In a game that told a different tale from what the Major League Soccer table had been telling for weeks, Philadelphia Union fought hard to secure a 2-1 victory over CF Montreal at the Subaru Park. Expected to be a walk in the park, the clash between the league leaders and the league trailers turned out to be everything no one predicted it to be like: a fixture as competitive as a top-of-the-table clash.
In the slugfest on Wednesday night, it was the star of Olwethu Makhanya that shone brightest, earning him a place in the MLS Team of the Matchday for the second consecutive week.
It was the second match in 2025 between the two Eastern teams, as Philadelphia Union thumped Montreal in the first match with the same scoreline.The Union went into the game coming off a home victory against the New York Red Bulls, and they were looking to extend their winning run after a poor start to the month of July that saw them fall off the summit of the league table. Montreal, on the other hand, were hopelessly struggling at the very bottom, but were stubborn enough to rattle Union fans for 90 minutes and force Andre Blake into making some decisive saves.
Alongside the goalkeeper’s saves, Makhanya’s defensive masterclass was a huge factor that helped the Union seal their victory. Against a clinical Prince Owusu that troubled the Union with his ruthless finishing, Makhanya won three aerial duels, nine clearances, four recoveries and a block to mitigate the threats from Montreal’s forwards.
Makhanya wasn’t just impactful in defense. When the Union struggled to find a winning goal, he moved towards the opponent’s goal for a Kai Wagner corner kick and headed the ball to the ground and way beyond the keeper’s reach to score his first Union goal at the 50th minute.
He resumed his defensive duties at his team’s end of the pitch and helped the Union seal out their victory. Aside from scoring the equalizing goal for Montreal, Owusu finished a cross off with a header that hit the post at the 77th minute, then returned seven minutes later with an overhead kick effort that forced a diving save from Blake.
The other scorer for Union was Tai Baribo, who played in a squared pass from Quinn Sullivan, who was at the lucky end of some seconds of defensive chaos from Montreal, following a brilliant run by Danley Jean Jacques from the midfield area. The goal was Tai Baribo’s 14th MLS goal of the season, and it came in the 37th minute.
It was his first goal since May, where he picked up a calf injury that kept him on the sidelines for a while. It was also his first goal since he lost his place as the league’s top scorer to Nashville’s Sam Surridge. He ranks fourth on the list, with Lionel Messi and Evander ranking second and third respectively.
The Union were able to pose some more offensive threats through the introduction of Mikael Uhre —who was returning to the matchday roster for the first time since May — but he was unable to find the back of the net. However, that’s exactly the stuff champions are made of — the kind of stuff that allows them to figure out ways to win even on bad days and against stubborn teams.
Next, Olwethu Makhanya and the Union travel to the Shell Energy Stadium to meet Houston Dynamo FC in their 24th game of the season, hoping to continue their reign at the top of the table.
Mandatory Credit: Caean Couto-Imagn Images
