After a stretch of rough form that saw the Union only pick up one win in five matches, Bradley Carnell’s side looked to improve against an Atlanta United side that was struggling themselves. The Boys in Blue returned home after falling to NYCFC by a score of 1-0 at Citi Field, and the home support helped them get back to where they needed to be. Three different goal scorers helped propel the club to a 3-0 win, showing supporters and themselves that they have the ability to continue to be the team that was showing early on in the season.
For more about the match, please make sure to check out Jimmy King’s match recap linked below:
Three Stars of the Night
In a match that resulted in three goals scored for and a clean sheet by the defense, there were plenty of members of the Union squad who had solid performances. But throughout the evening, three players stood out, and those three were Andre Blake, Danley Jean Jacques, and Quinn Sullivan. Danley and Quinn were both on the scoresheet on the night, while Andre Blake provided the clean sheet in his first minutes for the club since April 5th against Orlando City.
1. Andre Blake
As stated previously, Andre Blake was making his first appearance for the Union since April 5th, due to the abductor injury that he suffered. Young goalie Andrew Rick did well in Blake’s absence, but the Union would be happy to have their main man back between the posts. Overall, the Jamaican would have a quiet night, only needing to make three saves on the night, with an extremely important one coming in the 77th minute to help preserve the Union’s 2-0 lead at the time.
Aleksey Miranchuk connected with a cross from outside the box and fired a shot on target using his head. Blake reacted extremely well to the shot and was able to make the save before Kai Wagner cleared it. While it was a quiet night for Andre Blake, he still showed the impact that he can have on a match when he is in it. Union supporters love it when he is in the Starting XI, and his performance against Atlanta United on Saturday night showed exactly why.
2. Danley Jean Jacques
Ernst Tanner made two signings in the summer transfer window last summer, bringing in striker Sam Adeniran from St. Louis City and midfielder Danley Jean Jacques from French side FC Metz. The bigger name of the two was obviously Danley Jean Jacques, as he was a young midfielder coming in to prepare for the eventual transfer of Jose Martinez. The Haitian midfielder did well in the second half of the season for the Union, but he has excelled even further this season, especially with his partnership with Jovan Lukic.
The 24-year-old continued his top form during the match against Atlanta, providing a man-of-the-match performance from midfield. On top of being an important part of stopping Atlanta’s star-studded attack, Danley was able to score his first goal as a member of the Union. Bradley Carnell’s press was evident in this play, as the Union were able to cause a turnover from Atlanta, and just ran right through their defense.
The ball eventually found Mikael Uhre, who spotted Danley making a run on his left. The midfielder then took the shot, sending it right through Brad Guzan’s five-hole to give the Union a 2-0 lead. It was all-around good team play by the Boys in Blue, and it also showed that Bradley Carnell’s tactics are paying off and the players are adapting well to them.
3. Quinn Sullivan
The third and final star of Saturday’s match was none other than midfielder Quinn Sullivan. The 21-year-old came into the match with three assists on Saturday, thriving in the role that Bradley Carnell has given him on the Union side. Quinn has been a threat all over the field and has been one of the team’s best attackers throughout the early parts of the season.
The American would continue his fine form against Atlanta, scoring his first goal of the season and also providing a nice assist on Tai Baribo’s goal in the 84th minute. With these goal contributions, Sullivan now has five in nine matches, scoring one and providing four assists. His performance also saw him earn a spot on the MLS Team of the Matchday!
Philadelphia’s performance on Saturday night was solid all around. They shut down one of the league’s star-studded offenses and got a 3-0 win despite a red card for Jovan Lukic in the second half. They will look to continue this fine form as they return to action against DC United on Saturday, April 26th, at 4:30 PM. Vamos, Philadelphia!
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