On Tuesday night, the Philadelphia Union faced off against Atlas in Liga MX and won a tough and gritty match against the Mexican club by a score of 1-0. Daniel Gazdag scored an 89th-minute goal from the penalty spot to secure the win for the Boys in Blue, and what a big win it was for them. It gave the Union a lead in the first leg of the quarter-finals Champions League matchup, as they look to advance to the semifinals of the tournament.
The club will go to Guadalajara next week, as they look to complete the job and move on. In the matchup against Atlas, the Union had a few key contributors who were important to the victory. While Jack McGlynn and Daniel Gazdag provided a key presence, there was one individual who stuck out the most and helped the Union get the win. This player was centerback Damion Lowe, who the team acquired from Inter Miami in the offseason, and has looked phenomenal in his action as a member of the Union.
A Dominant Performance for the Union
As stated previously, Damion Lowe had a phenomenal performance in the match on Tuesday against Atlas. He was absolutely dominant on the field, and that was shown by his stats on the night. Lowe played a full 90 minutes in the back and ended the night with an 8.3 Fotmob match rating, which ended up being tied with Daniel Gazdag as the best on the night. Lowe was performing positively on both sides of the ball and had possibly one of the biggest events of the night with his goalline clearance in the 25th minute. Julian Quinones got behind the Union’s backline and past Andre Blake, shooting the ball, but Damion Lowe was there to save the day.
Manager Jim Curtin thought the whole run of play was offside, but the referee never blew the whistle for it. While the clearance was an important part of the match, Damion Lowe had an impact in other areas on the pitch. The CB had a pass accuracy of 82% and had a total of seven passes into the final third. He also won 4 out of 6 ground duels and won all 5 head duels he was a part of. Lowe was a massive part of the Union’s victory, and without him, the result could have looked different.
Defensive Chess by Lowe
When asked about his performance on Tuesday night against Julian Quinones, Damion Lowe said he won what was what he called defensive chess. Damion was quoted saying,
“Sometimes you step in and win it. Sometimes you allow him to get it, take that touch, and intercept. It’s basically a game of chess. You can’t just dive in because he’s good at hold-up play and 1v1. You have to give up and take in some situations. You have to respect that he is a good striker, but I’m also a solid defender so he has to respect me. It’s just a 90-minute battle and the best man came out with the win today.”
– Damion Lowe
Damion Lowe’s play backed up his quote, as he provided phenomenal play defending Quinones.
All in all, Damion Lowe had a man-of-the-match performance against Atlas, and many could have argued he deserved the award. There is a high chance that the defender could be seeing more starts for the Boys in Blue, especially as the fixture list continues to build up for the club. The acquisition of Lowe looks to be more and more of a bargain by Ernst Tanner, as he continues to build up his Union squad.
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