Cavan Sullivan's first goal at Subaru Park was a game winner as Philadelphia Union II rolled past Chattanooga FC, 3-1 on Thursday night.
Sullivan scored his second goal in as many matches, finding the back of the net in three minutes into the second half with a near post finish set up by Frankie Westfield. The 14-year-old's goal came after a tight first half that saw Eddy Davis III notch his ninth goal of the season and CJ Olney hit double digits in assists in the sixth minute. Leandro Soria scored his second goal of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro slate to secure the three points for the Boys in Blue to extend their Eastern Conference lead to six points through 17 matches.
Union II went toe to toe with a much older squad, showcasing brilliance beyond their years in the early minutes. Facing off against a 3-5-2 in a low defensive block, Union II had to be patient and clinical when the opportunities presented themselves. Chattanooga finally came forward in the fifth minute of play and the Boys in Blue pounced as Carlos Rojas won a tackle and kept the ball inbounds. The defender put the ball at the feet of playmaker CJ Olney up the field who combined with Markus Anderson to launch a counter attack. Anderson shot the ball right back to Olney who picked his head up and surveyed where to rip a pass. With speed on the far side, the 17-year-old whipped a perfect pass across the Tennessee backline to hit Eddy Davis III in stride for a beautiful finish. The goal marked the ninth of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro campaign for the Academy forward while the helper saw Olney extend his lead atop of the league in assists with 10.
The veteran opposition continued to stick to their gameplan and sought to take advantage when the Union defense was overly aggressive. In the 11th minute, the push for an equalizer looked on as Callum Watson threaded a pass through the backline to send Mehdi Ouamri in on goal. Center back Neil Pierre was picture perfect with his recovery run and turned in a pristine sliding tackle in the box to prevent a shot on goal. Ten minutes later the Tennessee duo combined once again on the same play to get on the board. Unlike the first attempt that saw Pierre prevent a shot, the sliding attempt was met with a cutback however Ouamri opted for a chipped finish that went out of bounds.
Ouamri continued to try test the Union II defense as he once again launched a solo attack in the 27th minute on the opposide of the pitch. Racing stride for stride with him was Rojas who delivered a successful shoulder-to-shoulder challenge to dispossess the French-born striker. Three minutes later Ouamri was finally able to test goalkeeper Mike Sheridan as he took advantage of Union II playing down a man during an injury. Battling against Sanders Ngabo filling in temporarily on the backline, Chattanooga FC’s front man spun around the Union II player and ripped a shot from the edge of the 18 that Sheridan stopped with ease.
Unable to break through in the run of play, Chattanooga FC found its equalizer off a set piece in the 34th minute of play. Pushing all three of their center backs into the box, Milo Garvanian had plenty of options to connect with and did with Duvan Viafara scoring with a header in a crowd box.
Union II went right back onto the attack after allowing the goal, sending the ball forward to Davis III. With the defense in retreat, the 18-year-old ripped a blast from the corner of the 18-yard-box the forced a stinging save from the goalkeeper Jean Antoine.
Philly opened the second half on the attack, earning a corner kick 15 seconds after play resumed. Union II went for a near post run for captain Frankie Westfield but were instead were given yet another corner. Seeking a second bit at the apple like last week at New England Revolution II, they went with a short corner involving Olney and David Vazquez with the Union II midfielder connecting with Pierre at the back post but the defender’s header went wide.
Strong defense turned into a second goal for Union II in the 48th minute as Rojas once again stepped up the pitch to win a tackle and spark a scoring chance. The center back shot a pass on the left side to Westfield in the attacking third. The Union II captain turned and threaded a hard pass into the six for Cavan Sullivan who took a touch with his right and blasted a shot on the grass with his left for his first goal at Subaru Park.
Things went from bad to worse for Chattanooga FC as they went down a man in the 64th minute. A poor pass in the back was read perfectly by Markus Anderson who raced after the ball and collided with goalkeeper Jean Antoine. Initially called just a yellow card infraction, the call was upgraded to a red moments later after the referees spoke and agreed the Tennessee keeper had denied the Union forward of a clear and obvious goalscoring opportunity.
Head Coach Marlon LeBlanc turned his bench bringing on Kyle Tucker and Leandro Soria in place of the goalscoring duo of Davis and Sullivan. Both subs sought to double Philly’s lead with Tucker attempting to score off a free kick on his first touch in the 69th minute. Two minutes later Soria got his chance and converted as he took an Anderson saved shot and tapped it home to extend the lead to 3-1 for the Boys in Blue.
Union II returns to action next week for some Friday Night Lights at New York City FC II. Kick off from Belson Stadium is set for 8:30PM on Friday, July 19th, with the contest broadcast for free on MLSNEXTPro.com.
