No Danley, no Jack Elliott, and no Andre Blake? No Problem for Jim Curtin and the Union on Wednesday night, as they go up to the Bronx and come back with a massive 3 points in their pocket after a 5-1 thumping of NYCFC, putting them above the playoff line for the first time in a while.
It was a group effort at Yankee Stadium with 5 different players getting on the scoresheet against the Pigeons, and it gives the team some momentum heading into two massive games at Subaru Park against teams battling for the final playoff spot.
Starting XI
The Union were shorthanded once again on Wednesday night, with Andre Blake and DJJ missing out due to injury, and Jack Elliott out due to yellow card accumulation.
Andrew Rick got the start in Andre Blake’s place between the posts, with Nate Harriel moving into Jack Elliott’s spot at CB, and Olivier Mbaizo getting the nod at RB. Leon Flach stepped into the bottom of the diamond for an absent Danley Jean-Jacques. Bedoya for Sullivan in the midfield was the only other change from Saturday night against Miami.
Starting XI: 4-4-2 Diamond
GK:Andre Blake
RB: Olivier Mbaizo, CB: Nate Harriel, CB: Jakob Glesnes, LB: Kai Wagner
CDM: Leon Flach
RCM: Ale Bedoya, LCM: Jack McGlynn
CAM: Daniel Gazdag
ST: Tai Baribo, ST: Mikael Uhre
Baribo Opens Scoring
15 minutes into the opening half, Tai Baribo opened the scoring with a header he flicked on net that snuck into the corner and past the diving hands of former Union goalkeeper, Matt Freese.
Baribo’s goal marked the 3rd straight game that Union had opened the scoring, all 3 of which came on the road. The deadlock-breaker from Baribo was his 5th goal in as many games, and his 15th in 17 across all competitions. Olivier Mbaizo gets the assist on the play, his 2nd of the season.
Uhre Doubles Union’s Lead
Less than 10 minutes after opening the scoring, Tai Baribo pounced on a mishandled interception from NYCFC’s Thiago Martins. Baribo laid the ball off for Mikael Uhre arriving into the penalty area, who perfectly placed the ball into the right corner with a shot on his first touch.
Uhre’s lead-doubling goal marks his 9th goal of the MLS season, and the 3rd goal in as many games for the Danish striker. The goal was assisted by Tai Baribo, his 1st of the MLS season.
Gazdag Takes Advantage of Freese Howler
Just 5 minutes after Mikael Uhre doubled DOOP’s lead, former Union goalkeeper, Matt Freese, made a mistake that would put NYCFC in an even deeper hole than they were already in.
What should have been a routine save on a header from Baribo turned into a calamity as the ball slipped through the gloves of Matt Freese and fell perfectly for Daniel Gazdag lurking on the doorstep. Gazdag poked the ball into the back of the net, giving Union a 3-0 lead on the road and stunning the home fans in the process.
Gazdag’s goal was his 15th of the 2024 season, making him the first player in Philadelphia Union history to score 15 regular-season goals in multiple seasons. Gazdag passed Sébastien Le Toux as Union’s all-time leading goal scorer earlier this season.
Martinez Draws NYCFC Within One Before Halftime
Union were seconds away from heading into the locker room having put together a perfect first half up in the Bronx, but a last-second mental lapse gave NYCFC hope heading into the break.
In the 5th of 5 first-half stoppage time minutes, Kevin O’Toole sent a left-footed cross into the penalty area, finding Alonso Martinez right around the 6-yard box. Martinez had escaped the coverage of Nate Harriel, filling in at CB for a suspended Jack Elliott, which left him all alone for a wide-open header which Andrew Rick had little chance of saving.
After the match, Union’s coach admitted that his players got to see an angry side of Jim Curtin after conceding in the final moments of an otherwise perfect first half.
Union Rely on Rick to Maintain Lead
18-year-old Andrew Rick, in the net for an injured Andre Blake, would be called on early in the second half with NYCFC pushing and full of hope after their last-second goal in the opening half.
With a 3-1 lead and Union desperate for all 3 points, Rick came up with a fabulous save in the 60th minute, diving to his left and palming the ball away from the top corner of the net.
Of his 7 saves on the night, none were better than the one that came in the 66th minute when a chip shot had Rick scrambling back to the goal line. Rick laid out and swiped the ball away just in time, keeping Union’s 3-1 lead in-tact.
Glesnes Header Secures 3 Points
Big saves from Andrew Rick and a shot denied by the post weathered the storm for the Union and kept them up 3-1 mid-way through the second half, despite dangerous play from NYCFC.
But in the 72nd minute, Jakob Glesnes buried any hope NYCFC had left with a towering header from a corner that beat Freese to the top shelf of the net.
The goal was Jakob Glesnes‘ 2nd of the MLS season, and the assists came from Kai Wagner, his 11th of the 2024 campaign. The assist from Kai Wagner also marked his 50th assist in MLS Regular season play, putting him level with Sébastien Le Toux as Union’s all-time assist leader.
Bueno Bangs in 5th for Union
Up 4-1 and sailing to 3 points on the road, Jesús Bueno added insult to injury for NYCFC by adding a 5th goal for Union in the 85th minute with a left-footed shot that beat Matt Freese.
The blast from Bueno was his 3rd goal of the 2024 MLS season, and the assist from Quinn Sullivan was his 8th helper of the year.
What’s Up Next?
Union’s 5-1 in the Bronx on Wednesday night might have been one of the best results for Jim Curtin’s team in the 2024 season. They went up to the Bronx down multiple key players, managed to bury almost every opportunity they had in front of net, and weathered the storm when they needed to with big saves from young Andrew Rick, pushing them above the playoff line for the first time since the Summer.
But Jim Curtin said it himself post-match, this result will quickly be forgotten if they aren’t able to follow it up with 2 wins against direct competition, DC and Atlanta United, at Subaru Park over the next 2 weekend.
“To score 5 goals on the road, the players deserve all the credit. Some timely, big saves from Andrew Rick as well, which you need to wins games. So overall a complete team performance…but this win means nothing if we don’t go home and take care of business now in our next two big games, but certainly a big step forward and a really good win”
Scoring Summary
Union Goals:
15th Minute – Tai Baribo (8th), assisted by Olivier Mbaizo (2nd)
25th Minute – Mikael Uhre (9th), assisted by Tai Baribo (1st)
32nd Minute – Daniel Gazdag (15th), unassisted
74th Minute – Jakob Glesnes (2nd), assisted by Kai Wagner (15th)
85th Minute – Jesús Bueno (3rd), assisted by Quinn Sullivan (8th)
NYCFC Goals:
45th+5 Minute: Alonso Martinez (12th), assisted by Kevin O’Toole (1st)
Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
