On Saturday night, the Philadelphia Union faced off against the New England Revolution, as the club looked to make it six unbeaten in MLS matches. Philly was coming off of a 0-0 draw against DC United on Wednesday night and was looking to pick up a huge three points going against the second-place team in the Eastern Conference.
Union vs Revs Recap
A Daniel Gazdag brace and a Julian Carranza goal were all that the Union needed as they knocked off Bruce Arena’s side with a 3-0 victory. This was easily the best performance of the season for the club, as they continue to make strides and push higher up the Eastern Conference table.
Back to the 3-5-2
Philadelphia manager Jim Curtin has continued to switch up his formations lately, using three different formations in the last three matches that the Union has played. But in the match against New England, Curtin went back to the 3-5-2 formation, which has suited the Philly squad well so far. Prior to this match, the Union held a 1-1-0 record when running the 3-5-2, but they have looked good when doing so.
Besides the formation, Jim Curtin made a few other changes to his starting XI for the match against New England, with usual starters Mikael Uhre and Jose Martinez making their return to the lineup. Captain Alejandro Bedoya was also sidelined for the match, due to a minor quad injury he suffered in training on Friday. With these changes, the Philadelphia starting XI went as follows: Blake, Lowe, Elliott, Glesnes, Wagner, Mbaizo, Flach, Martinez, Gazdah, Uhre, and Carranza.
Three Goals in the 2nd Half
In the first half of the match, the trio of Uhre, Carranza, and Gazdag struggled to find that final pass to create chances for the Union to try and put the opener on the board. But the second half was a completely different story for them. Philadelphia were able to put up all three of their goals in the half, looking like a completely different team than the first half.
It all started in the 56th minute when Daniel Gazdag put a shot on target, and it ended up in the back of the net. Mikael Uhre won a throw-in and then proceeded to quickly throw it to Gazdag who slotted it home past Petrovic. The Union’s second goal came from a Gazdag penalty, which was given after a foul on Mikael Uhre by Andrew Farrell.
Finally, Philly’s third goal of the match came from Argentine striker Julian Carranza. This goal showed how phenomenal the Union’s counterattack can be. Chris Donovan won the ball on his own side of the pitch, eventually passing it to Carranza. Carranza brought the ball upfield, eventually passing it back to Donovan right before the box. Donovan would then run into the box, and pass it back to Carranza, who slotted it home to make it 3 for the Union on the night.
Up next for the Union
Philadelphia will look to continue their unbeaten streak in the MLS as they face off against rival NYCFC at 7:30 PM on Saturday, May 27th. Philly was 3-0-0 against NYCFC last season, with the Eastern Conference Final in the MLS Cup Playoffs being the last time the two teams have seen each other. Philly would end up winning this match 3-1, using goals from Julian Carranza, Daniel Gazdag, and Cory Burke to help secure their spot in the 2022 MLS Cup Final against LAFC.
During the regular season, Philadelphia would win both games against their New York City based rival by an aggregate score of 4-1. They will look to have the same success against NYCFC this season, so make sure to tune in Saturday for the first match between the two rivals!
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