicago keeper came off his line to snatch it out of the air but missed but thankfully was cleared away Diego Konincks in the 18th minute.
The Boys in Blue continued to push for the game-tying goal before the break with two more high scoring chances beginning with the high press forcing a turnover just outside the Fire box. Pariano quickly got the ball to the boots of 15-year-old Cavan Sullivan who drove to the endline before hitting a centering pass to Olney but couldn’t get a shot off against the swarming defense. The final attempt came again with a long cross into the box this time from David Vazquez as he found Anderson on the run but again the defense prevented a shot on frame.
Needing a victory with the scoreline in Cincinnati, the Boys in Blue continued to push on and finally got on the board through Anderson. Timing their pressure perfectly, the ball pushed forward to Davis for a 3v2 counter attack. With Sullivan racing to his left and Anderson to his right, the 18-year-old Academy graduate hit Anderson in stride with a leading pass into the 18. The forward quickly cut to his left and ripped a shot inside the far post.
Unfortunately the scoreline didn’t stay level for long as Chicago reclaimed the lead on their next possession. MLS NEXT Pro Golden Boot leader David Poreba turned playmaker with a perfectly weighted pass to the right side where Omari Glasgow found himself about 20 yards from goal. Seeing an inch of space, the 20-year-old laced a shot on the pitch that snuck under Andrew Rick to re-establish the Chicago lead in the 62nd minute.
Head Coach Marlon LeBlanc brought fresh legs into the match after the second goal snuck through with Venezuelan Giovanny Sequera replacing Sullivan. Two more reinforcements followed shortly after with Jose Riasco and Gavin Wetzel entering for Davis and Jamir Berdecio. As the trio sought to grow into the match, Union II nearly found the game-tying goal for the second time of the afternoon as Pariano stole a pass from the Fire. The quickly shot it forwad to Anderson for the one-time and came up just inches side as his right-footed curler went wide at the far post.
Philly continued to test the Chicago back line with Sequera making a darting run to the endline and seeing a shot from a tight angle denied by Los in net. The Fire keeper then made the save of the match in the 78th minute as Anderson ripped a curler that was fingertip saved by the keeper and then crashed off the post. As the ball looked destined for the back of the net, another goal line clearance came to fruition to keep the Union II stymied.
