After a 2-hour weather delay at Subaru Park, Bradley Carnell’s Philadelphia Union flexed their resiliency in a come-from-behind 3-2 victory against the New York Red Bulls thanks to an early equalizer from Tai Baribo, Milan Iloski’s 1st goal in a Union shirt, and Olwethu Makhanya’s 89th minute match winner on a rainy Wednesday night in Chester.
The 3-2 win marks the 16th straight game against the Red Bulls without a loss for the Union, and punches their ticket to the US Open Cup Semifinal round where they’ll face off against Nashville SC in the Music City on September 16th for a spot the tournament’s Final.
Starting Xi
Bradley Carnell put out just about as strong of a Starting XI as you could imagine on Wednesday night. Jake Glesnes, who will miss out against the Red Bulls in league play this weekend due to Yellow Card accumulation, got the nod in the Open Cup on Wednesday night.
Milan Iloski made his Subaru Park debut from the bench, while Frankie Westfield got the start at Right Back over Nate Harriel, who will likely slide into the vacant CB slot in New Jersey on Saturday night.
Formation: 4-2-2-2
GK: Blake
RB: Westfield, CB: Glesnes, CB: Makhanya, LB: Kai Wagner
CDM: Danley, CDM: Lukic
CAM: Q. Sullivan, CAM: Vassilev
ST: Damiani, ST: Baribo
Carmona Cashes In Early For Red Bulls
In just the 8th minute of the game, Wikelman Carmona gave Red Bulls an early lead on the road after Olwethu Makhanya failed to get a piece of a long ball sent into Union’s final third by keeper AJ Marcucci, which allowed Carmona space to unleash a shot towards goal.
Carmona, who let a left-footed blast fly from about 25 yards out with the opportunity presented to him, caught Andre Blake off balance and back pedaling and neatly placed the ball into the corner of the net to give Red Bulls the early 1-0 lead.
Baribo Brings Union Level From Wagner Set Piece
Just 5 minutes after Red Bulls took the early 1-0 lead on the road, Union found themselves back on level terms thanks to their trusted talisman, Tai Baribo – who else?
Kai Wagner sent a free kick opportunity into the penalty area which fell perfectly to the feet of Tai Baribo, who collected the loose ball and fired it in the back of the net to equalize for the Union in the 13th minute.
Choupo-Moting Gives Red Bulls Late Lead
With just 20 minutes left to play, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting made the Union pay when he got on the end of a cross into the penalty area and re-directed the ball into the back of the net with his left foot.
In the 71st minute and with the game tied at 1, Dylan Nealis played an inviting ball into the middle of the penalty area from Andre Blake’s right side, which fell perfectly into the path of a swinging left foot from Choupo-Moting.
Choupo-Moting made no mistake and beat Blake with the re-direction to give Red Bulls a 2-1 lead on the road.
Milan Iloski Ties Game with First Union Goal
In the 74th minute and just 3 minutes after Red Bull’s 2nd go-ahead goal of the night, It was Milan Iloski who capitalized on the scoring opportunity in his Subaru Park debut to bring Union level and put them in position to find a late Open Cup Afterdark winner.
Quinn Sullivan played a progressive ball into the feet of Tai Baribo, who turned towards goal and surveyed the options playing out before him. Baribo ignored the run from Mikael Uhre in front of him and played the ball across the box to a wide open Iloski, who took one touch to settle the ball at his feet and with his second beat Marcucci at the near post to bring the game level once again.
Makhanya Punches Semifinal Ticket With 89th Minute Winner
In the 89th minute and heading for Extra Time, Kai Wagner played a free-kick into the penalty area which Red Bulls failed to properly clear out of the zone. The botched clearance fell perfectly to an unmarked Olwethu Makhanya in the penalty area, who did well to stay composed and placed the ball into the far corner of the net with his right foot to give Union a later 3-2 lead at Subaru Park.
Makhanya’s goal proved to be the match winner for the Union, which punches their ticket to the US Open Cup Semifinal next month down South.
Union Dominance Over Red Bulls
The 3-2 come-from-behind win not only punches Union’s ticket to the Open Cup Semifinal, but extends their unbeaten streak against the Red Bulls to 16 straight games.
Yes, 16 straight games without a loss against the Red Bulls for the Union, who have a record of 12W-4D-0L and have outscored their opponent by a total of 28GF to 10GA during that span.
Wednesday night’s 3-2 back and forth mid-week classic was the first time since MLS Playoffs in 2019 that the Red Bulls managed to scored more than once against the Union.
Up Next For The U
It’s a quick turnaround for both teams, as they’ll head back up I-95 on Saturday night to face off against each other in MLS League Play once again. The Red Bulls come into Saturday’s clash against the Union looking for their first win against DOOP since September of 2019, almost 6 years ago.
While the Red Bulls are fighting to squeeze into a playoff spot, currently sitting at 10th place in the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia Union’s 15W-6D-5L record has them sitting in first place of both the Eastern Conference and Supporters’ Shield race, and puts them in a position to push for collecting that Silverware down the final stretch of the season.
With just 8 games left in the MLS Season, Union extending their unbeaten streak against the Red Bulls to 17 straight games on Saturday night could go a long way in helping Union in the Supporters’ Shield battle.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
