The Philadelphia Union went on their first road trip of the young MLS season this weekend, as the club traveled to Kansas City to face off against Sporting Kansas City at Children’s Mercy Park. Both teams came in with one point on the season, as each ended up with a draw in their opening match. This was the Union’s third match in a week, with yet another against Pachuca coming in just about 72 hours. Due to the upcoming match on Tuesday, Union supporters may have expected a rotated Starting XI on the weekend, and Jim Curtin did exactly that.
Philadelphia Union’s Starting XI
As everyone knows, the start of the 2024 season for the Philadelphia Union has been nothing but chaotic. With this match against Sporting Kansas City, they are already approaching their fourth match of the season, with number five against Pachuca waiting on Tuesday night. Due to this, Jim Curtin knew there was a time when he had to rotate a majority of his squad, and he picked the match against Kansas City to do so. The Union manager made a few changes, including a bunch of academy graduates in the lineup.
With the changes from Jim Curtin, the Starting XI for the Union went as follows: (4-4-2 Diamond: Oliver Semmle; Oliver Mbaizo; Damion Lowe; Jack Elliott; Nate Harriel; Jose Martinez; Jesus Bueno; Jack McGlynn; Jeremy Rafanello; Quinn Sullivan; and Chris Donovan). The substitutes on the night included: (Andrew Rick; Kai Wagner; Matt Real; Jakob Glesnes; Alejandro Bedoya; Daniel Gazdag; Markus Anderson; Tai Baribo; and Mikael Uhre).
Overall Quiet First Half
If there was any expectation for the Union to come out and dominate in the first half, all those expectations were shot down early. Sporting Kansas City dominated from the start, as the Union could not seem to get a hold of the match early on. The home team thought they took the lead within eleven minutes, but the referee ruled Erik Thommy offside, so it did not count. But after that call, it only took Sporting Kansas City a total of eight minutes to grab the first goal of the match.
Midfielder Remi Walter would receive the ball after a nice build-up from the hosts and would fire a shot outside the box past Semmle for his first goal of the season. Kansas City could continue to dominate the remainder of the half, but the score would remain 1-0 giving the Union some hope that they would be able to respond in the second half and try to sneak one or maybe even three points.
Much Different Second Half for the Union
With his Union side only down 1-0 at the half, manager Jim Curtin realized that there could still be a chance to snag something from this match. Therefore, the Union manager made three substitutions, bringing on Kai Wagner, Alejandro Bedoya, and Daniel Gazdag for Olivier Mbaizo, Jose Martinez, and Jeremy Rafanello. Within the first ten minutes of the second half, you were able to see the impact that these substitutions had on the Union. They were creating more chances and it looked like they would be able to possibly snag a goal.
In the 57th minute, Jim Curtin introduced his fourth sub of the night, bringing on Mikael Uhre for Chris Donovan. For the majority of the second half, it was a constant back-and-forth attack between the two sides, as each team was looking for the goal that would change the entire match. Besides the occasional chances from each side, opportunities in the second half were not really the biggest. But in stoppage time in the second half, things would change drastically. The referee would give Philadelphia a throw-in when it clearly went off of Mikael Uhre, and little do they know, the remainder of the game would be changed.
Off of this throw-in, Philly would push for the equalizer and in the run of play, would get a corner kick in the dying moments of the match. Wagner would send a cross in, which would then be attempted to be cleared out by Tim Melia. But the ball would bounce right to Alejandro Bedoya, who would slot it home and give the Union the equalizer they have been looking for! It was Bedoya’s first goal of the season, and what a crucial goal it would be.
Fast forward a little bit, and Sporting Kansas City would get a corner kick of their own. But the Union would eventually clear that corner, and the match would end in a 1-1 draw. Both sides would leave the stadium with one point, and one team would definitely be a lot happier than the other.
Takeaways from the Match
The match at Children’s Mercy Park may not have been the prettiest one for the Union, but it is one that I feel was executed the way that Jim Curtin wanted. He most likely wanted the goal to come a little earlier than the 90+5’ in stoppage time, but the team did end up getting a point while rotating the squad in a tough atmosphere on the road. In this match, there were a couple of takeaways that I could find.
1. This Union squad does not quit at all
This is something that I feel has been said in every single match that the Union has played in this season, but in every match, it ends up being true. In all four matches that the club has played, they ended up conceding first to their opponents. Then at some point throughout the match, they end up equalizing and even possibly taking the lead and holding on for the win.
Tonight in Kansas City was not a different story. Rémi Walter opened the scoring for Sporting Kansas City in the 19th minute, and it looked like they could be running away with the match at that point. The Union were playing sloppy and not like the team that we know they can be. But Jim Curtin’s side ended up going to halftime with a 1-0 deficit, and Jim Curtin made the changes he did at the half and throughout the second half.
They played much better throughout the second half and continued fighting until the very end, where Alejandro Bedoya was able to find the equalizer and steal the Union a point.
2. This is the perfect send-off tour for Alejandro Bedoya
For this takeaway, I am giving the credit solely to fellow PSN Union writer Jimmy King. Jimmy brought up to us on our podcast that this new role for Bedoya has right now is the perfect send-off tour for him, and I couldn’t agree more.
If there were any doubts in thinking this way, tonight’s match made me even more of a believer. Bedoya came on in the 45th minute, after a first half where the Union struggled to get things going as a team. But in the second half, things seemed to change and they developed more chances overall as a team.
Yes, Curtin did bring on Wagner, Gazdag, and Uhre as well, but Bedoya played an important role coming off the bench, just as he has all season. In addition, he even ended up scoring the match-tying goal at the death, allowing the Union to come back to Subaru Park with a massive point! All in all, basically what I am saying is that I am glad Bedoya is fitting in his new role on the squad, and it is 100% benefiting both himself and the club in many ways.
3. The Union got extremely lucky…
When Philly first got the throw-in that eventually led to the corner kick to get the game-tying goal, I was confused at first. I thought the ball went off of Uhre and then out of play, meaning it would be a throw-in for Sporting Kansas City. My original assumption was correct, as the ball did in fact go off of Mikael Uhre.
Manager Jim Curtin even addressed this in his post-match press conference saying, “Certainly it was their throw-in. There’s no question about that.” If the replacement refs made the correct call and gave the throw-in to Sporting Kansas City, the home side would most likely have ended up taking all three points, rather than the one.
All in all, basically what I am saying is that the Union should be extremely happy with the point they got, as it was a referee error that helped them gain it. Also, the replacement referees need to get their act together, as errors like this one should not be something that is happening in a professional soccer match.
Up Next for the Union
The next match for Philadelphia will be yet another match in the Concacaf Champions Cup, as they will be facing off against Liga MX side Pachuca. Philly has only faced off against Pachuca once, and it was not even a competitive match, as it was an international friendly.
The Union used a goal by Nate Harriel in the win, but as I said, it was only an international friendly. Therefore, Tuesday’s match will be the first time these two clubs face off competitively, and I am expecting a hard-fought match from both sides.
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